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Research Outputs
Eujin has an
established
track record of generating new knowledge and finding solutions for a
significant impact in industry where his research outputs have been
selected for inclusion in the REF2014 exercise. He has co-authored
book chapters and his work has been
published in international peer-reviewed journals such as Co-Design, Design
Journal, Rapid Prototyping Journal and the Journal of Assembly
Automation. In 2015, he was invited as Guest Editor for the Special
Issue of the Rapid Prototyping Journal; and in 2012, he was the Guest
Editor for the Design for All publication. Eujin's research interests
centre on Additive Manufacture (3D Printing), New Product Development
and Inclusive Design. He has been Principle Investigator to numerous
university funded projects and international knowledge exchange
partnerships. He is particularly interested in multi-disciplinary
partnerships and to supervise PhD candidates.
...........................................................................................................................
Peer-Reviewed Journal Papers, Conferences & Book Chapters
1. Evans, M.A., Pei, E., Cheshire, D. and Graham, I. (in
press) “Digital Sketching and Haptic Sketch Modelling during Product
Design and Development”, International Journal of Product Development
During the professional practice of industrial design, digital methods
are used extensively to support the generation, development and
specification of creative three dimensional (3D) form. Despite the
increasing capabilities of digital methods, the distinctive nuances of
current practice continue to require the use of non-digital methods,
particularly during the highly creative concept generation activities.
This paper reports on a research project that combined emerging and
established digital design technologies to define an approach for total
Digital Industrial Design (DID) that employed only digital methods (e.g.
no pens/paper) with no post-process finishing (e.g. smoothing/painting
of rapid prototype parts). To evaluate this theoretical approach, action
research was employed in which all phases of DID were used to design two
stylistic variations of a consumer product with data collection using a
diary through the design process and coded analysis of outcomes. The
paper concludes that DID has the greatest potential for change and
benefit during the concept generation phase, where haptic feedback
modelling and monochrome 3D printing have the capacity to replicate some
of the qualities of tactile form-giving that is associated with
workshop-based sketch modelling by hand. When integrated with
photorealistic visualisation, low fidelity appearance models have the
potential to reduce design timescales. To maximise impact, the case
study was translated into in a web-based resource
(http://www.lboro.ac.uk/microsites/lds/did/) to facilitate understanding
of the process and designed outcomes from DID.
2. Evans, M.A., Campbell, R.I. and Pei, E., (2015) “Developing
tools to support collaboration and understanding during industrial
design practice” In: Tovey, M. (ed.) “Design Pedagogy - Developments in
Art and Design Education” (Book Chapter) Farnham: Gower
Professional and student industrial designers employ an extensive range
of media and techniques at various times during creative practice.
Whilst general patterns of use are acknowledged, such as loose sketches
at the beginning of product development and full prototypes at the end,
the nuances of use for specific design representations have been
elusive, making contextualization for students problematic. This paper
reports on research to enhance communication during product development
by making tacit knowledge on the use of design representations explicit
for both students and practitioners. This was achieved through the
development of two design tools called CoLab and iD Cards. Phase 1 of
the project identified barriers to communication through semi-structured
interviews with 61 industrial designers and engineering designers at 17
industrial design consultancies. Phase 2 explored the nature of design
representations and categorised 35 types as sketches, drawings, models
or prototypes using semi-structured interviews with both industrial
designers and engineering designers, with differences in use between the
two groups becoming apparent. Phase 3 used a process of information
design to translate the findings and data from Phase 2 into the
card-based CoLab design tool that included the taxonomy and an
indication of when the design representations were used by industrial
designers and engineering designers and for what types of information.
Changes were made after appraisal and the final tool was validated
through semi-structured interviews with 43 industrial design and
engineering design practitioners and observation. Phase 4 disseminated
the research output with the support of the Royal Academy of Engineering
(RAE) in the UK (CoLab web-based design tool) and Industrial Designers
Society of America (IDSA) in the USA (iD Cards physical design tool).
The paper concludes that the use of appropriate research methods that
integrate literature based sources with practitioner engagement has the
potential to elicit valuable and unexpected tacit knowledge that can
contribute to student learning. It also acknowledges that whilst the
outcomes from such research can be enthusiastically received,
translation into a format for effective dissemination can be a
challenging and time-consuming process. However, with confidence in
outcomes and a desire to disseminate, opportunities can be identified if
researchers are prepared to be flexible and adapt to stakeholder needs.
3. Self, J., and Pei, E. (2014). Reflecting on Design Sketching:
Implications for Problem-Framing and Solution-focused Conceptual
Ideation. Archives of Design Research, 27 (3), 65-87.
This investigation examines the role and use of sketching as tool of
design representation during conceptual design activity. In particular
we focus upon sketching’s relationship with problem framing and
solution-focused strategies and reasoning in the proposition,
exploration and development of solution ideas. This research was
conducted to contribute to furthering knowledge and understanding of
sketching for use in design pedagogy and the development of conceptual
design tools.In a qualitative content analysis (QCA) a coding frame
based upon the constructs naming, framing, moving and reflecting is
employed in the analysis of a concept design protocol using the
think-aloud method. The protocol’s transcriptions were segmented before
being encoded through the concept-driven coding frame. The analysis and
discussion of results proceeds through reference to the encoded protocol
data and is supported by the synchronic charting of design
activity.Sketching activity during conceptual design provides
opportunities for previous frames of reference to re-emerge and be
re-engaged in new ways. The act of sketching appeared to facilitate
frequent shifts of attention to and from sub-problems and sub-solutions.
This thus provided opportunities to laterally explore different aspects
of emergent solution ideas in a concurrent manner. These frequent
shifting of attention may act as a catalyst for appositional reasoning
across different aspects of the design problem. The participant’s
solution-focused thoughts appeared to both influence and be influenced
by sketching activity, affording fresh insights and perspectives to
emerge.The study of sketching and other tools of design representation
provides opportunities to better understand the kinds of designerly ways
of knowing, thinking and action required in practice. Findings have
implications for design pedagogy and the development of conceptual
design tools.
