Knowledge Base Repository
In addition to research papers, the Design Society is developing several valuable resources for those interested in the study of design. These include a repository of PhD theses, a library of case studies and transcripts of design activities, and an archive of our newsletters. Please note that these resources are accessible exclusively to Design Society members.
Hierarchical Affordance Modeling
Maier, Jonathan R. A.; Mocko, Gregory; Fadel, Georges M.
Type:
Year:
2009
Editor:
Norell Bergendahl, M.; Grimheden, M.; Leifer, L.; Skogstad, P.; Lindemann, U.
Author:
Series:
ICED
Section:
Design Methods and Tools
Page(s):
397-404
Abstract:
The theory of affordances has been adapted by the authors into a comprehensive high-level approach to design known as affordance based design. One of the features that distinguishes the affordance based approach from function based approaches is that affordances are form dependent . Designers can take advantage of this property during conceptual design by analyzing how well the form (or structure) of individual concepts satisfy the desired and undesired (positive and negative) affordances for the project. In other work, we have introduced a matrix based tool called the Affordance Structure Matrix (ASM). However, in the products we have studied to date, typically the desired and undesired affordances at the system level are mapped to individual parts at the component level. Our focus in this paper is utilizing the ASM to study how the satisfaction of affordances propagates hierarchically upward from the component level to the sub-system level, and finally system level. A hair-dryer is used as an example system to demonstrate the approach.
Keywords:
