Human Centered Product Design
Research portfolio, Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering
October 1, 2002
1. Design theory and support
1.1 Methodology, tools and techniques
1.1.1 Design processes in product development (Roozenburg)
1.1.2 Methods and techniques for the conceptual phase of design (Stappers)
1.1.3 Product conceptualization in collaborative virtual prototyping environment (Horváth)
1.2 Life cycle engineering and design
1.2.1 Personal energy systems (Bremer)
1.2.2 Engineering design with new materials (Kandachar)
1.2.3 Design for sustainability (Brezet)
1.3 Product functionality and experience
1.3.1 Usage evaluation (Kanis)
1.3.2 Product aesthetics and experience (Jacobs)
1.3.3 Consumer preference (Schoormans)
2. Design of future products
2.1 Product intelligence
2.1.1 Transparent interfaces (de Ridder)
2.1.2 Intelligence in products (Keyson)
2.1.3 Product advantage and market acceptance of intelligent products (Hultink)
2.2 Design for all
2.2.1 Design for healthy environments (Goossens)
2.2.2 Dynamic anthropometry (Molenbroek)
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THEME 1
1. Title portfolio theme and director
Design Theory and Support
Prof. dr. J.P.L. Schoormans
2. List of programmes



Methodology, Tools and Techniques
Life Cycle Engineering and Design
Functionality and Experience of Products
3. Scientific summary of the theme
Motivation
Technological advances lead to innovative products. These products do not automatically fit to the
needs and wishes of the potential user. It is the aim of Industrial Design to develop products that do fit
the needs and wishes of users and society as expressed in the mission statement of the faculty of
Industrial Design Engineering: “create products for people”. Needs and wishes are changing in an
increasing pace by developments in both technology and society. A number of important
developments are the expanding international markets, the aging of consumers and increasing product
intelligence. These and other developments call for a sophistication of products and the underlying
product design process. To be able to design products that encompass such sophistication we need to
expand the threshold of our knowledge concerning the product design process and its supporting fields
of knowledge. The main foci of the research theme are the methodology of designing, the design
process with an emphasis on the conceptual phases and the integration of knowledge and technologies
in the design process on the basis of user and societal needs.
The theme comprises three research programmes:
Methodology, Tools and Techniques. The research of this program focuses on the theoretical
fundamentals of the design process as well as the methods, tools, and techniques that will be used by
designers and design teams during the creative development of new product concepts, the new
problems and opportunities that are offered by computer-enabled product technologies and on ways to
measure the effectiveness and efficiency of these methods, tools and techniques.
Life Cycle Engineering and Design. This program is directed to the extension of knowledge with
respect to product life cycles. Attention is directed to technological, ecological and economic research
issues.
Product Functionality and Experience. This program focuses on the complex relation between users
and products. The ability to predict the implications of product concepts such as usefulness,
acceptance and experience by the user, is a critical task for the designer.
Duration
The duration of this theme will be 8-10 years.
Relevance of the theme
Relation to the mission of the faculty and the university
This research theme is related to the core of the mission of the faculty Industrial Design Engineering:
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“Create products for People”. This mission can only be achieved through a multidisciplinary design
approach in which aspects are integrated such as engineering, ergonomics, aesthetics and aspects of
sustainability. This research theme reflects the theoretical content of the recently defined masters of
the Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering.
The research in this theme addresses trends stated in the ARTD study.
“Extending of the boundaries of technology” requires that new methods, tools and techniques be built
upon a better understanding of the thinking processes, actions and role of the future designer-engineer.
A thorough analysis of the designer and his tasks should be done on many levels from a mental,
cognitive and perceptual level to the physical setting, including the tools and actions involved. All of
the fields mentioned above will benefit from knowledge of the creative process and of the influences
these elements have on the innovation level of new product ideas. Next, the “Extending of the
boundaries of technology” is represented, not only by technological innovations, but also by the
exploration into factors that are difficult to measure, such as user behavior, feelings, expression and
emotions regarding products. Research into the meaning of “comfort”, “satisfaction”, “attachment”
and other areas is expected to expand the borders of our current knowledge and improve the process of
design as well as the products resulting from that process. Finally, “The knowledge and management
of the materialisation” is well expressed in the engineering, construction, manufacturing and new
materials-related aspects of the research that are found in the life cycle engineering programme.
Societal relevance
The research contributes to the development of new products that fit the needs and demands of
tomorrows' users. A better user-product relationship is expected to improve the way people live and
work. Products that score high regarding usability, acceptance and importance to the task will increase
user attachment and add to their satisfaction in life. Products with lower environmental burden during
production and/or during use improve the quality of life both in the short and long run. In this way this
theme will contribute to the idea posed in the ARTD report that “technology can score high by
improving quality of life”.
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PROGRAMME 1.1
1. Title portfolio programme
Methodology, Tools and Techniques
2. List of subprogrammes and subprogramme leaders



Design Processes in Product Development / Ir. N.F.M. Roozenburg
Methods and Techniques for the Conceptual Phase of Design / Dr. P.J. Stappers
Product Conceptualization in Collaborative Virtual Prototyping Environment / Prof. dr. I. Horvath
3. Subprogramme members
Rank
Professors
Associate professors
Assistant professors
title and name
prof. dr. I. Horváth
vacancy Chair Design Techniques
vacancy Chair Design Methodology
dr. H.H.C.M. Christiaans
dr. P.A. Lloyd
ir. N.F.M. Roozenburg
dr. P.J. Stappers
dr. J.S.M. Vergeest
ir. E.J.J. van Breemen
ir. J.J. Broek
ir. A. Hoeben
ir. H. Kuipers
dr. ir. R. van der Lugt
ir. C.C.M. Moes
ir. W. Muller
ir. G.J. Pasman
ir. F.E.H.M. Smulders
dr. ir. A.C. Valkenburg
ir. W.F. van de Vegte
ir. J.C. Verlinden
dr.ir R.W. Vroom
4. Scientific summary of the programme
The complexity of the design process is well recognized. Managing the design process to predict at an
early stage the implications of a product concept and its usefulness, is a critical task for a designer.
Next to that, designers need to integrate knowledge from different backgrounds into one single
product concept. More and more, the complexity of modern products involves large, multidisciplinary,
often even dispersed design teams. In order to integrate the knowledge from different team-members
specific design methodologies, techniques and tools are needed. This research theme focuses on the
exploration, development, validation and implementation of innovative methodologies, techniques and
tools to support product designers in the creative and integrated development of new products.