4. Pei, E. (2014) "4D Printing – Dawn of an Emerging Technology
Cycle", Assembly Automation, 34(4)
There have been incredible advancements in additive manufacturing over
the past decade. Three-dimensional (3D) printing has reached a critical
mass where these machines are now a common sight in product design
companies and institutions. As conventional 3D printing technology
matures, creeping up in the background is four-dimensional (4D)
printing. This is where “time”, as the fourth dimension, is combined
with conventional 3D printing technologies. It is not about how long it
takes for a part to be printed; but rather the fact that the 3D printed
object still continues to “shape shift” and evolve over a period of time
(Pei, 2014). Some may ask what is the value in all of this? The main
difference is that conventional 3D printing produces parts that are
generally static and inanimate, whereas 4D printing involves carefully
designed geometries with precisely controlled deposition of different
materials or active fibres that can reshape when subject to external
stimuli.
5. Maidin, S., Muhamad, M.K. and Pei, E. (2014) “Experimental
Setup for Ultrasonic-Assisted Desktop Fused Deposition Modeling System”
iDECON 2014 - Emerging Technologies Towards Sustainable Manufacturing.
22 - 23 September 2014, Melaka, Malaysia
Fused deposition modeling (FDM) is an additive manufacturing (AM)
process that has been used in various manufacturing fields. However, the
drawback of FDM is poor surface finish of part produced, leading to
surface roughness and requires hand finishing. In this study, ultrasonic
technology will be integrated into a desktop FDM system. Ultrasound has
been applied in various conventional machining process and shows good
machined surface finish. However, very little research regarding the
application of ultrasound to AM has been carried out. Our previous
research found that the extrusion nozzle of the FDM system could
withstand the high vibration transmitted at 40 kHz of frequency from an
ultrasonic transducer. The aim of this paper is to discusses three novel
setups of using ultrasound devices attached to a desktop FDM system to
study its feasibility to improve the surface finish of parts. A
comparative study was made and it was found that the second setup
(Concept 2) was most suitable due to its safe and reliability aspects.
6. Maidin, S., Aziz, K.F.A., Muhamad, M.K. and Pei, E. (2014)
“Analysis of Applying Ultrasonic Frequency on a Desktop FDM Nozzle”
iDECON 2014 - Emerging Technologies Towards Sustainable Manufacturing.
22 - 23 September 2014, Melaka, Malaysia
Fused deposition modeling (FDM) is an Additive Manufacturing (AM) that
allows a designer or engineer discloses a desired shape by simply
drawing a design on the computer. It is also the most economical AM
process. Despite these advantages, it has the biggest drawback that it
requires post processing to produce a good surface finish of parts
produce. This research studies the application of ultrasonic to a
desktop FDM system. The idea is to transmit high vibration from the
ultrasonic transducer to the FDM system particularly on the nozzle.
However, the idea has yet to be proven. This paper aims to examine
whether the FDM nozzle is able to withstand the high vibration
transmitted. The project was carried out using a CAD and ANSYS software.
The CAD software is used to develop a 3-dimensional model and the ANSYS
software is used to perform static and vibration analysis. 20 kHz to 30
kHz and 30 kHz to 40 kHz vibrations were applied. From the results of
the analysis, the FDM can stand up to 40 kHz of frequency of vibration
to the FDM nozzle. In addition, the lowest Factor of Safety obtained is
18.8975. Thus, it can be concluded that the nozzle of FDM can withstand
the high vibration transmitted from the ultrasonic transducer.
7. Tagang, I.J., Pei, E., Robert, C.C., Higgett, N., Ismail,
D.L., and Abdulrasheed I. (2014) “The role of appropriate footwear in
the management of diabetic foot: Perspective of clinicians in a low
resource setting”, Archives of International Surgery 4(1)
The use of appropriate footwear among patients with diabetes mellitus
and those with diabetic foot problems has been documented to play a
vital role in the prevention and treatment of the established foot
disease. However, there is a paucity of literature on the role of
clinicians in ensuring appropriate footwear among patients with diabetes
mellitus. This paper explores current practice in the use of appropriate
footwear in patients with diabetes mellitus among clinicians in Kaduna
state, Nigeria. A self-administered structured questionnaire was
developed. The questionnaire was divided into two sections: demographic
(clinical area of specialization, number of years in practice) and
footwear questionnaire. The footwear questionnaire focused on three
themes: diabetic foot problems encountered, type of footwear worn, and
the role of footwear in the prevention of diabetic foot complications.
Data were processed and analyzed using Microsoft Excel 2007. Almost all
the participants, 41 (91%), reported that foot ulcers could be related
to inappropriate footwear. Most participants, 37 (82%), reported that
ill-fitting footwear could be a major problem that leads to amputation.
The shoe type reported to be most frequently worn by men were sandals
(35%), slippers (26%), and half shoes (17%). The three commonest shoe
types that women were reported to wear were slippers (45%), sandals
(24%), and half shoes (18%). This study shows that the use of
appropriate footwear in the prevention of diabetic foot complications is
suboptimal. It is important that healthcare professionals support and
stimulate research in establishing a diabetic footwear program.
8. Pei, E. (2014) "4D printing – Revolution or Fad?", Assembly
Automation, 34(2)
This feature article aims to review state-of-the-art developments in
additive manufacture, in particular, 4D printing. It discusses what it
is, what research has been carried out and maps potential applications
and its future impact. The article first defines additive manufacturing
technologies and goes on to describe the state-of-the-art. Following
which the paper examines several case studies and maps a trend that
shows an emergence of 4D printing. The case studies highlight a
particular specialization within additive manufacture where the use of
adaptive, biomimetic composites can be programmed to reshape, or have
embedded properties or functionality that transform themselves when
subjected to external stimuli. This paper discusses the state-of-the-art
of additive manufacture, discussing strategies that can be used to
reduce the print process (such as through kinematics); and the use of
smart materials where parts adapt themselves in response to the
surrounding environment supporting the notion of self-assemblies.
9. Tagang, I.J., Chen, C.C., Pei, E. and Higgett, N. (2013)
"Determination of Comfort and Performance Properties of Upper Materials
for Diabetic Footwear Construction", Materials Science and Technology
Society of Nigeria Conference, National Institute of Leather Science and
Technology, NILEST, Zaria.
