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Claudia Eckert
I returned to the Open University in September 2008 as Senior Lecturer in Design after nearly 10 years at the University of Cambridge, where I was Assistant Director of the Engineering Design Centre and lead the Design Process Improvement group. I am interested both in understanding design in different design domains and different phases of the design process, and in developing techniques and computer tools for facilitating design activities. Most of my research in based on empirical studies in industry, but I am also interested in bringing theories and methods from different disciplines into design research. For example I am trying to apply insights from philosophy and sociology of science to design process modeling and from complexity theory to change prediction.
My early research, leading to my PhD in Design at the Open University, investigated support for knitwear design, where I analyzed communication between different participants in the design process, and built a computer system which disambiguated the customary design representation. I am developing these themes in on-going research on sustainability in fashion, on trends in product design, and on stakeholder analysis in construction projects.
In Cambridge I was studying the design processes of complex engineering products mainly through interviews with experts. One steam of my research is concerned with change to existing products, where I have been studying how engineering change is carried out, and been involved in the development of the CPM software tool. This research is continuing with Prof John Clarkson at the EDC and Prof Olivier de Weck at MIT through case studies with Rolls Royce, Perkins and Volvo. I am also looking at how to apply the change prediction tool to managing the supply chain with Prof Marc Zolghadri at the University of Bordeaux II, where I was Visiting Professor in 2008. I have also studied in detail how designers model and plan design processes and have contributed to the development of the P3 Applied Signposting tool. I am now working on different aspects of process modeling with Dr David Wynn in the EDC.
Another interest lies in creativity and synthetic thinking in design in particular in the context of incremental design. Currently I am investigating how and when system architecture is created in complex incremental products and where innovations are introduced, with David Wyatt at the EDC through case studies in Perkins and Volvo Construction. I am reflecting about the role and manifestations of creativity in design in a more theoretical way with Dr Martin Stacey at De Montfort University. I am collaborating with Prof Albert Albers at the University of Karlsruhe on the development of their Contact & Channel Model to support form and function integration.
Having worked on different design domains I am particularly interested in comparisons between different design domains, partly to transfer best practice and understand the scope of tools and methods, but also to gain a deeper understanding of design as a cultural phenomenon. I was principal investigator of a project funded by the Cambridge-MIT Institute, where designers in a variety of fields reported on their practice. I am currently writing a book about this with my co-investigator Prof Larry Bucciarelli of MIT and Prof Chris Earl, our MCT dean.
Contact Information
Contact Information
Email: c.m.eckert@open.ac.uk
Phone: +44 (0)1908 655023
Fax: +44 (0)1908 654052
Room: N2056, Venables building
Brief CV
After leaving school I studied Mathematics and Computer Science at Augsburg, Oxford and the Ludwig Maximilian Univeristät in Munich and gained a Bakkalaureat in Philosophy at Jesuit University in Munich in 1989. I combined these interests by taking an MSc in Applied Artificial Intelligence at University of Aberdeen in 1990. In 1997 I gained a PhD in the Department of Design and Innovation (now the Design Group) with Nigel Cross and Jeff Johnson, on Intelligent Support for Knitwear Design. From 1993 to 1995 I worked as Research Associate at the Department of Computer Studies, Loughborough University of Technology on a research project on computer support for knitwear design, and from 1996 to 1998 as a Research Fellow in the Department of Computing at the Open University on the MIND project, which investigated inspiration in knitwear design. In 1999 the OU funded me as a Research Fellow to implement the computer program I proposed in my PhD thesis. In 1999 I joint the Engineering Design Centre, Engineering Department, University of Cambridge as a Research Associate and later Senior Research Associate researching different aspects of design process improvement. From 2004 I was an assistant director of the Engineering Design Centre heading the Design Process Improvement Group.
Selected Publications
Stacey, M.K., Eckert, C.M. & Earl, C.F., From Ronchamp by sledge: On the pragmatics of object references
In J. McDonnell & P. Lloyd (eds) About: Designing: Analysing Design Meetings. Leiden, Netherlands: CRC Press, pp. 360-379. (2009)
Giffin M., de Weck O., Bounova G., Keller R., Eckert C., Clarkson P.J., "Change Propagation Analysis in Complex Technical Systems", Journal of Mechanical Design, 131 (8), 081010, August 2009, (14 pages)
A.D. Blackwell, C.M. Eckert, L. Bucciarelli & C.F. Earl, Witnesses to Design: A Phenomenology of Comparative Design. Design Issues 25 (1), 2009
A.M. Maier, M. Kreimeyer, C. Hepperle, C.M. Eckert, L. Lindemann & P.J. Clarkson, Exploration of correlations between factors influencing communication in complex product development. Concurrent Engineering: Research and Application, 16, 37-59, 2008
T. Flanagan, C.M. Eckert & P.J. Clarkson, Externalising tacit overview knowledge: A model-based approach to supporting design teams. Artificial Intelligence for Engineering Design, Analysis and Manufacturing, 21 (3), 227-242, 2007.
C.M. Eckert, R. Keller, C.F. Earl & P.J. Clarkson, Supporting Change Processes in Design: Complexity, Prediction and Reliability. Reliability Engineering and Safety Systems, 91 (12), 1521-1534, 2006.