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DESCRIPTION OF SUBPROGRAMME 1.1.1
1. Title research subprogramme and subprogramme leader
Design Processes in product development / ir. N.F.M. Roozenburg
2. Scientific description of the subprogram
Central problem statement and goal
The goal of this program is to increase our understanding of the factors that go to make up the design
processes including product development. Influencing factors break down into a number of multidisciplinary areas such as the nature of design problems, the structure of design processes, the abilities
and experience of designers, design representation, design thinking and reasoning, creativity, and
communication. The overall goal is to be achieved both through empirical studies – recording and
analyzing what designers do when they design, and through critical/theoretical analyses – clarifying
the concepts which designers and design researchers use when they talk about the design process. The
proper understanding of the design process is fundamental to the effective development of methods,
tools, and design support systems, as well as for design education.
Critical/theoretical analyses. One part of the program aims to investigate and clarify the concepts and
ideas designers and researchers use in discussing, investigating and practicing design. For example,
concepts like function, form, structure, behavior, intention and morality, although having relatively
straightforward meanings in simple contexts, become problematic when applied to an evolving design
process. By thinking through the concepts involved in design theory and design practise, this project
hopes to arrive at clear and useful definitions of key ideas. This will be done in two main ways.
Philosophical analysis is a powerful tool in looking at the logic of design reasoning and the conceptual
relations between design process elements. Critical analyses look at how representations of designing,
in flow diagrams or on television for example, contain ideological subtexts.
Empirical studies. The second part of the program focuses on empirical studies of designing as a form
of complex human action. This research concentrates more on what it is that designers do when they
follow a design process. Although this part of the program concentrates mainly on industrial
designers, the intention is not to be limited to any one discipline, being also concerned with
comparative study. The research methodology used here is a mixture of qualitative studies (case
studies, narratives, ethnographic studies etc.) and quantitative laboratory research; identifying,
operationalising and measuring key variables that affect the design process. These variables include
task domain, expertise of designers, adopted strategies, time and budget constraints and organizational
and physical context (e.g. team designing and remote designing
Coherence with research inside and outside TU Delft
UK: Bath University, University College London, Open University, Coventry University, Sheffield
University, Edinburgh University. Denmark: Technical University of Denmark. Germany: Berlin
University, Darmstadt University. Australia: Sydney University. US: MIT, Stanford University,
Seattle, Carnegie Mellon University and Buffalo University.
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DESCRIPTION OF SUBPROGRAMME 1.1.2
1. Title research subprogramme and subprogramme leader
Methods and Techniques for the Conceptual Phase of Design / dr. P.J. Stappers
2. Scientific description of the subprogram
Central problem statement and goal
This research program focuses on the development of methods and techniques to be used by designers
and design teams in the early phases of the design process. During these phases the design problem is
analysed, initial ideas are formed and subsequently developed into concepts. There is a growing
pressure on the early phases because of increased technological complexity, increased attention for the
social, cultural, and experiential contexts of product use, and the need for faster development of new
products. Central to the early phase is the generation, integration and communication of new ideas and
existing knowledge. Much of the ideation and communication occurs through visualisations such as
sketches, storyboards, mood boards and collages and through simple physical mock-ups as concept
prototypes. These means are becoming more important because much of the information is perceptual,
emotional, cognitive and social and thus difficult to verbalise. Furthermore these means are important
because design teams are increasingly working in (remote) collaboration with specialists from diverse
backgrounds having their own frame of reference and language. Visualisations and (interactive)
prototypes facilitate communication across disciplinary boundaries.
The broad range of traditional tools needs to be expanded with the new possibilities offered by digital
technologies, such as (1) realising dynamic and interactive tools for expression, communication,
experience, and inspiration, (2) bridging the gap to later phases in the design process where computer
representations play a central part. At the same time, digital tools have to become more supportive of
the perceptual and cognitive demands of creative work. Currently, traditional media such as sketches
are much better at satisfying the needs of the creative processes in the conceptual phase, such as,
allowing a fluent change between activities, and a graded commitment to solutions. Computer tools
are often criticised for distracting their users from the content of their ideas. Integrating the strengths
of digital and traditional tools is therefore both a research challenge and a design challenge.
Because user needs have become an increasingly important focus in the early phases of design,
research in this subprogramme is closely related to program 1.3 “Product Functionality and
Experience”. The latter subprogramme focuses on WHAT knowledge the members of the design team
need to share in order to design for perception, cognition, emotion, usage and preference. The central
research question of this program is HOW integration of this knowledge in the design can be
supported. This 'how' question is treated within the overlapping theoretical frameworks on design
methodology, on creativity theory, and on the perceptual-, motor-, and cognitive- skills in designertool interaction as a special case of human-product interaction design.
Coherence with research inside and outside TU Delft
TU Delft: Aerospace Engineering, Computer Graphics (ITS), CACTUS
Netherlands: Eindhoven University of Technology (Industrial Design, Computer Science)
Research institutes: RCA London, EDC Cambridge, Ohio State Univ., Univ. Tsukuba, KAIST
Industry: Alias!Wavefront, Hewlett-Packard
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DESCRIPTION OF SUBPROGRAMME 1.1.3
1. Title research subprogramme and subprogramme leader
Product conceptualization in collaborative virtual prototyping environment / Prof. dr. I. Horváth
2. Scientific description of the subprogramme
Central problem statement and goal
The research subprogramme develops and implements computer-oriented theories, methods, tools and
pilot-systems for supporting conceptual design of products in a collaborative virtual prototyping
environment. To this end, it considers two foci of activities. On the one hand, it explores methods and
techniques and prototypes tools for knowledge-intensive computer support of product
conceptualization. On the other hand, it studies the technological infrastructure, collaboration support,
information/knowledge management, and system realization aspects of collaborative virtual
design/prototyping environments. The research program contributes to the scientific development of
the discipline as well as provides applicable solutions for product conceptualization and remote
collaboration in the industry.
One branch of the subprogramme is computer support of conceptual design. It requests a deeper
understanding how design concepts and solution ideas can be converted to computer internal models
and how designers can interact with incomplete, uncertain and multitude virtual concept models. It is
also an objective to explore by which physical concept models the conceptualization process can be
made more effective and what concrete technologies can be applied in an evolutionary, in-process
physical model making.
Another branch of the research subprogramme is the inquiry into architectures, technologies,
applications and development issues of collaborative virtual design environments that are considered
to be the next generation of design support systems. Issues such as collaborative modeling, model
sharing, multi-aspect conceptualization, balanced comprehension, knowledge management,
communication management will be studied. The results of the modeling oriented research will be
directly used in this part of the research subprogramme.
Coherence with research inside and outside TU Delft
Having the intention of amplifying the influence of ICT in design, the program is an integral part of
the research of the Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering. With the development of knowledgeintensive product models as well as frameworks and technologies for distributed virtual prototyping
environments it supports most of the research programs in theme 1. Design Theory and Support.