This work investigates comfort and performance properties of selected
shoe upper materials manufactured in Nigeria for their suitability for
diabetic footwear construction. The research was carried out using
approved methods of analysis as per the International Union of the
Society of Leather Technologies and Chemists Official Methods for
Physical Analysis (1996). Key parameters studied include thickness,
water vapour permeability, tensile strength etc, with recorded values of
up to 2.23mm, 25.33mg/cm2/h and 23N/mm2 respectively. The results
obtained were found to be similar to the findings of previous studies
and in conformity to set standards. The research findings demonstrate
that diabetic footwear made with selected upper leathers could improve
foot health of the diabetic foot. The paper also highlights the need for
further research using composite specimens of both upper and lining,
soling materials and insoles in order to explore the best materials
combination that may improve foot health of people suffering with
diabetes.
10. Yin, Y., Pei, E. and Ranchhod, A. (2013) "The Shopping
Experience of Older Supermarket Consumers", Journal of Enterprise
Information Management, 26(4)
The purpose of this research is to investigate the difficulties and
challenges faced by the older supermarket consumers in order to form
insights into potential ways of applying IT support and design solutions
within the supermarket service for older consumers. The rationale for
this research stemmed from observations and discussions with
supermarkets with regards to the use of IT and better process design for
a growing segment of their consumer base.A mixed research methodology
was used for this research. Firstly, an ethnographic approach based on
direct observations was felt appropriate as this would offer a visual
unbiased view of the processes involved in the shopping experience.
Secondly, it was felt that it would be appropriate to support these
findings with semi-structured interviews. The data was clustered to
provide contextual awareness of the problems involved within the
shopping experience.The findings indicated a range of areas where senior
consumers faced difficulties. One major problem was around understanding
where certain products were placed on shelves and why. The other areas
of concern were access to products (shelf height), poor signage,
labelling and inappropriate portion sizes.The main research limitation
is the small sample size that was studied. Obviously with a much larger
sample a wider range of problems would be uncovered. The other area of
concern is the fact that studying particular customers invades the
privacy of customers that are inadvertently caught up on videos. In
future, it may make sense to get participants to film themselves and
talk into smart mobiles, recording real-time data.The research indicates
that it is important for supermarkets to improve signage and customer
support, and use IT more freely in most areas. The use of electronic ink
signage is a new and important area that they could invest in. This
would allow real-time updates.As many countries are faced with growing
numbers of senior citizens, it is important that their lives are made
easier and the shopping experience improved.There are limited attempts
at the use of an ethnographic approach to explore elderly consumers’
shopping experiences in the UK. The existing studies do not look at the
practicalities of everyday shopping problems faced by this segment of
the population. It also adds value to the retailers’ understanding of
the behaviour patterns of this important customer segment, at the same
time offering solutions to certain problems such as signage and
directions through the utilisation of IT.
11. Pei, E. (2013) "Design Futures: The use of Additive
Manufacture in Product Design Education" Rapid Prototyping Conference,
Driving 21st Century Innovation. Amsterdam, 9-10 April 2013
(Abstract not available)
12. Liu, B.J., Campbell, R.I. and Pei, E. (2013) "Real-time
Integration of Prototypes in the Product Development Process", Journal
of Assembly Automation 33(1)
The purpose of this paper is to identify the strengths and weaknesses
associated with physical and virtual prototyping and propose an approach
that utilises a real-time integration of both methods through an
automated process. Following a literature review, the paper presents the
results of a survey investigating the current use of prototyping. It
then discusses a series of trials that were developed for the proposed
tool. Physical and virtual prototypes are not competitive but rather
complementary. An integrated real-time system would reduce cost and
shorten the product design process. This paper provides recommendations
on how real-time integration of both physical and virtual prototypes
could potentially streamline the new product development process.
13. Evans, M.A., Pei, E. and Campbell, R.I. (2013) Making the
Tacit Explicit: Developing Tools to Support Collaboration During
Industrial Design and Engineering Design Practice. In Evans, M,
Nimkulrat, N, Niedderer, K (ed) In Proceedings of International
Conference 2013 of the Design Research Society Special Interest Group on
Experiential Knowledge, EKSIG 2013: Knowing Inside Out - Experiential
Knowledge, Expertise and Connoisseurship, Loughborough University, UK.
4-5 July 2013. pp.1-6.
Industrial designers employ an extensive range of media and techniques
at various times during professional practice. Whilst general patterns
of use are acknowledged, such as loose sketches at the beginning of
product development and full prototypes at the end, the nuances of use
for specific design representations remain elusive. Having identified
problems in communication during product development, the researchers
identified a lack of understanding in the use of design representations
as a key issue. This paper reports on research to enhance communication
during product development by making tacit knowledge on the use of
design representations explicit. This was achieved through the
development of two design tools called CoLab and iD Cards.Phase 1 of the
project identified barriers to communication through semi-structured
interviews with 61 industrial designers and engineering designers at 17
industrial design consultancies. Phase 2 explored the nature of design
representations and categorized 35 types as sketches, drawings, models
or prototypes using semi-structured interviews with both industrial
designers and engineering designers, with differences in use between the
two groups becoming apparent. Phase 3 used a process of information
design to translated the findings and data from Phase 2 into the card
-based CoLab design tool that included the taxonomy and indication of
when the design representations were used by industrial designers and
engineering designers and for what types of information. Changes were
made after appraisal and the final tool was validated through
semi-structured interviews with 43 industrial design and engineering
design practitioners and observation. Phase 4 disseminated the research
output with the support of the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAE) in the
UK (CoLab web-based design tool) and Industrial Designers Society of
America (IDSA) in the USA (iD Cards physical design tool). The paper
concludes that the use of appropriate research methods that integrate
literature based sources with practitioner engagement has the potential
to elicit valuable and unexpected tacit knowledge. It also acknowledges
that whilst the outcomes from such research can be enthusiastically
received, translation into a format for effective dissemination can be a
challenging and time-consuming process. However, with confidence in
outcomes and a desire to disseminate, opportunities can be identified if
researchers are prepared to be flexible and adapt to stakeholder needs.
