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) 1 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: 2 “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”. 3 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. 4 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. 5 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 6 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. 7 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. 8 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 9 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 10 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. 11 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. 12 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. 13 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. 14 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. 15 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. 16 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. 17 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. 18 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. 19 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. 20 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. 21 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. 22 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. 23 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. 24