Within the University, it has connection with research programs of the ITS Faculty. In the
Netherlands, there is connection to the FROOM Project of the University Twente and with the GIVE
Centre of the University of Utrecht. The program participates in the 5th EC Framework and is also
involved in the setting up of 6th Framework Networks of Excellence. Concrete international
collaboration is going on with Osaka Uni., Japan, Uni. of Ljubljana, Slovenia, EPFL Lausanne,
Switzerland, TU Budapest, Hungary, HUST, China, Uni. Of Achen, Germany, and ITMS Mexico.
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PROGRAMME 1.2
1. Title portfolio programme
Life Cycle Engineering and Design
2. List of subprogrammes and subprogramme leaders



Personal Energy Systems / Ir. A.P. Bremer
Engineering Design with New Materials / Dr. P.V. Kandachar
Design for Sustainability / Prof.dr. ir J.C. Brezet
3. Subprogramme members (june 2002)
Rank
title and name
Professors
prof. dr.ir J.C. Brezet
prof.dr.ir.A.L.N. Stevels
vacancy Chair Design Engineering
vacancy Chair Reliability and Durability
Associate professors
ir. A.P. Bremer
dr. P.V. Kandachar
dr.ir. J.A.M. Remmerswaal
dr.ir. S. Silvester
Assistant professors
dr. C. Boks
ir. J.C. Diehl
ir. S.F.J. Flipsen
Ir. A.J. Heidweiller
ir. A.J. Jansen
Ir. R.P. Koster
ir. M.J. Veefkind
4. Scientific summary of the programme
Life Cycle Engineering (LCE) considers mass and material flows of the whole life cycle of products
including necessary transports and energy supply processes. Whereas classical Life Cycle Analysis
provides environmental impacts of processes, LCE additionally gives hints to incurred costs and
personal costs as well as technical data about the process and physical product properties to determine
and analyze. Three dimensions characterize LCE: ecology, economy and technology. The use of these
three dimensions as relevant points of consideration makes it possible to compare reasonably different
technologies, make a combination with social and environmental impacts and evaluate products in
terms of an overall optimum. Particularly, the use of alternative energy systems, opportunities based
upon new materials and the innovation of product systems for the optimization of life cycles will be
the research focus of the program.
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DESCRIPTION OF SUBPROGRAMME 1.2.1
1. Title research subprogramme and subprogramme leader
Personal Energy Systems / ir. A.P. Bremer
2. Scientific description of the subprogram
Central problem statement and goal
During the last decades, electrically powered appliances have become common property of Dutch
households. Portable appliances contribute substantially to the growth of electrically powered
appliances. In particular in the information and communication sector and in the audio sector portable
products are widely available and in use. Actually, they are the fastest growing sectors in the booming
market of electronic and digital products. For instance in the year 2000, worldwide about 200 million
cellular phones were in use, of which about 7 million in the Netherlands. The global number is
expected to double in the next two years. Aligned with the growth of these portable (or personal)
products there is a steady growth of primary and secondary battery sales.
Due to various drivers (economics, environmental consciousness, convenience for the user…) we can
see an augmenting interest in alternative energy systems for powering these personal products. Most
visible examples are photovoltaic (solar), fuel-cells and human-powered energy systems.
The shift from conventional (battery) powered products to alternative powered products requires a
number of barriers to be taken:



Technical feasibility (adapting the power consumption profile of the product to the alternative
energy system)
User perception and adoption of products with alternative energy systems due to a changing
way of user-product interaction and context
Economical barriers; shift from use related costs (replacement of batteries) to production
related costs (expensive alternative energy systems)
The scientific challenge lies in understanding how the use of alternative energy systems can affect the
life cycle performance of personal products. The results of research in this area can be used to develop
tools and methods to assist the designer in translating a chosen technology into a combination of
technical solutions that fits within the wishes of the consumer.
Coherence with research inside and outside TU Delft
BK, TNW, TNO-MEP, Fraunhofer Institut, KU-Leuven, EET-KIEM, ECN, MIT
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DESCRIPTION OF SUBPROGRAMME 1.2.2
1. Title research subprogram and subprogram leader
Engineering Design with New Materials / dr. P.V. Kandachar
2. Scientific description of the subprogram
Central problem statement and goal
Both reliability and durability aspects are demanding increased attention during materials selection
and product design. The number of innovative material concepts is also growing steadily; they offer
both the challenges of novelty and new design opportunities, which need to be explored.
Understanding the mechanical behaviour of products manufactured using new materials is essential to
meet the requirements of the technological products in the modern society, both from the economic
and from the ecological points of view. The knowledge about the theory and practice of designing
reliable and durable products is, however, insufficiently developed and is not accessible for designers.
In addition, the long-term environmental impact of the new materials and their products is largely
unknown.
The envisaged research activity contributes towards these lacunae by both experimentation and by
predictive modelling. The research focus will be on products designed in polymers and in materials
from renewable resources. The application of these new materials enables to design strong but lighter
products resulting in less material and energy consumption. Especially for transport and packaging
industries, such products are increasingly preferred. Renewable materials, aimed at replacing those of
fossil origin, in addition, are expected to contribute towards sustainability as well, by reducing the
dependency on finite resources.
The scientific challenge lies in understanding the complex mechanical behaviour, implementing the
numerical models in engineering tools and predicting the long-term behaviour of products, while at the
same time, optimising products for minimal material consumption and environmental impact. The
societal relevance is in developing methodologies to design products, which are reliable and durable,
while both environmental impact and material consumption are minimized. Minimizing material usage
also means lesser energy consumption during the life cycle of products.
Coherence with research inside and outside TU Delft
TUDelft: Industrial Design Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Polymer Science & Technology,
and Aerospace Engineering.
TUEindhoven: National Dutch Research School of Polymer Science and Technology (PTN)
Research Institutes: TNO, Eindhoven, ATO-DLO, Wagenigen
Europe: Cambridge University, UK, University of London, UK, Universidad País Vasco, Spain,
Università degli Studi di Perugia, Italy, University of Stockholm, Sweden, Norwegian University of
Science and Technology (NTNU) – Norway
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DESCRIPTION OF SUBPROGRAMME 1.2.3
1. Title research subprogram and subprogram leader
Design for Sustainability / Prof.dr. ir. J.C. Brezet
2. Scientific description of the subprogram
Central problem statement and goal
The worldwide-accepted need for sustainable development implies that mass consumption goods and
their functional contexts should be characterized by continuously improving environmental, economic
and social-cultural values. Therefore, the exploration, description, understanding and prediction of
problems and opportunities to innovate and design products and product-systems with superior quality
with respect to sustainable development values (ecodesign) is the central question of the program.