14. Maidin, S., Pei, E. and Campbell, R.I. (2012) "A Taxonomy of
Design Features for Additive Manufacture" International Conference on
Design and Concurrent Engineering 2012 (iDECON 2012), Universiti
Teknikal Malaysia Melaka, 15-16 Oct 2012. ISBN: 978-967-0257-16-7
The use of Additive Manufacture (AM) in New Product Development (NPD)
supports creativity, reduces tooling costs and enhances the development
process. Despite these advantages, there is still lack of available
information to empower designers to take full advantage of AM. It is
proposed that a taxonomy of AM-enabled design features will serve as a
rich source of information for students and practitioners. These
features refer to aspects of a product’s form or other attributes that
would be uneconomical or expensive to be produced with conventional
methods and thus better suited to be made by AM. Despite the fact that
similar knowledge-based tools are available, they are largely
segregated. In light of this, the paper aims to define and categorise
the arrangement and classification of key reasons for using AM based on
four measures encompassing orthogonality, spanning, completeness and
usability. Following several iterations, four taxons were derived,
consisting of user requirement, functionality, parts consolidation and
aesthetics. The next stage of this research aims to incorporate the
taxonomy as a design support tool for AM.
15. Maidin, S., Campbell, R.I. and Pei, E. (2012) "Development
of a Design Feature Database to support Design for Additive
Manufacturing" Journal of Assembly Automation 32(3)
The purpose of this paper is to propose a method to aid design
practitioners and students towards the design of additive manufactured
products or parts produced using laser sintering (LS). A design feature
taxonomy was first developed as a guide for the development of a
computer-based design support tool. It comprised four taxons based on
the reasons for utilising additive manufacturing (AM). These were user
fit requirement, improved product functionality, parts consolidation and
improvement of aesthetics or form. Each of the requirements was further
expanded into 13 sub-categories that contained examples of various
design features that was then represented in the form of an MS Access
database. Results from user trials of the database provide evidence to
show the potential of the database, as it enables users to easily
visualise and gather information about AM design features. The paper
describes a database, the aim of which is to serve as a collective
source of information for design features produced by AM and as a method
to aid the conceptual design process of AM parts or products.
16. Dean, L. and Pei, E. (2012) "Experimental 3D Digital
Techniques in Design Practice" The 2nd International Conference on
Design Creativity (ICDC2012) Glasgow, UK, 18th-20th September 2012
Experimentation is central to creative practice. Artists throughout the
ages have explored, adopted and adapted the use of tools and techniques
for creative means. The digital era has been no different; and as
technology emerges, digital practice develops consequentially. Since the
introduction of 3D computer graphics, practitioners have been creating
virtual realms and digital objects in parallel. At the same time,
advances in computer processing speeds, coupled with high-end
technologies such as the availability of additive manufacture have
allowed physical artefacts to be created on demand, leading to a
proliferation of experimental practice. Whilst experimentation is the
norm in art, commercial design tends to favour more established and
formalised methodologies. For instance, software developers that aim to
create dependency on their products adopt structured workflows that
discourage practitioners from straying from the established path. In
furthering the search for creativity, this paper argues that designers
must look to the unorthodox experimentation of art and to harness the
use of emerging technology. The paper reviews current literature and
charts the rise of 3D digital design practice, with a central focus on
work produced by means of additive manufacture. It examines several case
studies on the use of experimental digital techniques in design practice
before discussing the benefits and pitfalls of such an approach and
speculates on future developments
17. Dean, L. and Pei, E. (2012) "Exploring the Use of Additive
Manufacture for High Value Consumer Products" 13th Conference on Rapid
Design, Prototyping & Manufacturing (RDPM2012) Lancaster University, UK,
22nd June 2012
High value consumer products have proved significant in the development
of Additive Manufacturing (AM). Whilst the often whimsical outputs of
this sector lack the economic importance of the aerospace industry or
the humanitarian value of medical applications, they have arguably
engaged the lay person in way that more technical fields have not. The
consumer product market offers vast potential for AM. Added design value
exploiting the free-form nature of the technology such as customisation
and complexity can justify the use of a premium production process. To
appeal to a market beyond the avant-garde buyer however, design
investment should be matched by materials of quality and permanence.
Metals AM processes, coupled with appropriate finishing, are offering
materials indistinguishable from conventional manufacture. This paper
will explore through case studies the increasing palette of materials
and finishes available in high value goods from metal filled plastics
through to sintered gold. Design factors relating to these processes
will be discussed and the future needs of a developing market speculated
upon
18. Pei, E. (2012) Viewpoint- "Design for Manufacturing".
Journal of Assembly Automation 32(2)
At this time of writing, the latest Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI)
data from the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS)
indicated that the UK Manufacturing has hit a 28-month low. As output,
new orders and employment have declined; the UK manufacturing sector
fell back into contraction to its lowest level since June 2009. It is a
sign of low market confidence and uncertainty. In the report, the most
worrying aspect is that new orders have nosedived most since March 2009
and output is now sustained through a backlog of work. The traditional
manufacturing industries that have kept the UK economy buoyant is facing
bleak times and the fact that the Eurozone is also in a crisis. Despite
these troubled times, the UK Government hopes that precision engineering
and high-value manufacturing sector will create jobs and help tackle
record youth unemployment. One such industry is the aviation sector
where design for manufacturing has been used as a good industry practice
so that products can be manufactured more easily without sacrificing
safety. Fundamentally, this can be achieved through two principles:
reducing the number of assembly operations by part reduction; or by
making the assembly operation easier to perform. This has been something
of a holy grail to manufacturing industries where part reduction,
cutting the use of fasteners and light-weight materials are favourable
for cost savings.
