Affordances in product architecture: Linking technical functions and users' tasks (original) (raw)

Towards a Formalization of Affordance Modeling in the Early Stages of Design

When developing an artifact, designers must first capture and represent consumer needs. These needs can then be transformed into system requirements or objectives. This paper proposes a formalized affordance-based method for capturing consumer needs which leverages previous work in the area of Affordance-based design. The creation of an affordance basis and a relational structure (the Desired Affordance Model) facilitates the use of affordances to represent consumer needs. This formalization has the potential to improve model quality and consistency, while managing model creation time. Further, this formalization imposes a level of abstraction which forces solution independence but is capable of capturing the large range of consumer needs.

Affordances and use plans: An analysis of two alternatives to function-based design

Function-based design approaches have been criticized for being too narrow to properly guide design. Specifically, they are said to be unable to cope with nonfunctional considerations, such as cost or maintenance issues without invoking other concepts, such as constraints. This paper investigates two alternative conceptualizations of the design process: the practical affordance-based design approach, as elaborated by Maier and Fadel, and the more theoretical use plan approach by Houkes and Vermaas. This paper compares function-, affordance-, and use plan-based design approaches. It highlights strengths and weaknesses of each approach and proposes a definition of the function of an artifact in terms of its affordances.

Toward automating affordance-based design

Artificial Intelligence for Engineering Design, Analysis and Manufacturing, 2015

The objective of this research is to develop a computational representation of knowledge associated with affordance-based design (ABD). The ABD ontology formalizes the entities, properties, and relationships within the domains of ABD. The ontology enables designers to describe the affordances of existing products and specify the intended affordances of future products in line with ABD. The ontology consists of 14 concepts and 5 relationships. The ontology is developed using Protégé 4.3 and DL-query to query and reason with the ontology. The ontology is demonstrated using a consumer vacuum cleaner. The formal ontology serves as the basis for developing computer support for ABD applications. When implemented, these design tools will help designers manage the affordances of artifacts being designed, specifying the interacting entities of every affordance when a three-dimensional model of the artifact is available. Further, these software tools could be used to support ABD methods.

Affordance based design: a relational theory for design

Research in Engineering Design, 2009

After reviewing current approaches to design theory, which are based on the transformative concept of function, we argue that this basis in function limits the scope of design problems and explanatory power of current design theories. As an alternative with greater potential for explanatory power and a framework for solving a wider array of design problems, we propose that a relational theory of design is needed. Such a relational theory should mirror those currently developed in mathematics, physics, computer science, and even philosophy. We develop a relational theory for design based on the concept of affordances from perceptual psychology. Affordances help to explain the entanglement between designers, users, and artifacts—relationships that are not currently handled by function based approaches to design. Affordance based design, as developed in this paper, does not offer a radical new approach to doing design, but rather a shift in design thinking. Our focus in this paper is therefore on the explanatory power and potential innovation fostered by this change in design thinking, as illustrated through several examples, and not on specific methods.

A Comparison of Affordance Concepts and Product Semantics

Asian Design Conference, 2003

Abstract: Recent years, Gibson's affordance concept has drawn many attentions in the field of human-computer interface and product design. However, the development of affordance concept in design practice is by far not yet matured, and the differentiation between affordance ...

Affordance-Based Design: Status and Promise

2006

Following the early work of Simon and the thorough treatment of functional methods in design covered by Pahl and Beitz, most subsequent design researchers have used the functional formalism and developed design aids using this formalism. We have also done the same. However, there is increasing awareness among the design research community of some fundamental limitations of the concept of function, that leads to some difficulties in practice.

Affordance-based design methods for innovative design, redesign and reverse engineering

Research in Engineering Design, 2009

Rather than developing methods to address problems as they occur, the effort in this paper is to formulate methods based on an explicit theory. Methods developed in this way have more scientific rigor because underlying propositions and assumptions are clearly articulated, thus the applicability and limitations of the methods are well defined. The underlying theory used in this work is that of affordance-based design, which has been developed by the authors in a recent series of papers, and is based in turn on the theory of affordances from perceptual psychology. This paper extends affordance-based design into prescriptive methods. A broad affordance-based design process is introduced together with methods for documenting affordances, methods for designing individual affordances, an affordance-based method for reverse engineering and redesign, the affordance structure matrix, and affordance-based selection matrices. Engineering examples used to illustrate the methods include the high level design of an automobile, comfort to automobile passengers, the meshing of gears, wear of gears, a vacuum cleaner, and automotive window switches.

A VALIDATION CASE STUDY IN AFFORDANCE BASED DESIGN

ABSTRACT In previous work the authors have explored various issues associated with the broad application of the idea of affordance to engineering design. Building on an extensive investigation of the theoretical basis for the application of affordance to design, the authors recently introduced several practical methods for using affordances in design. As with any new design method, the validity of affordance based methods is of course questionable until their efficacy has been satisfactorily shown.