2,189 research outputs found
+TUO Project 3D Printers as tool for co-design with and for users with Rheumatic Diseases.
No full textReducing and reusing industrial scraps: a proposed method for industrial designers
No full textDesigners often develop products without a real vision of industrial dynamics, not taking into consideration
how their choices can affect environmental and economical aspects of the product development
process. Our research concentrates on industrial scraps. How can designers actively reduce scraps since
early product development phase? To answer this, we firstly analyzed the existing norms within Italian
and European jurisdiction and classified various case studies, where design was carried out taking into
consideration industrial scraps. We then developed a method to be followed by products designers and
companies, intended to help them obtaining both environmental and economical advantages by sustainable
practices in an industrial context. The approach consists in a simplified procedural methodology
that indicates all needed steps to design industrial products based on these practices. Finally we applied
and verified the feasibility of this methodology on specific and original case studies. In our conclusions
we summarize limits and advantages of the method and how designers and companies can develop new
industrial products through this ecodesign approach, raising consciousness during the design process
and giving the chance to achieve better economic and sustainable standards by applying the tool here
developed
REASSESS INJECTION MOULDING DEFECTS FOR SUSTAINABILITY
No full textEnvironmental issues nowadays are more urgent insomuch as a radical and prompt intervention is required [1]. For this, the group has been investigating alternative strategies for reducing the environmental impacts of industrial products throughout their life cycle. This research has focused on the environmental potential hidden into the valorization of design and manufacturing fault during the whole product’s life cycle, and specifically in the manufacturing process. These defects, connected to the each process, entail the removal of the product from the production chain, up to its elimination. Yet even EU directives on guarantees for consumer goods focused on the lack of conformity of products [2] or ISO regulations are useful to support Quality Management System [3] authorize and propose strategies for enhancement of the defective product. Therefore this research suggests the involvement of design for the optimization of defects in product design in order to extend the life of the product from the production stage, acting primarily on the aesthetic and functional level. The method used begins with the identification of possible defects, examining the injection molding process as a case study. The defects collected were analyzed critically and creativel
Il valore dell'imperfezione.L'approccio wabi sabi al design.
No full textGli artefatti sono intrinsecamente destinati ad accompagnare la vita degli individui, contribuendo a palesarne l'identità. Sono entità vive e mutevoli, che possono cambiare dinamicamente il loro aspetto o perfino la loro funzione. Così come rughe, cicatrici o nèi costituiscono una testimonianza del passaggio del tempo e delle esperienze per l'uomo, analogamente usura, ingiallimento e difetti sono sintomatici dell'evoluzione e dell'unicità dell'artefatto.
Le imperfezioni divengono elementi narrativi, che raccontano il vissuto specifico dell'artefatto, le sue peculiarità e l'uso che ne è stato fatto. Così l'imperfezione diviene un valore da ricercare, come era avvenuto in Oriente con l'influsso del wabi sabi, la "bellezza delle cose mutevoli, imperfette e temporanee". "Imperfetto" è assunto come sinonimo di reale, naturale, inevitabile, umano.
Attribuire valore all'imperfezione significa progettare prodotti capaci di invecchiare, di modificarsi, di essere riparati; significa stimolare il legame emotivo tra utente e prodotto, allungarne il ciclo di vita e, soprattutto, accettare la presenza di una variabile non controllabile che spesso "cambia il finale del racconto".
Il libro indaga il valore attribuibile alle imperfezioni degli oggetti, proponendole come sintomi di un'inequivocabile unicità, fautrici del rafforzamento del legame emotivo, nel tempo e nello spazio, in una dialettica fra passato e contemporaneità, fra cultura orientale e fermento occidentale
Out of sight, out of mind : what companies still forget when transitioning to a circular economy
No full textCompanies sometimes apply circular strategies envisioning an ideal scenario (Bocken et al., 2023; Dembek et al., 2023). While reality is out of control, context dependent, evolutionary (Ostuzzi, 2017). This creates a gap between what has been designed (ideal) and what really happens (reality).
This study aims to find blind spots in specific companies’ cases concerning the real product “dynamics”, “after gate”. What information is out of sight, leading to overlooked sustainability impacts?
