Robert Wendrich, a University of Twente PhD candidate, has developed a new generation of intuitive design tools.
Experiments conducted by organizations such as ProRail, Manpower and the University of Twente’s IdeationLab showed that these hybrid design tools are of great value to the creative design process.
Designers stand to benefit greatly from a new generation of intuitive design tools. These design tools rely on their users’ intuitive abilities and sensory capacities. They incorporate a range of analogue and digital techniques
Obstruction
Robert E. Wendrich will defend his PhD (which is based on his findings) on Wednesday 30 November. Driven by a sense of dissatisfaction with existing computer programs, Mr Wendrich (an industrial designer) started this work six years ago. “3D CAD programs are created by hardware and software programmers. They are intended to support designers through the design process but, in practice, digital technology is more often an obstacle to creativity.”
Prototype
Robert Wendrich started work on a design tool of his own, one that ‘listens’ to users and responds to their actions. The first prototype was a type of workbench fitted with two cameras, which were used to collect snapshots of the design process. According to Mr Wendrich, visualizing, registering and representing the various stages of design in a timeline helps to bolster designers’ intuition and imagination.
Test at ProRail
The prototype has been developed into a test version. ProRail in Utrecht has tested the system in various railway station redevelopment projects, which make use of complex design processes involving many different parties. “These are precisely the situations in which it is vital to clearly highlight those moments at which choices are made. Our design tool makes the various considerations that arise in the course of the process more transparent. This reduces friction between stakeholders and helps to generate greater understanding.”
Ideation Lab
These hybrid design tools have also been tested by the Manpower temp agency. There, they highlighted employees’ career development, and proved to be a useful tool for career planning. Experiments have also been carried out in the public domain, using Robert Wendrich’s design tools. In this context, an RST (Rawshaping Technology) Ideation Lab, which integrates design tools such as visual thinking, synthesis tools and brainstorming tools, was developed at the University of Twente. The lab has been used for teaching, and other purposes.
Based on all these user experiences, several web versions of the design tool are now available, involving both hardware and software. They can support designers in various fields, by providing a visual representation of their ideas, conceptual representations, and designs. They also make it possible to simply and effectively retrace each of the steps in the design process (trackback).
Robert E. Wendrich will defend his PhD thesis, which is entitled ‘Hybrid Design Tools for Conceptual Design and Design Engineering Process (Bridging the Design Gap: Towards an Intuitive Design Tool)’, on Wednesday 30 November. Mr Wendrich is a lecturer/researcher who is involved in the University of Twente’s Industrial Design educational programme.