The envisaged research activity comprises the systematic development, testing and international
diffusion of methods and tools for the design of artifacts with superior life cycle eco-efficiency and –
effectiveness (via intelligent materials and energy applications, via integration of emerging producttechnologies and via financial-economic optimization). Particularly, the research focus is on modeling,
actual application and demonstration for mobile electronic and new mobility – including automotiveproducts, departing form a human centered design perspective.
In addition, the program focuses on the business aspects of ecodesign, based on current reality and
expected developments in the near future. Here, environmental aspects of products and processes are
analysed in relation to traditional business factors like financial (omnipresent), legislative (end-of-life,
toxicity), quality (environmental value and performance) and marketing (competitor analysis,
benchmarking, consumer research) aspects.
Furthermore, to take into account the functionality aspect of products in their future user and systems
context, the project involves the development of methodologies for the design of radical, new
sustainable product-systems and industrial processes, with a superior environmental life cycle
performance and the study of technology collaborative agreements and their potential for sustainable
product conceptualization, product development, engineering and mass production.
The scientific challenge of the program is to generate knowledge supporting the innovation and design
engineering of complex products and product-systems with superior economic, environmental and
social-cultural characteristics over their life cycle, in close connection with the dynamics of systems of
living, traveling, working, etc..
Coherence with research inside and outside TU Delft
TU Delft: Sustainable Building program (Faculty BK) , Energy Institute, Sustainable Industrial
Processes program (OCP), TRAIL Research School
Outside TU Delft: Energy Transition program (Dept. of Ec. Affairs), TNO, ECN, EUR, University of
Utrecht, University of Lund, IIT Delhi, IST Portugal, Politecnico Milan, Fraunhofer/TU Berlin,
Georgia Institute of Technology, Stanford University, Technical University Darmstadt, TU Wien, TU
Denmark, ENSAM, Tsinghua University (Beijing), NTNU Trondheim, UMIST Manchester.
Industry and design community: Philips, Shell, Unilever. KPN, DAF Trucks, Ahrend, Xerox, HP,
CEP, Nike, Syntens, Sony, Nokia, Johnson&Johnson, Motorola, Elextrolux and Sun Microsystems.
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PROGRAMME 1.3
1. Title portfolio programme
Product Functionality and Experience
2. List of subprogrammes and subprogramme leaders



Usage Evaluation / drs. H. Kanis
Product Aesthetics and Experience / prof. ir. J.J. Jacobs
Consumer Preference / prof. dr. J.P.L. Schoormans
3. Subprogramme members
Rank
Professors
Associate professors
Assistant professors
title and name
prof. dr. J.W. Drukker
prof. ir. J.J. Jacobs
prof. P.P. Mijksenaar
prof. dr. J.P.L. Schoormans
vacancy Chair Applied Ergonomics
vacancy Chair Form Theory
dr. P.P.M. Hekkert
drs. H. Kanis
dr. M.E.H. Creusen
ir. M.B. van Dijk
dr. R. van Egmond
dr. C.C.M Hummels
dr. K.P.N. Morel
dr. T.R.A. de Rijk
dr. ir. M.J. Rooden
dr. H.N.J. Schifferstein
dr. P.H. Westendorp
4. Scientific summary of the programme
Designers and manufacturers are faced with deciding what kind of functionality to include in products
and what experiences to be elicited by products. This decision is especially relevant nowadays as the
technological possibilities in products have vastly increased.
On the basis of functional and experiential demands, consumers express preferences in buying, using
and discarding products. The central question in this research programme is how design can mediate
between the large range of technological possibilities and how consumer demands in terms of
functional and experiential product benefits will be met. In all subprograms research will be focused
on the engagement of people with products in a dynamic and a natural context.
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DESCRIPTION OF SUBPROGRAMME 1.3.1
1. Title research subprogramme and subprogramme leader
Usage Evaluation / drs. H. Kanis
.
2. Scientific description of the subprogram
Central problem statement and goal
Actual usage is the arena for the success of new designs as effective, efficient and satisfactory
products in supporting, protecting, replacing and extending all kinds of human activities. In fact,
designers are often surprised by the actual usage of newly designed products. Even worse is that in
many cases the surprise is unwelcome because unanticipated users’ operations deteriorate designed
functionalities or may lead to accidents. The difficulty for designers is that activities of users – e.g.,
their individual perceptions, cognitions and use actions – tend to be highly unpredictable within the
boundaries set by sensory, brain and motor capacities of human beings.
The envisaged research aims at supporting designers to anticipate future usage in three ways.
(i) More insight will be gained into the way people, as users, attribute meanings to featural and
functional characteristics of products. This insight involves ‘tellings’ of products in terms of
functionalities and possible ways of use, as well as a better understanding of usage affecting processes
such as risk perception, cognitive fixation of users trapped by their experience and stigmatisation as a
social process leading to a waste of designed usability and satisfaction.
(ii) It is recognised that generic insights (see i) will never specify the situatedness of actual usage in
context. Hence, anticipative methods have to be developed that can be effectively and efficiently
applied during a design process. Research into these methods involves the use of early models or
prototypes in exploring future usage; the possibilities of and limitations of self-reports to link internal
processes (such as users’ perceptions, cognitions and experienced effort) to form and functional
characteristics of products; and the additional information that might be derived from circumstantial
evidence consisting of casual utterances or involuntary activities of users, e.g. eye-movements.
(iii) Uncertainty about future usage (see i and ii) may be partly neutralised by transforming the actual
users’ behaviour to a source of inspiration for new product development. Exploration of this issue will
shed light on the possibilities to substantiate ‘usage/behaviour-driven innovation’.
The scientific challenges of the subprogram are to integrate observational research in design processes,
both as an effective and efficient tool as well as a methodology that is fully respectable in terms of
scientific credibility. This may create a fruitful liaison between design and science. The societal
relevance of the envisaged research is ensured through the contribution to the improvement of
products for people in terms of functionality, usability, safety and satisfaction.
Coherence with research inside and outside TU Delft
TU Delft: Department of Product Innovation.
Outside TU Delft: University of Utrecht, University of Antwerp, Loughborough University, Glasgow
University, Universität Essen, University of Valencia, University of Canberra.
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DESCRIPTION OF SUBPROGRAMME 1.3.2
1. Title research subprogramme and subprogramme leader
Product Aesthetics and Experience / prof. ir. J.J. Jacobs
2. Scientific description of the subprogram
Central problem statement and goal
Although the functionality a product offers has always been, and will remain, an essential precondition
for product satisfaction and market success, various developments – technological innovations,
‘experience economy’, etc. - point at an increasing importance of product experience as a major
driving force of product acquisition and use. Product experience is a multi-dimensional construct that
can be operationalised by verbal and behavioural measures tapping appraisal, emotional and aesthetic
reactions. In this program the focus is on the active user, interacting with a product through all his
senses and within a particular context, and thereby undergoing a dynamic and multi-layered
experience.