R. Keller, T. Eger, C.M. Eckert & P.J. Clarkson, Matrices or network diagrams: which visual representation is better for visualising connectivity models? Information Visualisation, 5 (1), 62-76, 2006.
P.J. Clarkson & C.M. Eckert (Eds.) Design Process Improvement. Springer, London, 2005.
A.M. Maier, C.M. Eckert & P.J. Clarkson, A meta-model for communication in engineering design. Co-design, 1 (4), 243-254, 2005.
P.J. Clarkson, C. Simons & C.M. Eckert, Predicting Change Propagation in Complex Design. Journal of Mechanical Design, 126 (5), 765-797, 2004.
C.M. Eckert, P.J. Clarkson & W. Zanker, Change and Customisation in Complex Engineering Domains. Research in Engineering Design, 15 (1), 1-21, 2004.
C.M. Eckert & M.K. Stacey, Sources of inspiration in industrial practice: the case of knitwear design. Journal of Design Research, 3, 2003. .
M.K. Stacey & C.M. Eckert, Against Ambiguity. Computer Supported Cooperative Work, 12 (2), 153-183, 2003.
C.M Eckert & M.K. Stacey, Adaptation of Sources of Inspiration in Knitwear Design. Creativity Research Journal, 15 (4), 355-384, 2003.
M.K. Stacey, C.M. Eckert & J. Wiley, Expertise and Creativity in Knitwear Design. International Journal of New Product Development and Innovation Management, 4 (1), 49-64, 2002.
C.M. Eckert, The Communication Bottleneck in Knitwear Design: Analysis and Computing Solutions Computer Supported Cooperative Work, 10 (1), 29-74, 2001.
C.M. Eckert & A. Demaid, Classifying Design and Design Management in Seasonal Industries. International Journal of Innovation Management, 5 (4), 401-425, 2001.
C.M. Eckert, N.G. Cross & J.H. Johnson, Intelligent support for communication in design teams: Garment shape specifications in the knitwear industry. Design Studies, 21 (1), 99-112, 2000.
C.M. Eckert & H.E. Bez, A Garment Design System Using Constrained Bézier Curves International Journal of Clothing Science and Technology, 12 (2), 134-143, 2000.
C.M. Eckert & M.K. Stacey, Sources of Inspiration: A Language of Design. Design Studies, 21 (5), 523-538, 2000.
C.M. Eckert, I. Kelly & M.K. Stacey, Interactive Generative Systems for Conceptual Design: An Empirical Perspective. Artificial Intelligence for Engineering Design, Analysis and Manufacturing, 13 (4), 303-320, 1999.
Current Research projects
Converge: Collaborative Communication Driven Decision Management in Non-hierarchical Supply Chains of the Electronic Industry” (2009 – 2011) CoIof EU FP7 project 228746-2 (http://www.converge-project.eu/)
De2RHECC: Design & Delivery of Robust Hospital Environments in a Changing Climate (2009 – 2012)
CoI with Alan Short, Department of Archtiecture, Department of Architecture, University of Cambridge, Kevin Lomas, Department of Civil and Building Engineering, Loughborough University, John Clarkson, Engineering Design Centre, Dept. of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Cathrine Noakes, Pathogen Control Engineering Research Group, School of Civil Engineering, University of Leeds. (http://www-edc.eng.cam.ac.uk/robusthospitals/)
Past research projects
“Transfer of Best Practise across DesignDesign Domains”, (2003 - 2005) PI of Cambridge-MIT Institute grant CMI/076/P-NCN with Louis Bucciarelli, School of Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Knowledge and Information Management Through Life (2005 – 2008)
Grand Challenge, EPSRC, RA post on comparative design in WP 3.3. as part of Cambridge allocation to John Clarkson
IPAS: Integrated Products and Services ( 2004 – 2007)
DTI Reference TP/2/IC/6/I/10292 lead by Rolls Royce, grand allocated to John Clarkson, however I contributed to negotiating to proposal and managed the project with 2 RAs independently Co-investigator of AHRC/ EPSRC Design in the 21st century project
”Considerate Design for Personalised Fashion Products” (2006 – 2009)
CoI with Sandy Black from London College of Fashion
Current PhD Student
Andrew Muir Wood, (2006 - ...) IfM, University of Cambridge with James Moultrie
Pam Garthwaite (2009 - …) with Jeff Johnson, part of the De2RHECC project
Philippa Crommentuijn-Marsh (2009 -...) with Stephen Potter and Sandy Black
Past PhD Students
Tim Jarratt, |
(2000 - 2004) |
EDC Cambridge with John Clarkson, now at Bains conulting |
Tido Eder |
(2001 - 2006) |
with John Clarkson, now at XX consulting |
Tomas Flanagan |
(2002 - 2006) |
now at BP |
David Wynn |
(2002 - 2007) |
with John Clarkson, now research associate at the EDC |
Anja Maier |
(2003 - 2007) |
now research associate at the EDC |
Rene Keller |
(2003 - 2007) |
now with BP |
Labi Ariyo |
(2003 - 2008) |
with John Clarkson, now research associate at the EDC |
Malia Kalpinen |
(2004 - 2008) |
with John Clarkson, now research associate at the EDC |
Marek Chalupnik |
(2005 – 2009) |
with John Clarkson and David Wynn |
Page Last Updated: 8 October, 2009