Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-5nwft Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-30T10:39:08.324Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The mechanical transformation and environmentally conscious behavior

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 May 2014

Jay Jungik Son  and
L.H. Shu
Jay Jungik Son
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
L.H. Shu*
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
*
Reprint requests to: L.H. Shu, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, 5 King's College Road, Toronto, ON M5S 3G8, Canada. E-mail: shu@mie.utoronto.ca
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The aim of this work is to explore the relationship between products that mechanically transform and individual environmentally conscious behavior (ECB). Our qualitative study led to observations on how each of the three transformation principles, expand/collapse, expose/cover, and fuse/divide, specifically supports ECBs. As expected, expand/collapse enables better portability of products. Increased portability of reusable products (e.g., travel mugs and shopping bags) reduces reliance on their disposable counterparts. A less expected observation is that increased portability also increases the spontaneity by which ECBs could be carried out. While there are fewer ECB supporting products that incorporate the expose/cover principle, we believe that it enables one to include, yet hide potentially unaesthetic, features that support ECB in often-used or worn items. Finally, we found fuse/divide to enable portability beyond what is possible with expand/collapse alone. Fuse/divide may also make possible other product transport and reuse strategies. We conclude that mechanically transformable products support and enable ECBs, especially when existing infrastructure presents obstacles. Such products may increase the rate of participation in ECB, which then justifies improvements to the shortfalls in infrastructure for which they compensate.