To understand how a product is experienced, knowledge of tactual (touch), auditory (sound), and
chemosensory (smell and taste) perception is indispensable, next to the predominant visual mode. This
program examines relationships between perception through various senses and the experience of
product properties. Of special interest is how perceptions and related experiences by these sense
modalities add up, interact and shape expectations and thereby improve, or otherwise affect, product
understanding and user experience.
Product experiences depend on a product’s usability and context of use (i.e. cultural and social
influences), as well as on its symbolic qualities (e.g. brand, typical users, memories) bearing to a
user’s personal and social identity. Interactions between these factors and product attributes are of
special interest. Finally, actively dealing with products could lead to a broad range of human
experiences, varying from feelings of attachment and enrichment to all types of emotions. Research is
directed towards identifying, classifying, and designing relevant experiences and relating them to
product and interaction properties.
The aim of this research orientation is to contribute to experience centred design. Leading
international companies recognize product experience as a key issue in design, which has resulted in
related foci appearing at prominent universities, such as the Affective Computing group at MIT
MediaLab. Supplementing their technological orientation, our focus is human-centred, i.e.
understanding the processes underlying product experiences, and design driven, by focusing the end
goals of research projects on theoretical models, tools, or methods that can be disclosed to the
industrial design community. To that latter end, the program is closely related to programme 1.1
‘Methodology, Tools and Techniques’.
Coherence with research inside and outside TU Delft
Research institutes: University of Toronto, Carnegie Mellon University, MIT MediaLab (Cambridge
and Dublin), NTNU Trondheim, Brunel University, Loughborough University, TU Eindhoven,
Universiteit Wageningen, Vrije Universiteit, Katholieke Universiteit Nijmegen
Industry and design community: Mitsubishi Motors, Philips Design, Proctor & Gamble, Gispen,
Fabrique, KVD, Senta.
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DESCRIPTION OF SUBPROGRAMME 1.3.3
1. Title research subprogramme and subprogramme leader
Consumer Preference / prof. dr. J.P.L. Schoormans
2. Scientific description of the subprogram
Central problem statement and goal
Consumer preference for new products is an issue in buying, using as well as in non-using/discarding
of products. Knowledge about consumer preference can enhance the quality of product development.
Until recently, consumers linked product preferences mainly to product functionality. Nowadays,
preferences are believed to be linked to product experience/emotions as well: in addition to functional
demands, products must fit consumer demands such as emotions and individuality of persons. In
addition, designers/manufacturers are not only confronted with the wider scope of consumer
preferences but also with the increased technological possibilities that can be used to include new
functionalities in products. In many cases these new functionalities are not or only partly expressed
through product form.
Consumers' product preferences are based on expectations about the functional and experiential
benefits of a new product. It is important that consumers form realistic (new) product expectations.
However, consumers have limited knowledge and experience with new products what in many cases
leads to unrealistic expectations. Unrealistic product expectations may lead to product dissatisfaction
and to premature product disposal, or to rejecting the product (concept) in the first place. In the case of
new products the -often unrealistic - expectations are based mainly on what the product itself "tells"
the consumer. Therefore, an important research question is how new products may trigger realistic
consumer expectations. In this programme we focus on the product expectations that consumers form
when they are confronted with new products or product concepts. Questions will be addressed about
the specific relation between new product expectations and the functional and form aspects of the new
product, and about the relation between new product expectations and preference. Attention will also
be given to the development of product preferences during the process of new product use.
The challenge of the subprogram is to enhance the knowledge about expectations and preferences of
consumers during the process of buying and using a new product. This knowledge may be used to
design products that can mediate between technological possibilities and increasing consumer
demands, and to develop tools to assess realistic consumer expectations about new products.
Coherence with research inside and outside TU Delft
TUDelft: Department Industrial Design OCP
Outside TUDelft: Nijenrode University, Telematica Institute. Philips DAP, Tilburg University,
Rensselaer Polytechnic, University of Michigan.
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THEME 2
1. Title portfolio theme and director
Design of Future Products
Prof. dr. H. de Ridder
2. List of programmes


Product Intelligence
Design for All
3. Scientific summary of the theme
Motivation
This research theme is directed at the development of future products using state-of-the-art and new
technologies. The aim of this theme is to evaluate these technologies by developing new innovative
products and solutions for existing problems and wishes of users. Special attention is paid to the
inclusion of specific user groups with their own problems, wishes and preferences, taking into account
the growing diversity reflected in current demographic changes. This theme forms the complement of
the research theme Design Theory and Support. Whereas in the last-mentioned theme the focus is on
the enhancement of present design theory and its related fields of knowledge, this theme aims at
bringing new knowledge into new product designs. The use of “research through design”, preferably
in a natural context, is one of the essences of this theme.
Two programs are defined:
Product intelligence. This research program is concerned with communicating product functionality to
the user, and in turn how the user can communicate needs and wishes to the product. The research
focuses on the perceptual aspects of the human-product interaction as well as on what information
should be processed by the product so as to further reduce the users’ mental load in interacting with
complex products. Additionally, the research deals with the general problem of how marketing and
technology innovators can communicate and evaluate new product functionality based on predictors
and forces in the market determining the success or failure of new intelligent products. It is obvious
that, while focusing on the relationship between a product and its user, the opportunities offered by
product intelligence have an impact on the usage and interaction within user groups, e.g. households,
offices etc. This may complicate the user-product interaction resulting in extra demands on the product
design. Hence, whenever appropriate, this consequence of implementing intelligence in products will
be taken into account in the research projects.
Design for all. The main focus of this program is on the way quantitative data concerning dynamic
aspects of product use are collected and subsequently translated into (computerized) design-relevant
guidelines and concepts. Data collection is primarily initiated by both a biomechanical approach
focusing on how the musculo-skeletal system and skin behave during product use as well as an
anthropometrical approach focusing on product dimensions in relation to dynamic user dimensions.
However, such data on physical aspects of product use cannot be translated into design-relevant
guidelines without taking into account perceptual and cognitive aspects of product usage.
Duration
The duration of the projects within this theme will be 5-6 years.
