Theory for Designing Artifacts
| Numbering Code |
G-ENG06 8X402 LB18 G-ENG05 8X402 LB18 |
Year/Term | 2022 ・ Second semester | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Credits | 2 | Course Type | Lecture | |
| Target Year | Target Student | |||
| Language | English | Day/Period | Wed.5 | |
| Instructor name | SAWARAGI TETSUO (Graduate School of Engineering Professor) | |||
| Outline and Purpose of the Course | The object of the design covers a wide range such as machinery, building, information systems, social system, etc. In this lecture, we first clarify the concept of "artifacts" and discuss the science of design for dealing with things and phenomena that combine the laws of nature and human purposes. The course aims to clarify the principles common to various types of design, including function, familiarity, usability, aesthetics, and innovation, among others. | |||
| Course Goals | The goal is to understand artifacts' design principles and learn to use systematic thinking and analyses to identify problems and conceive solutions. | |||
| Schedule and Contents |
Introduction: The course first clarifies the concept of "artifacts" as something to be positioned equally with natural objects. It then discusses the history of "artifacts for representation" in ancient times, "artifacts for survival" in medieval times, "artifacts for convenience" in modern times, and "artifacts for sustainment" in each period. Function and purpose of the artifact (3 lectures): These cover the effect of artifacts on the outside world?their function, reason for existence, and why they were created. We discuss the categorization of artifacts and their formation from the viewpoint of the symbolic process (semiotics) and the "purpose" of artifacts in the context in which they are used. Design principles of artifacts (2 lectures): Understanding artifacts requires knowing how their internal structures function in the outside world. We discuss cybernetics (the field concerned with circular causality in both the physical world and the world of information) and second-order cybernetics (recursive cybernetics) in the social sciences, design research, human cognition, and decision making. Cybernetics positively considers and reconsiders interactions in areas like the ecological approach, social dispersal cognition, and naturalistic decision making. These lectures describe the design principles of artifacts based on theories on human behavior. Representation and evaluation for the design of artifacts (3 lectures): Designs must not be confined to individual artifacts; instead, they should generate environmental and social systems, including artifacts and natural objects, and improve the quality of life. These lectures discuss methods for identifying problems, setting design objectives, resolving vagueness and goal conflicts, creating alternative designs, and evaluating designs. They also cover consensus-building among multiple parties involved in expanding design objects beyond hardware to environmental and social systems, including soft services. User-centric artifact design (2 lectures): The ultimate arbiters of design quality are the users. Successful design requires cooperation between designers, producers, and end-users. Complex design problems cannot be solved solely by narrowly focused specialists; sharing design knowledge among different fields is essential. These lectures discuss the internationally recognized standards in design processes and the concepts of "design rationale" and "user-centered design." Participatory systems approach (2 lectures): In dealing with the design of large-scale and complicated artifacts, the idea of systematizing the problem and advancing it from many viewpoints becomes essential. These lectures outline the interactive process between system designers, users, and computers, including the structured modeling technique of problem-solving through repeated interactions between experts. It discusses techniques for interpreting and evaluating user input in design decision-making to highlight the benefits of the participatory systems approach to product design. Two hands-on exercises of the participatory systems approach: Students will address design problems in real-world artifacts and practice using the participatory systems approach to find solutions. |
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| Evaluation Methods and Policy |
Grading method: Exercises during the lecture period: about 20% End-of-term exam: about 60% Classroom contributions (e.g., asking good questions): about 20% |
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| Course Requirements | Nothin in particular | |||
| Study outside of Class (preparation and review) | ||||
| Textbooks | Textbooks/References |
Other lecture notes used in classes will be distributed as appropriate. See "Reference books" below. |
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| References, etc. |
Reference books: 1. Hiroyuki Yoshikawa (2007) Horizontal trunk, Artefacts 1(2), 59?65. 2. Nam Pyo Suh (1990) The Principles of Design, Oxford University Press; (1992) Creative Mechanical Design Theory, Asakura Shoten. 3. Hiroyuki Yoshikawa (1979) Introduction to General Design, Precision Machinery 45(8), 20?26. 4. Vladimir Hubka and W. Ernst Eder (1995) Design Science, Springer. 5. Herbert A. Simon (1996) The Sciences of the Artificial (3rd ed.), MIT Press; Herbert A. Simon (1999) The Science of Systems, Personal Media, translated by Motoyoshi Akiba and Hideki Yoshihara. 6. Herbert A. Simon (1979) Decision Science, University of Industrial Efficiency Press, translated by Motoyoshi Inaba and Takeo Kurai. 7. Edwin Hutchins (1995) Cognition in the Wild, MIT Press 8. Gary Klein, Judith Orasanu, Roberta Calderwood, and Caroline E. Zsambok, C.E. (1993) Decision Making in Action: Models and Methods, Ablex Publishing Co. 9. Don Norman (1986) The Design of Everyday Things, basic books, translated by Hisao Nojima; Design Principles of Cognitive Scientists, Shinyosha. 10. Kawamura Sawaragi (1981) Participatory Systems Approach: Methods and Applications, Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun. |
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