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Forthcoming Seminars

March 2013

Speaker: Prof. Joshua D. Summers, Professor in Mechanical Engineering at Clemson University, USA, co-directs the CEDAR Group.

Date: Tuesday 5th March 2013

Time: 1.00pm – 2.30pm (sandwiches provided)

Location: Complexity Lab, Design, N2033 Venables

Complexity in Engineering Design: what is it, how can we measure it, and how can we use these measures?

The talk will present three design complexity views (size, solvability, coupling), arguing that separate metrics, rather than single value, can be useful in engineering practice. The coupling complexity is defined as a set graph based metrics (betweenness, decomposability, path lengths, order/degree-of-freedom) which are used in predictive models of engineering performance created through historical data sets. Coupling complexity can predict (1) consumer product market prices directly from function structure models and (2) production times for products based on part connections in the assembly models. Currently, we explore why this approach works for multiple applications how to reconfigure the graphs for target complexity vectors.

Monday 11th March, 2.00-3.00pm, N2033 Venables - Ettore Bompard

CANCELLED - Wednesday 20th March, 2.00-3.00pm, N2033 Venables - Linda Naughton - TO BE RE-ARRANGED

April 2013

Nicole Lotz, Lecturer in Design, Professor Helen Sharp, Professor of Software Engineering & Dr Mark Woodroffe, Dept of Computing

Date: Wednesday 17th April 2013

Time: 2.00pm-3.00pm

Location: Complexity Lab, Design, N2033 Venables

Interaction Design Behaviour Across Cultures: the case of Botswana and UK

The talk will present findings of a set of protocol studies conducted in Botswana and the UK to understand and describe design behaviour in novice interaction designers in these two settings. The development of a method for analysing design protocols across cultures will also be discussed. An aim of this research is to gain new insights into designing that would support the development of pedagogical patterns, which would be of benefit to educators and senior government officials in both countries. The research team comprises of academics from the UK Open University and from Botho College, Botswana, working closely together over a period of 18 months. The project is funded by the Leverhulme Trust.

Date: Wednesday 24th April,

Time: 2.00-3.00pm (tea/coffee available from 1.45pm)

Location: Complexity Lab, Design, N2033 Venables

Low Carbon Living in Milton Keynes - The Route 7 Electric Bus Programme

Professor John Miles,

Professor of Transitional Energy Strategies,

Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge

This seminar will look at plans for an all-electric bus service which will be launched in Milton Keynes later this year. This service will use the concept of ‘Opportunity Charging’ to top-up the charge in the vehicle batteries during normal timetabled operations, thereby substantially increasing the operational range of the vehicles and making their adoption economically viable. The chargers will use wireless technology to transfer 120kW, and the demands on the local electricity network will be considered during the talk.

May 2013

Wednesday 8th May, 2.00-3.00pm, N2033 Venables - Matt Watson

Wednesday 22nd May, 2.00-3.00pm, N2033 Venables - Linda Naughton - tbc

June 2013

Wednesday 12th June, 2.00-3.00pm, N2033 Venables - Prof Nikos Salingaros, University of Texas at San Antonio - tbc

Wednesday 26th June, 2.00-3.00pm, N2033 Venables - Ray Ison - tbc

Previous Seminars

January 2013

Joint OpenSpace/Design Group Seminar

Matthew Cook, Design Group, Department of Design, Development, Environment and Materials and

Terry van Dijk and Ward Rauws, Departemnt of Planning, Faculty of Spatial Sciences, University of Groningen, The Netherlands

Date: Tuesday 29 January 2013

Time: Lunch 1 pm

Seminar: 2 - 4 pm

Venue: CMR01

To attend you need to register at Openspace@open.ac.uk

Abstract: For many years, spatial planning and design have been treated as separate entities. However, recently it has been suggested that design perspectives and practices may be usefully reintegrated in spatial planning. Indeed, spatial planning as design is now of growing interest. In this seminar we explore this idea by considering three lines of inquiry. First, we consider the role of spatial design(s) in the form of visual representations in spatial planning processes. Second, we draw on notions of complex adaptive systems from complexity science to consider how development plans may be designed differently. Finally, if spatial planning can be conceptualized as design, we suggest insights and methods that might be drawn from design studies to further this work.

December 2012

Michel-Alexandre Cardin, Assistant Professor Industrial and Systems Engineering at the National University of Singapore (NUS

Date: Monday 17 December 2012
Time: 14:00 - 15:00
Location: Complexity laboratory, N2033, Venables

Abstract: Empirical Evaluation of Procedures to Generate Flexibility in Engineering Systems and Improve Lifecycle Performance

The design of engineering systems like airports, communication infrastructures, and real estate projects is growing in complexity. Flexibility in engineering design provides ways to deal with this complexity. It enables systems to change easily in the face of uncertainty to reduce the impact of downside scenarios (e.g. unfavorable markets) while capitalizing on upside opportunities (e.g. favorable regulations). It is, however, a difficult process requiring guidance.

The talk presents the results of a study investigating the effects of two educational training procedures on flexibility and two ideation procedures to guide this process and improve lifecycle performance. Controlled experiments were conducted with ninety participants working on a simplified design problem in real estate. These findings give insights into the crafting of simple and intuitive procedures to improve performance of complex systems systematically by exploiting ideas of flexibility; performance that may be left aside with standard design and evaluation approaches.