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Relevance of the theme
Scientific challenges
The main challenge of the research carried out within this theme is to contribute to the knowledge
about and creation of new products that fit the needs and wishes of the user. The focus is on the
individual without excluding specific users. New technological possibilities are combined with new
insights into the human being and his environment. The scientific trends resulting from the ARTD
study are well substantiated by this theme. One of these trends, i.e. “The designing of systems in
which the complexity and built-in intelligence represents the state-of-the-art”, holds true for the
products to be developed in this theme. It should be realized that this statement also holds true for the
designer tools that are required for creating and evaluating such products. As products become more
complex, so must the tools used to create them. This implies an additional challenge in finding new,
often computerized ways of designing products whereby the concern for the possible negative impact
of automation and computer-enhancement has to be taken into account to insure that the tool is an aid
to the process and not a hindrance.
The creation of new products and product concepts through developed tools and techniques is a
fundamental part of another trend mentioned in the ARTD study, namely “The knowledge and
management of the materialization”. It can be said that advances in the tools will lead to
improvements in the products made with those tools. This holds true for not only the manufacturing
aspects of a product but the formative, idea-generation phases of the process as well. The focus of this
theme is to show how the application of new tools, techniques and theory can be applied to create new
innovative products.
Contribution to the mission of the faculty and the university
Whereas in the theme Design Theory and Support the focus is on the enhancement of present design
theory and its related fields of knowledge, this theme aims at using this new knowledge into new
product designs. In this way it contributes directly to the mission of Industrial Design, namely to
“create products for people”. The implications of the research within this theme are far-reaching for
other disciplines. The methods, techniques and tools for Architecture, Shipbuilding and Engineering
are not substantially different, especially when innovative and creative results are expected. This fact
should provide the means for cooperation between the Design of Future Products theme and other
Departments of the faculty OCP or other Faculties within the University.
Links to the faculties of Architecture and Computer Science (ITS, Mediamatics theme) have been
made, especially in the area of new media. This is substantiated by a collaboration within the
externally funded research program CACTUS (Context Aware Communication: Terminal and User).
Participation in various DIOC's exists for some projects (DIOC Smart Product Systems-EVO Project
and DIOC Minimally invasive surgery and intervention techniques-MISIT) and STW-funded 2nd
stream research in cooperation with Medical Engineering and others, is quite possible in the near
future.
Societal relevance
The most significant trend from the ARTD study that relates to this theme is that it contributes to “the
innovation process of Dutch and European companies”. To maintain a cutting edge, companies must
stay in the forefront of technology and design. Technology alone will not solve the problems of new
products without a high user acceptance, as can be seen in the overabundance of complicated products
with too many functions. The results of this theme in the form of research output and new products
designs will also show and provide solutions for existing and emerging user problems both at the
individual and societal level.
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PROGRAMME 2.1
1. Title portfolio programme
Product Intelligence
2. List of subprogrammes and subprogramme leaders



Transparent Interfaces / Prof. Dr. H. de Ridder
Intelligence in Products / dr. D.V. Keyson
Product Advantage and Market Acceptance of Intelligent Products / Prof. dr. E.J. Hultink
3. Subprogramme members
Rank
Professors
Associate professors
Assistant professors
title and name
prof. dr. J. Aasman
prof. dr. E.J. Hultink
prof. dr. W.M. Oppedijk van Veen
prof. dr. H. de Ridder
vacancy Chair Applied New Media Technology
dr. A.J. Koenderink-van Doorn
dr. D.V. Keyson
dr. Th. Boersema
dr. ir. A. Freudenthal
dr. ir. S.C. Mooij
dr. H.M.J.J. Snelders
drs. E.C.M. van Steenbergen
ir. A.P.O.S. Vermeeren
4. Scientific summary of the programme
Present-day technological advances foreshadow a world where a large variety of consumer and
(semi-) professional products will contain powerful intelligent hardware, inter-device communication
via intelligent telecommunication networks and advanced user-input and display technologies. These
upcoming products will be capable of processing information relating to the user’s desired tasks and
the environment in which the product is being used. As computing moves away from the desktop and
into products new challenges arise for design. From a marketing perspective, the product’s
functionality may be hidden and thus difficult to convey and test at face value. From an interaction
perspective, broad channels of communication between the user and product will be needed to convey
and interact with a wealth of information which may be available online and in fixed or mobile
situations.
It is envisaged that users will interact with such products in an intuitive way. One of the advantages of
implementing intelligence in products is the possibility of adapting products to the needs and wishes
of users, thus allowing for personalization of products. Such new features are a challenge for
marketing intelligent products. How can these new features be exploited to increase product advantage
and market acceptance of intelligent products? At the same time, the introduction of new technologies
has led to a range of consumer products with complex and embedded functionality with which the user
can interact only indirectly through an interface. As a consequence, users often struggle with the
complexity of the interface instead of interacting with the content. Hence, the central problem of the
research program on product intelligence is to determine ways of improving product use and
enhancing the interaction experience and to find ways of marketing the advantages of product
intelligence.
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DESCRIPTION OF SUBPROGRAMME 2.1.1
1. Title research subprogramme and subprogramme leader
Transparent Interfaces / prof. dr. H. de Ridder
2. Scientific description of the subprogram
Central problem statement and goal
The introduction of new technologies has led to a range of consumer products with complex and
embedded functionality. Increasingly products are being designed to handle a number of complex
tasks and offer growing amounts of information streams to the user. Such products, in particular
(mobile) ICE (information, communication, and entertainment) appliances, incorporate an increasing
number of functionalities with which the user can interact only indirectly through an interface. As a
consequence, users often struggle with the complexity of the interface instead of interacting with the
content. Ideally, the interface should be transparent, thus becoming invisible. That is, the focus should
be on interacting through an interface at the task level instead of with an interface.
The focus of this subprogram is on finding ways to make the user interface as transparent or
unobtrusive as possible to enable the user to engage in the task or content at hand rather than be
bothered by how to control or interact with the product. Direct issues relating to transparency include
how users interact with products, extracting user intentions, tracking eye movements during product
use and ways of presenting (multimodal) information to the user. The main assumption is that
transparency may be improved by providing products with mechanisms to collect information about
what the user is doing or looking at and to adapt itself on the basis of this information to the needs and
wishes of the user. The research on how products may increase transparency, in particular by reducing
unwanted ambiguity, will focus on the following:
1. Identify features of human behavior that may help a product to guess and track user intentions
successfully. This part of research includes investigations into understanding cognitive processing
through eye-movement registrations during product use and user modelling.
2. Identify ways functionalities should be presented, preferably knowing the intentions of the user.
This part of research focuses on the integration of multimodal streams of information so as to
reduce cognitive load in information intensive environments, and on the relation between
(flexible) forms and perceived product meaning.