19. Evans, M.A., Pei, E. and Campbell, R.I. (2011) "Making the
tacit explicit through design tools: the development of a Colab and iD
Cards to support industrial design and engineering design practice"
International Conference 2011 of the DRS Special Interest Group on
Experiential Knowledge - EKSIG 2011, University for the Creative Art,
Farnham, UK
Industrial designers employ an extensive range of media and techniques
at various times during professional practice. Whilst general patterns
of use are acknowledged, such as loose sketches at the beginning of
product development and full prototypes at the end, the nuances of use
for specific design representations remain elusive. Having identified
problems in communication during product development, the researchers
identified a lack of understanding in the use of design representations
as a key issue. This paper reports on research to enhance communication
during product development by making tacit knowledge on the use of
design representations explicit. This was achieved through the
development of two design tools called CoLab and iD Cards. Phase 1 of
the project identified barriers to communication through semi-structured
interviews with 61 industrial designers and engineering designers at 17
industrial design consultancies. Phase 2 explored the nature of design
representations and categorized 35 types as sketches, drawings, models
or prototypes using is semi-structured interviews with both industrial
designers and engineering designers, with differences in use between the
two groups becoming apparent. Phase 3 used a process of information
design to translated the findings and data from Phase 2 into the
card-based CoLab design tool that included the taxonomy and indication
of when the design representations were used by industrial designers and
engineering designers and for what types of information. Changes were
made after appraisal and the final tool was validated through
semi-structured interviews with 43 industrial design and engineering
design practitioners and observation. Phase 4 disseminated the research
output with the support of the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAE) in the
UK (CoLab web-based design tool) and Industrial Designers Society of
America (IDSA) in the USA (iD Cards physical design tool). The paper
concludes that the use of appropriate research methods that integrate
literature based sources with practitioner engagement has the potential
to elicit valuable and unexpected tacit knowledge. It also acknowledges
that whilst the outcomes from such research can be enthusiastically
received, translation into a format for effective dissemination can be a
challenging and time consuming process. However, with confidence in
outcomes and a desire to disseminate, opportunities can be identified if
researchers are prepared to be flexible and adapt to stakeholder needs.
20. Pei, E., Campbell, R.I. and Evans, M.A. (2011) "A Taxonomic
Classification of Visual Design Representations Used by Industrial
Designers and Engineering Designers" The Design Journal 14(1)
In the context of new product development (NPD), research has shown that
not having a common understanding of visual design representations
(VDRs) has affected collaboration between industrial designers and
engineering designers. The aim of the research presented in this paper
was two-fold. Firstly, to identify the representations employed by
industrial designers and engineering designers during NPD from a
literature survey. Secondly, to define and categorize these
representations in the form of a taxonomy that is a systematic
organization of VDRs that are presently dispersed in the literature. For
the development of the taxonomy, four measures encompassing
orthogonality, spanning, completeness and usability were employed. It
resulted in four groups consisting of sketches, drawings, models and
prototypes. Validation was undertaken by means of an interview survey
and further, presenting the taxonomy at an international conference. The
results showed that no issues were raised by the respondents concerning
the structure of the taxonomy or its components.
21. Pei, E., Campbell, R.I. and de Beer, D.J. (2011) "Entry
Level RP Machines: How Well Can They Cope With Geometric Complexity?"
Journal of Assembly Automation 31(2)
The purpose of this paper is to examine the limitations of entry-level
rapid prototyping (ELRP) machines when fabricating objects with high
complexity. The literature review provides an overview of RP
technologies, followed by a discussion on the different levels of
complexity in objects. The paper continues with a discussion on the
definition of ELRP, followed by a number of experiments to explore the
limitations of an ELRP system when fabricating complex models, and to
compare the results obtained with those from a professional RP machine
using standardised build parameters and the same acrylonitrile butadiene
styrene material. Of the five complex models that were produced from the
Rapman machine, four of them were affected by warping; also, support
structures were difficult to remove due to the interwoven build pattern.
The study also found that the Rapman parts were coarsely built as
opposed to the Dimension parts that were less coarse. The Rapman parts
were also much lighter due to the hollow internal structure, as compared
to the dimension parts that were virtually solid. From a quantitative
viewpoint, parts produced from the Rapman machine showed significantly
greater average errors in both absolute and percentage terms. Users
should bear in mind the restrictions of ELRP machines when fabricating
complex shapes. The models may be prone to warping and the support
structures could be difficult to remove. This paper allows developers to
understand the restrictions when fabricating complex models on an ELRP
machine. The findings will also enable manufacturers to develop better
entry-level systems.
22. de Beer, D.J., Campbell, R.I. and Pei, E. (2011) "Additive
Manufacturing in South Africa: Building on the Foundations" Rapid
Prototyping Journal 17(2)
In a previous Rapid Prototyping Journal paper, the authors reviewed the
first decade of rapid prototyping (RP) use within the Republic of South
Africa (RSA). The paper analysed its strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities and threats, and proposed a “road map” for future
development. Much has happened in the intervening years since that
article was published and this paper seeks to update readers on the
current situation in RSA. In particular, it reports the extensive
development of research in the field of RP and additive manufacturing
(AM). The paper uses a literature review approach combined with
reflective analysis to distill the most important developments within
the RP community in RSA since 2004. These are compared to the previous
road map to ascertain if there are any required actions that have been
overlooked or any additional lessons that have been learnt.The paper
shows that there has been good progress against the previous road map
and that current plans should remain in place with the addition of a
greater educational dimension. This paper provides readers with an
overview of important RP/AM developments in the RSA. The analysis from
this paper will aid RSA academics, industrialists and government
agencies to assess their performance and to plan for their future roles
within the RP community.As with the previous paper, this paper provides
a useful model for other countries to follow since it demonstrates both
good practice but also the need to learn from past experience.
23. Evans, M.A. and Pei, E. (2011) "Communicating and
Contextualising New Product Development Tools and Methods for
Engineering Students". Royal Academy of Engineering, Higher Education
Academy Engineering Subject Centre Dissemination Seminar (13 September
2011)
The nature of New Product Development (NPD) is poorly understood by
undergraduate engineering students but can be a challenging and
rewarding career for those who chose to work in the field. The aim of
this project was to provide a web-based tool that would make the design
elements of undergraduate courses more attractive by showing how
knowledge translates to real products and to provide real life examples
of the design process to help students to understand and relate to
abstract engineering design principles. Some of the content of the tool,
called CoLab, was derived from a PhD that was undertaken at Loughborough
Design School by Dr Eujin Pei and supervised by Dr Mark Evans (with a
background in industrial design) and Dr Ian Campbell (with a background
in engineering design). The CoLab website supports understanding in the
nature of NPD by providing 35 examples of the key sketches, drawings,
models and prototypes that are used by both engineering designers and
industrial designers. To facilitate understanding and collaboration, the
taxonomy is extended to provide information on the different ways in
which engineering designers and industrial designers use the 35 design
representations i.e. when they are used and what types of information
(design or technical).