Keywords

Environmentally Conscious/Significant BehaviorProenvironmental BehaviorTransformation Principles
Type
Special Issue Articles
Information
AI EDAM , Volume 28 , Issue 2: Design Computing and Cognition (DCC'12) , May 2014 , pp. 193 - 203
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Anderson, C., Istchenko, A., Loberto, N., MacNeil, C., Martin, T., & Peruzzo, R. (2007). Helmet Design Alternatives for Casual Bicycle Users, Term Project Report, MIE440F. Toronto: University of Toronto, Department of Mechanical/Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Design Theory & Methodology.Google Scholar
Camburn, B.A., Guillemette, J., Crawford, R.H., Wood, K.L., Jensen, D., & Wood, J.J. (2010). When to transform? Development of indicators for design context evaluation, Proc. ASME IDETC/CIE, Paper No. DETC2010-28951, Montreal, August 15–18.Google Scholar
Dahon.com. (2010). Pango folding helmet product description. Accessed on March 25, 2013, at http://www.dahon.com/accessories/2010/pango-folding-helmetGoogle Scholar
Dane, F.C. (2011). Evaluating Research—Methodology for People Who Need to Read Research, pp. 161–315. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Designboom.com. (2010). Move-it cardboard cart. Accessed on March 25, 2013, at http://www.designboom.com/design/move-it-cardboard-cart/Google Scholar
Dezeen.com. (2008). Interview: Strida bike designer Mark Sanders. Accessed on March 25, 2013, at http://www.dezeen.com/2008/02/03/interview-strida-bike-designer-mark-sanders/Google Scholar
Esposito, N., & Linsey, J. (2012). Principles of green design: analyzing user activities and product feedback. Proc. ASME IDETC/CIE, Paper No. DETC2012-71197, Chicago, August 12–15.Google Scholar
Ferguson, S., Lewis, K., Siddiqi, A., & De Weck, O.L. (2007). Flexible and reconfigurable systems: nomenclature and review. Proc. ASME IDETC/CIE, Paper No. DETC2007-35745, Las Vegas, NV, September 4–7.Google Scholar
Hannukainen, P., & Hölttä-Otto, K. (2006). Identifying customer needs—disabled persons as lead users. Proc. ASME IDETC/CIE, Paper No. DETC2006-99043, Philadelphia, PA, September 10–13.Google Scholar
hovdng.com. (2005). Invisible helmet concept description. Accessed on March 25, 2013, at http://www.hovding.comGoogle Scholar
ideo.com. (1999). Concept description. Accessed on March 25, 2013, at http://www.ideo.com/work/shopping-cart-conceptGoogle Scholar
kk.org. (2010). Magna Cart concept description. Accessed on March 25, 2013, at http://kk.org/cooltools/archives/4322Google Scholar
Kuhr, R., Wood, K., Jensen, D., & Crawford, R. (2010). Concept opportunity diagrams, a visual modeling method to find multifunctional design concepts. Proc. ASME IDETC/CIE, Paper No. DETC2010-29068, Montreal, August 15–18.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lam, T. (2008). Environmentally significant behavior—travel mugs. BASc Thesis. University of Toronto, Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering.Google Scholar
Lin, J., & Seepersad, C. (2007). Empathic lead users: the effects of extraordinary user experiences on customer needs analysis and product redesign. Proc. ASME IDETC/CIE, Paper No. DETC2007-35302, Las Vegas, NV, September 4–7.Google Scholar
Sanders, M.A. (1985). The design of a new folding bicycle. Masters Thesis. Imperial College and Royal College of Art, London, Joint program.Google Scholar
Singh, V., Skiles, S.M., Krager, J.E., Wood, K.L., Jensen, D., & Sierakowski, R. (2009). Innovations in design through transformation: a fundamental study of transformation principles. Journal of Mechanical Design 131(8), 081010.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Singh, V., Walther, B., Koraishy, B., Krager, J., Wood, K.L., Putnam, N., & Jensen, D. (2007). Design for transformation: theory, method and application. Proc. ASME IDETC/CIE, Paper No. IDETC2007-34876, Las Vegas, NV, September 4–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Son, J. (2010). Designing a baby stroller for public transit users. BS Thesis. University of Toronto, Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering.Google Scholar
Son, J., & Shu, L.H. (2012). Role of transformation principles in enabling environmentally significant behavior. Proc. 19th CIRP Int. Conf. Life Cycle Engineering, pp. 563–568, Berkeley, CA, May 23–25.Google Scholar
Sorrell, S., Dimitropoulos, J., & Sommerville, M. (2009). Empirical estimates of the direct rebound effect: a review. Energy Policy 37(4), 1356–1371.Google Scholar
Srivastava, J., & Shu, L.H. (2011). Encouraging environmentally conscious behavior through product design: the principle of discretization. Proc. ASME IDETC/CIE, Paper No. DETC2011-48618, Washington, DC, August 29–31.Google Scholar
Srivastava, J., & Shu, L.H. (2013 a). Encouraging resource-conscious behavior through product design: the principle of discretization. ASME Journal of Mechanical Design 135(6), 061002.Google Scholar
Srivastava, J., & Shu, L.H. (2013 b). Affordances and product design for environmentally conscious behavior. ASME Journal of Mechanical Design 135(10), 101006-1.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stern, P.C. (2000). Toward a coherent theory of environmentally significant behavior. Journal of Social Issues 56(3), 407–424.Google Scholar
Telenko, C., & Seepersad, C. (2010). A methodology for identifying environmentally conscious guidelines for product design. ASME Journal of Mechanical Design 132(9), 091009.Google Scholar
Vapur.us. (2009). Vapur anti-bottle product description. Accessed on March 25, 2013, at http://vapur.us/anti-bottleGoogle Scholar
Voltaicsystems.com. (2013). Voltaic's Converter Solar Backpack description. Accessed on March 25, 2013, at http://www.voltaicsystems.com/converter.shtmlGoogle Scholar
von Hippel, E. (1986). Lead users: a source of novel product concepts. Management Science 32(7), 791–805.Google Scholar
Wang, D., Kuhr, R., Kaufman, K., Crawford, R., Wood, K.L., & Jensen, D. (2009). Empirical analysis of transformers in the development of a storyboarding methodology. Proc. ASME IDETC/CIE, Paper No. DETC-2009-87420, San Diego, CA, August 30–September 2.Google Scholar
Weaver, J., Wood, K.L., Crawford, R., & Jensen, D. (2010). Transformation design theory: a meta-analogical framework. ASME Journal of Computing and Information Science in Engineering 10(3), 031012.Google Scholar
Weaver, J.M., Wood, K.L., & Jensen, D. (2008). Transformation facilitators: a quantitative analysis of reconfigurable products and their characteristics. Proc. ASME IDETC/CIE, Paper No. IDETC2008-49891, Brooklyn, NY, August 3–6.Google Scholar