The research will provide insight into the way interface mechanisms may become more transparent for
the user, as the user begins to interact more at the product-content and task level rather than at the user
interface feature or “button” level. This should result in guidelines for designing transparent
mechanisms, thus providing tools for increasing the possibilities for designing successful user-content
interaction. Next to guidelines, results will be in the form of product prototypes, design methods and
tools for developing intelligent communication designs, and journal articles based on empirical
studies.
Coherence with research inside and outside TU Delft
TU Delft, ITS Telecommunication and Remote Sensing Technology, Mediamatics, TNW, Utrecht
University, KPN Research Human Factors, TNO Human Factors.
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DESCRIPTION OF SUBPROGRAMME 2.1.2
1. Title research subprogramme and subprogramme leader
Intelligence in Products / dr. D.V. Keyson
2. Scientific description of the subprogram
Central problem statement and goal
The possibilities of products equipped with connectivity, data storage, wireless communication,
sensors, and information processing techniques create new opportunities for industrial designers.
Many appliances will have adaptive visual displays showing icons and symbols depicting functions
and procedures. Multimodal channels of user-product communication such as graphics combined with
gesture input, speech driven dialogues and auditory feedback are envisioned. Given such technological
developments, designers need new design techniques and interaction design concepts, leading to
products that recognize needs and empower the user. In short, knowledge is needed on how to
translate everyday human-human and human-physical world interaction experiences into expressive
and efficient forms of user-product communication. Designing intelligence in products focuses on the
communication flow between user and product and on how user-product interaction is managed such
that the user feels in control and yet is willing to delegate certain routine or mundane tasks to the
product. With intelligence in products, user-product communication can go beyond the interface
control of an appliance and move towards enabling the user to simply invoke a number of desired
product actions.
Developing a sense of what the user, individually or within a group, may want to do requires
knowledge on how users typically perform certain tasks as well as the development and interpretation
of an individual user interaction history. Furthermore, the user may communicate with the product via
multiple modalities of interaction either explicitly, for example using speech or gestures or implicitly,
for example by communicating emotions to the product. The user may also indirectly control a product
via actions performed through a remote product. Given prior knowledge and an interaction history, the
product can learn about preferred states of interaction and offer suggestions. Ultimately, user-product
communication will be dependent upon trust, such that the user will be willing to engage the product
over time, enabling the user and product to learn about each other. Particularly in the latter case, the
impact of a user group cannot be neglected and will be an included in the research program.
The research program will focus on (1) multimodal interaction design, i.e. on concrete and abstract
multimodal representations of information and input, including tangible icons, gestures and nonspeech sound, to enable rich and expressive input control and information representations; (2) user
and task modelling, i.e. modelling of the users preferred and assumed state of interaction based on
common practices or profiles, real-time events, and system learning by user provided examples, and
guiding the user in interacting with a product via embedded knowledge of how users may approach
tasks (i.e., recipes) coupled with the product being able to guess user intentions based on user actions,
utterances and explicit requests, (3) user-product collaborative dialogue design, i.e. the design of
mixed user-product initiative and turn taking as well as the integration of collaborative dialogue with
visual-manual interaction; (4) trust and agent personality design, including trustworthy visual design,
dialogue design aspects, progressive disclosure of system functionality, and establishing as sense of
mutual user-product learning.
Coherence with research inside and outside TU Delft
TU Delft, ITS, Stanford University, Persuasive Computing Group, Free University Department of
Computer Sciences, MIT Media Lab Europe, Well Being Group, Technion University, Brighton
University, Department of Computer Science, Philips Research, Intelligent User Interface Cluster,
KPN Research Human Factors, TNO, Human Factors, Mitsubishi Electronic Research Labs, Boston.
Brabant University, Department of Computational Linguistics. Technical University of Eindhoven.
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DESCRIPTION OF SUBPROGRAMME 2.1.3
1. Title research subprogramme and subprogramme leader
Product Advantage and Market Acceptance of Intelligent Products / Prof. dr. E.J. Hultink
2. Scientific description of the subprogram
Central problem statement and goal
This subprogram examines the phenomenon of intelligent products that have recently become en
vogue within the marketplace. These intelligent products deliver a whole new range of capabilities that
cannot be found in other products. For example, many of these products are autonomous and reactive
or they can co-operate with other products. Examples of such products are car navigation systems,
autonomous lawnmowers, smart thermostats and Sony’s Aibo. Although intelligent products may
seem attractive to consumers in that they are more efficient and effective versions of their
predecessors, it is not clear whether product intelligence contributes to consumer acceptance and new
product success. For example, consumers may perceive intelligent products as complex and the use of
such products risky. In addition, consumers cannot easily derive the benefits of a new intelligent
product from inspecting the product form, as most benefits are software-related. Marketing
communications are therefore necessary to educate the market so that consumers will comprehend and
appreciate these benefits.
The projects in this subprogram deal with the relationships among the concepts of product
intelligence, new product advantage and market acceptance. The concept of product advantage will
play a central role in this subprogram to increase our understanding of the market acceptance of
intelligent products. This product advantage comprises the degree of unique benefits not previously
available, the extent to which customer needs are better satisfied, the product’s relative quality and
innovativeness, and the extent to which a new product solves customer problems better. The objectives
of the subprogram are to better understand how product developers can design intelligent products that
consumers and other market participants such as retailers and the salesforce will appreciate. Subquestions that will be addressed are, for example: (1) how is product intelligence related to new
product advantage and market acceptance? (2) How can companies develop intelligent products with
high product advantage in a market-orientated manner? (3) How should companies communicate new
intelligent functionalities to the market place so that potential consumers easily understand the
benefits.
Coherence with research inside and outside TU Delft
Living Tomorrow, Amsterdam; University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA, Erasmus
Universiteit, Rotterdam, Nijenrode Universiteit, City University of Hong Kong, University of Namen,
Straithclyde University, Scotland.
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PROGRAMME 2.2
1. Title portfolio programme
Design for All
2. List of subprogrammes and subprogramme leaders


Design for Healthy Environments / dr. ir. R.H.M. Goossens
Dynamic Anthropometry / dr. ir. J.F.M. Molenbroek
3. Subprogramme members
Rank
Professors
Associate professors
Assistant professors
title and name
prof. dr. ir. C.J. Snijders
prof. dr. P. Vink
dr. ir. R.H.M. Goossens
dr. ir. J.F.M. Molenbroek
ir. M.C. Dekker
ir. P.N. Hoekstra
ir. I. Ruiter
4. Scientific summary of the programme
In order to create products for large groups of users that can vary from new-borns to the elderly, from
sportsman to handicapped, ergonomic data has to be collected for all of those groups. And although it
seems that these groups are different from each other, they still have, from an ergonomic point of
view, many aspects in common. Therefore, Design for All strives to map relevant human
characteristics for the design of everyday products.