24. Pei, E. and Yin, Y. (2011) "An Ethnographic Approach towards
Understanding the Food Shopping Experience of the Elderly Consumer".
Tsinghua-DMI International Design Management Symposium 2011, Hong Kong,
3-5 Dec 2011
The elderly consumer has become more attractive to food retailers as
they have a higher disposable income and set aside a larger budget for
their groceries . From the literature review, it was found that very
little studies have focused on their retail needs and research in the
United Kingdom is limited. In addition, previous studies adopt a
quantitative approach through surveys or questionnaires and the results
may not be a true account of the current scenario. The aim of this
research is to investigate the current difficulties and challenges
associated with supermarket food shopping among senior consumers in the
United Kingdom so as to improve retail service design for this group of
consumers. A qualitative ethnographic approach, that combines direct
observations and semi-structured interviews, was employed to discover
ageing consumers’ natural supermarket shopping behaviours and their
attitude and satisfactions of the current service from supermarket
retailers. Aspects such as the use of trolleys and baskets; store layout
and aisles; shelves and freezers; products; customer service; and the
checkout experience were investigated. In this project, 14 elderly
participants were invited and asked to undertake their usual shopping,
followed by the task of finding and identifying 3 items at 2 different
supermarket retailers. The purpose of the 3 items was to serve as a
benchmark of issues that the participants faced at both stores. A box of
icing sugar was chosen as it was found that its product location was
inconsistent; the bottle of basil was selected as it was found that the
packaging for similar herbs were identical; and the box of fish fingers
would be a representative of the frozen food section and to find whether
the glass doors were an issue. The participants were observed in a
non-intrusive way and at the end of each shopping trip, they were given
a face-to-face semi-structured interview to elicit additional feedback
and to confirm the observation findings. The key problem areas that were
found include access to products, size of packaging and signage. The
problem of reaching high and low shelves is not unique to only shoppers
in the United Kingdom and this barrier was also identified in other
developed countries. In terms of the size of packaging, food products
that were sold in bulk were unpopular among senior citizens as they were
unable to transport them home and they would have a problem finishing
the food. Lastly, in terms of signage, it was observed that because
senior citizens were more likely to have eye ailments and poor posture,
most of the signs mounted on the ceiling were less effective for them.
This research has confirmed several key problems in the supermarket
environment, and the study has provided greater awareness for retailers
to consider their special needs and to build towards a more inclusive
retail experience.
25. Dong, H., Pei, E., Chen, H. and Macredie, R. (2011)
"Visualising Ergonomics Data for Design". 18th International Conference
on Engineering Design (ICED11). Copenhagen, Denmark, 15-18 August 2011
Existing ergonomics data are not effectively used by designers; this is
mainly because the data are not presented in a designer-friendly format.
In order to help designers make better use of ergonomics data, we
explored the potential of representing existing ergonomics data in a
more dynamic and visual way, and making them look more relevant to
design. The Cambridge Engineering Selector (CES) was adopted to turn
static ergonomics data into manipulative and comparative data sets.
Contextual information in a visual format was added; clearer
illustrations and scenarios relevant to design were developed; design
case studies were compiled and linked to the relevant ergonomics data
sets – the process resulted in a new design support tool: the ErgoCES.
The tool was consequently brought to both design students and
professionals for evaluation. The results suggested that the ErgoCES had
helped making ergonomics data more accessible to designers, and many new
features (e.g. scenarios and case studies) were highly valued by the
designers. Among the participants, 100% of the design students and 79%
of the professionals indicated that they would use the tool when it
becomes widely available.
26. Dong, H., McGinley, C., Nickpour, F., Chen, H. and Pei, E.
(2011) "Evaluating Inclusive Design Tools: An Insight" Proceedings of
the Include 2011, Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design, Royal College of Art,
UK
Over the years, there are a number of tools and methods developed to
support inclusive design, and new tools and methods are being developed
to plug existing gaps or meet new needs. However, there is a lack of
evidence of how effective, or to what extent, these tools are used by
design practitioners. This paper presents a study conducted with both
professional designers and design students in evaluating a selected
range of inclusive design tools. It was found that the designers had
little awareness of the available tools and there was a significant
difference between the viewpoints of professional designers and design
students. Interface and visual presentation of the tools had a great
impact on the perceived usefulness of the tools. The insights gained
from the process are being used to assist the development of new tools
that communicate user data to designers.
27. Pei, E. and Yin, Y. (2011) "Every little does indeed help"
The Ergonomist No. 498 December 2011. Institute of Ergonomics & Human
Factors, UK
Ageing has been closely linked to loss of agility and strength that
makes shopping a challenge for the elderly. The results from this
research have revealed a number of issues that senior shoppers face at
supermarkets in the United Kingdom. From this research, the main
difficulties include poor access to products where items were placed too
high (67%); portions of food that were too large (54%); items placed too
low (38%); and poor signage (33%). The problem of reaching high and low
shelves is not unique to only shoppers in the United Kingdom and this
has been reported among older consumers living in other developed
countries. It is proposed that the access to products could be enhanced
if existing shelves are redesigned to accommodate the anthropometric
limits of senior shoppers, as well as strategising the position of
products. The next problem concerns the size of packaging or
multi-purchase products. This is supported by previous research which
identified that senior citizens found it difficult to transport large
and heavy products and the portions would be substantial for them.