Golnoosh Rasoulifar, PhD student INP Grenoble, France

Date: Wednesday 5 December
Time: 12:00-1:00
Location: Complexity laboratory, N2033, Venables

Abstract: Toward Supporting User's Emotional PerceptionsDuring the Design Processof Branded Products

A brand’s identity can be communicated through its visual product appeal. The Japanese word “Kansei” commonly translated as “feeling”, includes a wide range of words related to brand, style, emotion, affect and semantic description of products. For each new product, designers and engineers need to incorporate the Kansei concepts into objective product specifications which can be met through a number of manufacturing processes. As the design process progresses it appears that the link to Kansei is gradually lost (e.g. through engineering changes and cost reduction activities). Therefore there is a need for effective communication of these original Kansei concepts being translated into technical requirements.

This PhD work uses the context of an on-going French project called Skippi and discusses the potential use of the Skippi tool as a visual representation of the Kansei rationale behind the product design decisions.

November 2012

George Rzevski Professor Emeritus, Complexity Science and Design Research Group

Date: Friday 30 November
Time: 2:00 - 3:00
Location: Complexity Laboratory, N2033, Venables

Abstract: Complexity Science and Multi-Agent Technology

Since retiring from his full-time Open University Professorship 15 years ago, George, with Petr Skobelev, from Samara, Russia, have founded a network of small-to-medium businesses, which design, code and supply multi-agent software for commercial applications. Designing and maintaining large-scale complex adaptive software provided a unique, invaluable experience, which enabled them to make significant contributions to research into complexity science and multi-agent technology. Complexity Science concerns the behaviour of systems consisting of large numbers of diverse and interdependent elements that have a certain degree of autonomy and are not centrally controlled. The behaviour cannot be predicted and is not reproducible. It emerges from the interaction of constituent
elements and follows certain well-understood patterns.

George will review key features of Complex Systems:

Interdependence of constituent elements
Emergent properties
Constraints, which limit degrees of freedom of elements
Nonlinearity of relations
Behaviour far from equilibrium
Self-organisation
Co-evolution
Multi-Agent Technology is at present the only known technology that can be used for modelling
complex systems. It is adaptive and capable of co-evolving with its environment.
George will review some of the principles of multi-agent architecture that enabled his team to deliver effective commercial solutions

Andreas Braun Karlsruhe Institute of Technolgy

: Wednesday, 28th November
Time: 2.00 - 3.00 pm
Location:Complexity Laboratory, N2033, Venables

Abstract: Integrated Modelling of Product- and Process-related Information

Product engineering processes are subject to increasing complexity. They comprise activities of product development, production and after sales such as service or decommission. Complexity arouses to a large extent from the high number of information elements and of their many interrelations (structural complexity) in the overall context of product engineering. Information elements can be e.g. objectives with individual target values, activity description and their duration, decision criteria, resource capacities etc. As a further challenge, uncertainty and dynamic behaviour of engineering processes lead to dynamic complexity. This research project aims at handling the complexity of engineering processes through modelling information using one particular approach: the Integrated Product Engineering Model (iPeM).

The iPeM is a framework that provides a clear structure in which relevant information of product and process can be clustered and interrelated with each other. As such, the iPeM is only one modelling approach among several. However, it is assumed that the particular framework of the iPeM suits well to represent relevant elements explicitly. This could help to establish transparency in complex product engineering processes. With this, capturing relevant aspects and allowing retracing, analysing and optimising product engineering processes may become possible. The following research questions are addressed:

How is “support of product engineering” to be specified – time reduction, quality improvement etc.? What are driving criteria? (The research focuses on designers regarding the whole system at an early stage of product development.)

What information is to be modelled in order to realize this support?

How can the information be acquired, modelled and retrieved with a positive ratio of benefit to effort?

Wilfred van der Vegte (Department of Design, Delft University of Technology)

Date: Wednesday, 14th November
Time: 2.00 - 3.00 pm
Location: Complexity Laboratory, N2033, Venables

Summary

Towards Improved User-Product Testing With Cognitively Enhanced Scenarios

With the increasing information-intensiveness of products, users are challenged with expanding options and possible ways to interact. Rapidly escalating numbers of possible user-operation sequences hinder designers in anticipating all possible (unacceptable) outcomes.

Interactively simulating product models with human subjects to explore all options is not practicable. Virtual simulation with computer models of users can open the way towards faster-than-real-time performance and investigation of massive numbers of interaction sequences.

This presentation reports on opportunities to improve realism of virtual-use
simulations by incorporating knowledge about the workings of the human brain. Cognitive-architecture simulations developed by cognitive scientists and error phenotypes identified in human reliability analysis can extend a virtual-use simulation approach that we have proposed in foregoing work at Delft University of technology. This offers the possibility to generate interaction sequences with erroneous user actions unforeseen by the designer. It is expected that such simulation outcomes will help designers to avoid phenomena such as cognitive overload, forgetfulness and distraction of users in the early stages of design.

Click on seminar archive to see video recordings of past presentations

Seminar archive

Page Last Updated:23 April, 2013