Three companies, designing and/or producing physical products in Flanders have been involved in a two-day design workshop. Researchers observed and analyzed the resulting outcomes of the observative stage of one of these companies to uncover missing information. The method is inspired by the annotated portfolio technique (Sauerwein, Bakker and Balkenende, 2018).
This study confirms that companies lack awareness of what happens “after gate”
In this study, we observed a blind spot that product “dynamics” (products gradual change, contextual changes, and changes in user behavior) are not mapped out, while it is in the nature of products to be changing (Ostuzzi, 2017). Not observing the change consequently means overlooking the sustainability impact of these “dynamics” .
Future studies should aim at further discovering the blind spots companies might have on the “after gate” and real lives of their products, and therefore of the impacts created. Further research could investigate how designers can anticipate the change in product, context, and stakeholder within the circular economy, by for example designing open-ended (Ostuzzi, 2017)
+TUO project: Low cost 3D printers as helpful tool for small communities with rheumatic diseases
No full textThis paper aims to present a pilot study's aims to identify opportunities and limits deriving from the use of low-cost 3D printing (3DP), fused deposition modelling (FDM), open-source technologies in co-design and co-production processes involving persons with rheumatic diseases (RDs).
Design/methodology/approach - In the paper, the authors outline why the use of low-cost, entry-level FDM can be meaningful for this scenario, implying a complete sharing of the design and the production phases of small assistive devices. The +TUO process is composed of several stages, among which the generative session represents the core.
Findings - This study highlights as the introduction of this low-cost technology in co-generative processes with people with RDs is a real challenge that can lead to new products and solutions, and that can sustain a social and local manufacturing approach for people facing a specific disablement.
Research limitations/implications - This research is a first step of a broader research, new researches are going to explore further details related with the technology and of the adopted method.
Practical implications - Involving actively, the end user during the creation process can bring advantages such as meeting more precisely their needs and create innovative products, as shown in the text. Social implications - For people living with RDs, an occupation is important to sustain a process of empowerment. Adopting assistive devices supports daily activities and facilitates the occupation.
Originality/value - +TUO is a pilot study that explore a topic already discussed in the scientific arena, without focusing on the specific use of low-cost 3DP technologies
The value of imperfection in industrial product.
No full textThis paper explores the defects during the production seen as a gain in usability and an economic opportunity for the industry; the strategy proposed here is to exploit the flaws as generator of unique products and inspiration for the mass customization. These defects, connected to each process, usually entail the removal of the product from the production chain, up to its elimination. Yet even EU directives on guarantees for consumer goods have focused on the lack of conformity of products [Directive 1999/44/EC] or ISO regulations, the usefulness to support Quality Management System [ISO 9001:2008] and authorize and propose strategies for enhancement of the defective products. Therefore this research suggests the involvement of industrial design in the optimization of defects in design and construction in the categories proposed by D.M. Bryce, in order to extend the life of the product from the production stage “This is what we want to do with design: discover and show opportunities” [22], acting primarily on the aesthetic and functional aspect. The method used begins with the identification of possible defects, examining the injection moulding process as a case study. The defects (coming from the state-of-art analysis, interviewing experts and visiting companies) were mainly analyzed critically and creatively interpreted: how do they look aesthetically, what are the causes of their defects, the implication on the moulded part, possible new uses and purposes, etc. This stage has allowed the comparison between typical defects in the injection moulding process and products (already commercialized and considered of high commercial and/or creative value) characterized by a similar morphology. For each defect some parameters were considered such as the possibility of intervention by the designer, the level and the type of this intervention. In conclusion, the research has investigated potential strategies for process innovation through the creative role of design, highlighting flaws and imperfections that can be recruited by the market, becoming a presumption for uniqueness on the inside of serial production
The value of imperfection insustainable designThe emotional tie with perfectible artefacts for longer lifespan
No full textHumankind is characterized by a strict relationship with artefacts, which interact with in order to carry
out own activities or to enjoy their emotional aspects. The tendency towards accumulation have been terrifically
increased in the last decades bringing to the Hyperconsumerism Society, that is an affluent society
in a hypertrophy époque based on the creation of artificial needs for organized wasting (Lepovetsky,
2007).
The aforementioned habits have been causing drastic environmental repercussions, mostly defined in the
design phase (Thackara, 2005). To remediate to own responsibilities, designers have to make a radical
ethical choice in order to become active agents in the transition towards sustainable ways of living
(Manzini, 2006).
Among the four potential approaches that designer can adopt for sustainability, “designing new production–
consumption systems” appears to be one of the most promising (Vezzoli & Manzini, 2008). New
sustainable patterns of consumption and production (SCP) have been increasingly studied and proposed
even in international institutional level (OECD 2002), where durability and a revised relation with objects
system is fostered.
In the research here presented, alternative sustainable relationship between individuals and objects has
been studied to prolong artefacts lifespan in their whole life-cycle; a new relation sustained by the rediscovery
of the affective tie for the goal of the achievement of environmental gains.
Artefacts are intrinsically addressed to support users in their life, thus they can be considered as living
mutant entities, tending to change their appearance or even their function during the lifespan, as wrinkles
or scars for humans.
The study aims to give new value to what is generally addressed as “imperfect”, as uncompleted or endowing
singular features, not allowed in standard industrial produce. Here imperfect features are studied
as potential traces of the vitality of objects, reinforcing an emotional linking, in time and space. From a
sustainability point of view, this aim is sustained by the consideration according to which:
Design for sustainability does not necessarily imply any particular type of aesthetic or outer appearance
for a product. [...] And in further contrast to the current uniformity in product appearance that
relies so heavily on ‘newness’, design for sustainability must also embrace the aging of products, the
accumulation of meaning over time, and more profound notions of attachment and empathy. (Walker,
2009).
Imperfectio
Open-ended design. Local re-appropriations through imperfection.
No full textDesign for Sustainability (DfS) focuses on wicked problems that cannot be modelled in reductionist ways. Furthermore,
when bottom-up local interventions prove to have positive effects in their context, they remain hard to
spread and might face failure if transferred the other contexts. Here, a research-through-design approach is presented for highlighting a new paradigm, that questions the very nature of both design process and outcomes. Specifically,
Open-ended Design (OeD) is introduced pursuing the creation of unfinished and ever-evolving outcomes (imperfect
by intention), embracing the out-of-control local instances. In this approach balance between openness and
over-design is sought, to facilitate both the global diffusion of design outcomes and their local re-appropriation.
The aim of the research is to highlight existing connections between OeD and DfS, listing its values and limitations
through some reported cases. In conclusion, designers might start designing for emergent aspects of the designed
solutions, supporting multiple local re-appropriations
Common mental disorders in asylum seekers and refugees: umbrella review of prevalence and intervention studies
No full textAbstract Background In recent years there has been a progressive rise in the number of asylum seekers and refugees displaced from their country of origin, with significant social, economic, humanitarian and public health implications. In this population, up-to-date information on the rate and characteristics of mental health conditions, and on interventions that can be implemented once mental disorders have been identified, are needed. This umbrella review aims at systematically reviewing existing evidence on the prevalence of common mental disorders and on the efficacy of psychosocial and pharmacological interventions in adult and children asylum seekers and refugees resettled in low, middle and high income countries. Methods We conducted an umbrella review of systematic reviews summarizing data on the prevalence of common mental disorders and on the efficacy of psychosocial and pharmacological interventions in asylum seekers and/or refugees. Methodological quality of the included studies was assessed with the AMSTAR checklist. Results Thirteen reviews reported data on the prevalence of common mental disorders while fourteen reviews reported data on the efficacy of psychological or pharmacological interventions. Although there was substantial variability in prevalence rates, we found that depression and anxiety were at least as frequent as post-traumatic stress disorder, accounting for up to 40% of asylum seekers and refugees. In terms of psychosocial interventions, cognitive behavioral interventions, in particular narrative exposure therapy, were the most studied interventions with positive outcomes against inactive but not active comparators. Conclusions Current epidemiological data needs to be expanded with more rigorous studies focusing not only on post-traumatic stress disorder but also on depression, anxiety and other mental health conditions. In addition, new studies are urgently needed to assess the efficacy of psychosocial interventions when compared not only with no treatment but also each other. Despite current limitations, existing epidemiological and experimental data should be used to develop specific evidence-based guidelines, possibly by international independent organizations, such as the World Health Organization or the United Nations High Commission for Refugees. Guidelines should be applicable to different organizations of mental health care, including low and middle income countries as well as high income countries
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