Multi-purchase promotions and the portions of food could be reduced to
appeal to older people and those in single-households. The third
difficulty faced by elderly consumers concerns store layout and aisles
where signage was a key issue as they may be more prone to eye ailments
and poor posture. Existing ceiling mounted signs were seen as less
effective, leaving elderly shoppers feeling disadvantaged when
navigating around the store. The shopping experience for consumers could
be improved by having signs installed at an eye-level and ensuring that
they can be seen from a distance. This study has built greater awareness
and provided an increased research focus for the elderly shopper in the
United Kingdom, highlighting the need for more inclusive design that
could potentially achieve a customer-centred retail experience
28. Pei, E., Campbell, R.I. and Evans, M.A. (2010) "Development
of a tool for building shared representations among industrial designers
and engineering designers" CoDesign Journal 6(3)
Previous studies have demonstrated the importance of multi-disciplinary
collaboration in New Product Development (NPD). As such, interactions
between industrial designers and engineering designers have become
increasingly important. This research project aims to build a shared
understanding between the two disciplines during NPD. Following
empirical research that revealed collaboration-related problem areas, as
well as collecting data concerning the use of design representations, a
card system was developed to provide information on the role and
significance of design representations, leading to joint understanding,
improved communication and creation of shared knowledge. When asked in
the validation study if the system would foster collaboration, 68.2% of
industrial designers and 63.2% of the engineering designers gave a good
and excellent rating, indicating that the system could play a
significant role towards the support of multi-disciplinary teamwork.
29. Evans, M.A., Pei, E. and Campbell, R.I. (2009) "Extending
Sketches, Drawings, Models and Prototypes to Define a Taxonomy of 37
Design Representations for Improved Communication during New Product
Development" International Conference Miami, USA, 23 - 26 September 2009
Today’s highly competitive global markets have highlighted the
importance of industrial design and engineering design collaboration in
new product development (NPD). NPD can be considered as a sequence of
activities beginning with identifying market opportunities and ending
with manufacture and sales (Pahl and Beitz 1996). To avoid costly rework
and to reduce development time, effective externalisation of design
concepts amongst NPD team members is crucial (Alisantoso et al. 2006).
The ideas that initially take place in the form of language, graphics or
actual objects (Goldschmidt 1997) must be externalised without
unnecessary ambiguity if they are to be shared with others (Pipes 2007,
Eissen and Steur 2008). The absence of a common language and mutual
understanding and the ambiguous loosely defined nature of some
representations has led to miscommunication, misinterpretation and
ineffective working practice (Goel 1995). The aim of this research was
to provide a more effective, consistent and clear understanding of
design representations. The paper considers the nature of design
representations and then explores the development, structure and content
of the taxonomy of design representations that are employed by
industrial designers and engineering designers during NPD. The taxonomy
is finally appraised through a four-way evaluation.
30. Evans, M.A., Pei, E. and Campbell, R.I. (2009) "Two
Professions Divided by an Un-common Language - Using 'CoLab' to Improve
Collaboration between Industrial Designers and Engineering Designers"
Engineering and Product Design Education Conference. Brighton, UK, 10 -
11 September, 2009
As two distinct professions working in the field of New Product
Development (NPD), difficulties encountered during collaboration between
industrial designers and engineering designers are widespread and well
documented [1, 2, 3,4]. Having acknowledged the challenges faced during
interaction between these two professions, a three year research
programme was undertaken with the aim of producing a tool that would
remove or significantly reduce some of the problems. Working with a Ph.D
student, the methodology involved a literature review; identification of
problems via practitioner interviews/observations; definition of a
taxonomy of design representations (35 in total); development of a
design tool; and final validation by interviews and a design diary. The
tool comprises a set of cards divided into three packs. The central
feature of each pack is the provision of information on the role and
significance of design representations used during NPD. When employed,
the cards facilitate the use of a common vocabulary, creating shared
knowledge and empathy towards the related yet distinct working practices
of each group. Following a pilot validation, interviews to assess the
significance of the cards were undertaken with 29 industrial designers
and 36 engineering designers. Many of the interviewees were senior
designers from multinational companies. Having employed the cards, when
asked if the system would foster enhanced collaboration, the feedback
was overwhelmingly positive, with 68% of industrial designers giving a
positive response (27% neutral) and 63% of engineering designers (37%
neutral). This paper provides an overview of the research
methodology/outcomes and content/use of the system.
31. Evans, M.A., Pei, E. and Campbell, R.I. (2009) "The
Development of a Design Tool to Improve Collaboration between Industrial
Designers and Engineering Designers", Proceedings of the Eighth European
Academy of Design International Conference, Malins, J., Robert Gordon
University, UK, 2009, pp 161-165, ISBN 978 1 901085 97 6
As two distinct professions working in the field of New Product
Development (NPD), difficulties encountered during collaboration between
industrial designers and engineering designers are widespread and well
documented (Persson and Warell 2003, Cross 1985, Kim 2006). Having
acknowledged the challenges faced during interaction between these two
professions, the authors undertook a three year research programme to
produce a tool that would remove or significantly reduce some of the
problems encountered. Working with a PhD student, the methodology
employed by the research team involved a literature review;
identification of problems via practitioner interviews/observations;
definition of a taxonomy of design representations (34 in total);
development of a design tool; and final validation by interviews and
design diary. The paper describes the development and nature of the
design tool, called ‘CoLab’ which comprises a set of cards divided into
three packs. The central feature of each pack is the provision of
information on the role and significance of design representations used
during NPD. When employed, the cards facilitate the use of a common
vocabulary, creating shared knowledge and empathy towards the related
yet distinct working practices of each group. Following a pilot
validation and minor modifications, interviews to assess the
significance of the cards was undertaken with 29 industrial designers
and 36 engineering designers. Many of the interviewees were senior
designers from multinational companies. Having employed the cards, when
asked if the Colab system would foster enhanced collaboration, the
feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with 68% of ndustrial designers
giving a positive response (27% neutral) and 63% of engineering
designers (37% neutral).
32. Pei, E., Evans, M.A. and Campbell, R.I. (2008) "Building a
Common Ground: The Use of Design Representation Cards for Enhancing
Collaboration between Industrial Designers and Engineering Designers",
Proceedings of the 2008 Design Research Society Conference, Durling, D.