The Design for All program has a focus on understanding human-product interaction during product
use. In the past effort was put in describing human characteristics in static situations (static
anthropometrics, static force exertion in product use). In the current program dynamic aspects of
product use play an important role. This topic is approached from a biomechanical point of view as
well as from an anthropometric point of view. The biomechanical approach has a focus on the way
the musculo-skeletal system and skin behave during product use. The anthropometric approach
focuses on product-dimensions in relation to dynamic user dimensions.
The goal of this programme is twofold: first, a scientific analysis of these dynamic aspects during use;
second, develop ways of providing these data to the designer of everyday products. An example of this
approach can be found in the research project on Gerontechnology. The Education Network in Europe
(Genie) aimed at optimal functioning of older people in daily life by improving gerontechnology
curricula (technology in relation to ageing) in higher education through Europe. Another example is
the research project with Erasmus MC and Catharina Hospital Eindhoven in which together with the
surgeons a new design vision for minimally invasive surgery products is formulated.
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DESCRIPTION OF SUBPROGRAMME 2.2.1
1. Title research subprogramme and subprogramme leader
Design of Healthy Environments / dr. ir. R.H.M. Goossens
2. Scientific description of the subprogram
Central problem statement and goal
The main objective of the Design of Healthy Environments subprogramme is to reduce the strain on
the human body during professional product use. In this subprogramme the emphasis is on the
musculo-skeletal system and skin. The approach entails mathematical modelling, verification
experiments on anatomical specimens as well as healthy subjects and patients. The goal is to generate
design requirements for products so that the products do not cause complaints on the musculo-skeletal
system of the users. The requirements should anticipate the implementation of these products on a
large scale and in every day activities.
The applied research has two main areas:
Healthy office/travel/home- (Prevention): The goal for this research is to obtain insight in problems for
the user such as pressure sores, RSI, low backpain, discomfort and lipoatrophia semicircularis.
Understanding the underlying medical aspects of these complaints and the anatomical deviations of
the different users form the basis for biomechanical modelling. The modelling includes bone, joints,
collagenous tissue and muscle. Verification experiments in real life situations help to improve the
dynamic model of the human-product interaction and lead to design guidelines for new products that
prevent musculoskeletal complaints. The design guidelines in their turn are evaluated in real life
situations by the design and evaluation of prototypes.
Operation room – (Care and Cure): The medical science is concerned with the quality of life of
patients. A major concern is the improvement of the quality of surgery. There are several factors that
influence the quality of surgery, like human error, team performance and product use. In minimally
invasive surgery (MIS) a lot of products (e.g. small camera’s, monitors, insufflators, manipulation
instruments) are necessary to accomplish surgical tasks. Practice and research show that the types of
products that are used during MIS lead to physical problems in surgeons. This results in complaints of
pain, numbness in the neck and upper extremities and disturbed eye-hand coordination. Other
examples of MIS problems are the neck torsion imposed on the surgeon by an inadequate position of
the monitor and extreme upper limb joint positions caused by a decrease in the measures of freedom
and insufficient adjustability of the operation table. The focus of this program is on designing products
that provide an optimal human-product interaction necessary to guarantee quality in surgical
performance.
Coherence with research inside and outside TU Delft
Delft University of Technology, department of Medical Technology and Mechanics, Erasmus MC,
Rotterdam, Lowland Institute for Surgical Anatomy (LISA), Rotterdam, Catharina hospital,
Eindhoven, department of Surgery, Bayer International, DFC Tempur, Dräger Medical, Fitform,
Huntleigh Nesbit Evans, LiquiCell, USA, G.M. Medical Bracing, Linido B.V, Philips Medical
Systems, Philips Design, Pie Medical Equipment B.V., Stöpler Instrumenten & Apparaten B.V.,
Surgical Innovations, Leeds, UK, Ahrend, BMA Ergonomics, Consumentenbond, Enraf Nonius/Delft
Instruments, Eromes, Grahl, Hoogstad Architecten, KLM, Northwest Airlines, Inc., USA, Schell
Industries, Stichting Goed Zitten op Kantoor.
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DESCRIPTION OF SUBPROGRAMME 2.2.2
1. Title research subprogramme and subprogramme leader
Dynamic Anthropometry / dr. ir. J.F.M. Molenbroek
2. Scientific description of the subprogram
Central problem statement and goal
This subprogram has a focus on understanding human-product interaction during product use starting
from an anthropometric point of view emphasizing the wide variance in the population of users. There
is no exclusion of target groups or lifestyles: dependent living elderly and students with RSI are
examples of recently studied populations. In many cases understanding and describing the interaction
between man and product cannot be in physical terms only but require cognitive and perceptual
aspects too. This certainly holds when the dynamics of product usage is the focus of research. The
goal of this subprogramme is twofold: first, an analysis of these dynamic aspects during use; second,
development of tools to provide these data to the designer of everyday products.
Dynamic aspects during use
The objective of this research is to determine the impact of anthropometric boundary conditions on the
actual actions of users in context such as their manipulations, their movements, and the postures they
adopt in practice. Frequently problems with product usage are caused by a combination of the
anthropometric boundary conditions and non-physical human characteristics. An example is the
phenomenon of Repetitive Strain Injury or Cumulative Trauma Disorder where workload and
psychosocial stress are known causes. The outcome of this research will be a model of dynamic
product usage for various user groups including for example the elderly. This leads to new designrelevant guidelines.
Development of tools
In the past the emphasis was more on data collection; nowadays the focus is more on the usage and
usability of the available data and tools as well as on the development of new tools in (dynamic)
anthropometry. Technological innovations allow for a change from one-dimensional to threedimensional anthropometry resulting in data sets that are much more realistic for the world of the
designer. Our research will contribute to this expanding field of 3D engineering anthropometry, for
example by investigating stereophotogrammetry, a method that could be more efficient in data
collecting than laser scanning.
Coherence with research inside and outside TU Delft
National: Ministry of Social Affairs, Erasmus University, Faculty of Medicine, Free University,
Faculty of Movement Science, University of Nijmegen, Nijmegen Institute for Cognition and
Information, KBOH for Quality and Usability of aids for elderly and handicapped, SKH for
certification of school furniture, NNI Standardization on School furniture, NNI Standardization of
Anthropometry, Consumer Safety Institute, Inspectorate for Health Protection and Veterinary Public
Health, TNO.
International: CEN Standardization Committee on School furniture, ISO Standardization on
Anthropometry, EU-project GENIE on gerontechnology, EU-project FRR network, Wear World
Engineering, Anthropometry Resources, Society for Physiological Anthropology, Human Factors and
Ergonomics Society.
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