Promoting void-based design concept generation through computer-supported interactive structurization of verbal and drawing expression

DS 75-9: Proceedings of the 19th International Conference on Engineering Design (ICED13), Design for Harmonies, Vol.9: Design Methods and Tools, Seoul, Korea, 19-22.08.2013

Year: 2013
Editor: Udo Lindemann, Srinivasan V, Yong Se Kim, Sang Won Lee, John Clarkson, Gaetano Cascini
Author: Nomaguchi, Yutaka; Ogawa, Tatsuya; Fujita, Kikuo
Series: ICED
Institution: Osaka University, Japan
Page(s): 407-416
ISBN: 978-1-904670-52-0
ISSN: 2220-4334

Abstract

An iterative process of externalizing ideas in verbal and drawing expression is a crucial activity for design concept generation. This paper proposes its systematic methodology focusing on ‘void’ of concepts. The proposed methodology supports classification of expressed ideas according with their related concepts, structurization and finding unnoticed combination of concepts, which this research calls ‘void’. Those steps promote a designer to reflect their own ideas within designers’ mind so as to notice potential of new design solutions. This paper also proposes its implementation plot. It incorporates a concept network model, which integrates verbal and drawing expression, and manages a draw layer that is a unit of combination and associates it with a verbally-expressed concept. The tool provides user-friendly interface to cut off a part of drawn sketch, and associate it to concepts. Behind those back-and-forth sketching process, the tool captures alternatives of sub functions’ solutions and automatically generate a concept matrix so as to clarify voids. A design example of a wheelchair is demonstrated in order to show the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Keywords: Design concept generation, sketch, creativity

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