(ed), Sheffield Hallam University, Undisciplined - Design Research
Society Conference
To achieve success in today’s commercial environment, manufacturers have
progressively adopted collaboration strategies. Industrial design has
been increasingly used with engineering design to enhance
competitiveness. Research between the two fields has been limited an d
existing collaboration methods have not achieved desired results. This
PhD research project investigated the level of collaboration between
industrial designers and engineering designers. The aim is to develop an
integration tool for enhanced collaboration, where a common language
would improve communication and create shared knowledge. An empirical
research using questionnaires and observations identified 61 issues
between industrial designers and engineering designers. The results were
grouped and coded based on recurrence and importance, outlining 3
distinct problem categories in collaborative activity: conflicts in
values and principles, differences in design representation, and
education differences. A taxonomy further helped categorise design
representations into sketches, drawings, models and prototypes. This
knowledge was indexed into cards to provide uniform definition of design
representations with key information. They should benefit practitioners
and educators by serving as a decision-making guide and support a
collaborative working environment. A pilot study first refined the
layout and improved information access. The final validation involving
interviews with practitioners revealed most respondents to be convinced
that the tool would provide a common ground in design representations,
contributing to enhanced collaboration. Additional interviews were
sought from groups of final-year industrial design and engineering
design students working together. Following their inter-disciplinary
experience, nearly all respondents were certain that the cards would
provide mutual understanding for greater product success. Lastly, a case
study approach tested the cards in an industry-based project. A design
diary captured and analysed the researchers’ activities and observations
on a daily basis. It revealed positive feedback, reinforcing the
benefits of the cards for successful collaboration in a
multi-disciplinary environment.
33. Pei, E., Evans, M.A. and Campbell, R.I. (2008) Exploring the
collaboration between industrial designers and engineering designers.
Education Feature, International Council of Socieities of Industrial
Design Available from:
http://www.icsid.org/education/education/articles491.htm
In the global marketplace, it is essential that well-designed products
are produced within the shortest possible lead-times. Manufacturers must
therefore endeavour to utilize best practice for the efficient control
and management of new product development. To enhance competitive
advantage, industrial design has been increasingly used as a strategic
resource in conjunction with collaboration with engineering design. This
study discusses the findings of empirical investigations undertaken in
2006 that recorded the nature of interaction between industrial
designers and engineering designers in Singapore. The research posed the
following questions: (1) How and when do industrial designers and
engineering designers work together? (2) What leads to successful or
poor collaboration? What factors influence collaboration and can they be
categorized? (3) Do representation tools affect collaboration? (4) What
are the characteristics for a successful tool for effective
collaboration between industrial designers and engineering designers.
34. Pei, E., Evans, M.A. and Campbell, R.I. (2007) "Them and
Us?: Exploring the Collaboration between Industrial Designers and
Engineering Designers", Proceedings of the 2007 Industrial Designers
Society of America International Education Symposium, Cullen, C.,
Connecting, San Francisco, USA, pp 217-223
In the global marketplace, it is essential that well-designed products
are produced within the shortest possible lead-times. Manufacturers must
therefore endeavour to utilize best practice for the efficient control
and management of new product development [1, 2]. To enhance competitive
advantage, industrial design has been increasingly used as a strategic
resource [3] in conjunction with collaboration with engineering design.
This study discusses the findings of empirical investigations undertaken
in 2006 that recorded the nature of interaction between industrial
designers and engineering designers in Singapore. The research posed the
following questions: How and when do industrial designers and
engineering designers work together? What leads to successful or poor
collaboration? What factors influence collaboration and can they be
categorized? Do representation tools affect collaboration? What are the
characteristics for a successful tool for effective collaboration
between industrial designers and engineering designers
35. Pei, E., Campbell, R.I. and Evans, M.A. (2007)
"Investigating Collaboration between Industrial designers and
Engineering Designers: A Singapore Context", Proceedings of the 2007
International Conference on Manufacturing Automation, Gibson, I.,
National University of Singapore, ISBN 978 981 05 8089 6
In the competitive commercial environment, ‘time to market’ is a key
issue. Global markets demand well-designed products of high quality with
best possible prices and short lead times. To facilitate this,
manufacturers have adopted concurrent product development approaches,
spearheaded by collaboration strategies. As a result, product
development has seen more attempts at greater integration activity among
the disciplines of industrial design (ID) and engineering design (ED).
This paper gives an overview of current collaboration methodologies used
by industry and investigates the level of collaboration between IDs and
EDs in the Singapore context. Empirical research through interviews and
observations outline three distinct issues in collaborative activity,
namely: conflicts in values and principles, different tools and methods
used for representation, and differences in cross-functional education.
The findings reveal a continuing gap between ID and ED, and the authors
propose several approaches for future research. More importantly, this
study highlights the importance of design collaboration and brings to
attention current industry issues with the aim of achieving a more
effective product development process.
36. Pei, E. (2009) "Building a Common Language of Design
Representations for Industrial Designers & Engineering Designers". PhD
Thesis, Department of Design and Technology, Loughborough University,
UK.
To achieve success in today’s competitive environment, companies are
realising the importance of design collaboration during new product
development. The aim of this research was to develop a collaborative
design tool for use by industrial designers and engineering designers.
To achieve this, a literature review was undertaken to understand the
working relationship among the two disciplines during new product
development. Following this, empirical research through interviews and
observations outlined three problem areas: conflicts in values and
principles; differences in education; and differences in
representational tools and methods. The latter was chosen because the
problem area of design representations was found to be highly
significant. In looking at bridging differences in design
representations, a taxonomy comprising 35 forms of sketches, drawings,
models and prototypes was generated. A second stage of empirical
research was conducted to establish the popularity of each
representation and the type of design / technical information that
industrial designers and engineering designers communicated with. The
information was indexed into ‘CoLab’ cards that would enable the two
disciplines to gain joint understanding and create shared knowledge when
using visual design representations. Following a pilot evaluation and
minor modifications, student and practitioner interviews with a case
study were employed to assess the significance of CoLab. The findings
revealed that a majority of the interviewees felt that the tool had
built a common ground through having a common understanding in use of
visual design representations.
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