CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by Michigan Technological University Michigan Technological University Digital Commons @ Michigan Tech Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open Reports 2014 Reconciling Function- and Affordance-Based Design Benjamin T. Ciavola Michigan Technological University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/etds Part of the Computer-Aided Engineering and Design Commons Copyright 2014 Benjamin T. Ciavola Recommended Citation Ciavola, Benjamin T., "Reconciling Function- and Affordance-Based Design", Dissertation, Michigan Technological University, 2014. https://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/etds/773 Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/etds Part of the Computer-Aided Engineering and Design Commons RECONCILING FUNCTION- AND AFFORDANCE-BASED DESIGN By Benjamin T Ciavola A DISSERTATION Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY In Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics MICHIGAN TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY 2014 This dissertation has been approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics. Department of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics Dissertation Advisor: Dr. John Gershenson Committee Member: Dr. Amlan Mukherjee Committee Member: Dr. Greg Graman Committee Member: Dr. Michele Miller Department Chair: Dr. William W. Predebon Table of Contents 1 Abstract .................................................................................................................................................. 4 2 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 5 3 The Nature of Technology .................................................................................................................... 10 3.1 The Planned Product Innovation Method ...................................................................................... 12 3.2 Clarifying the nature of technology: Integrating Gibson and Heidegger ...................................... 15 3.3 An affordance-based PPIM ........................................................................................................... 17 3.4 An affordance interpretation of technology state .......................................................................... 21 3.5 Implications and future work ........................................................................................................ 24 3.6 Conclusion..................................................................................................................................... 25 4 The Structure of User Needs ................................................................................................................ 27 4.1 A step forward ............................................................................................................................... 28 4.2 Reconciling function and affordance............................................................................................. 29 4.3 Affordances in a functional world ................................................................................................. 31 4.4 Reasoning with affordances .......................................................................................................... 34 4.5 Describing use with affordances ................................................................................................... 36 4.6 Conclusions ................................................................................................................................... 45 5 Integrating Function- and Affordance-Based Design processes ........................................................... 48 5.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 48 5.2 Background ................................................................................................................................... 49 5.2.1 Function-based design 49 5.2.2 Affordance-based design 52 5.3 Design descriptions ....................................................................................................................... 54 5.3.1 Problem definition 60 5.3.2 Concept design 63 5.4 Example use .................................................................................................................................. 65 5.5 Conclusions ................................................................................................................................... 70 6 Towards An Ecological Approach to Engineering Design ................................................................... 72 6.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 72 6.2 Affordance-based design ............................................................................................................... 73 6.3 The ecological approach ................................................................................................................ 74 6.4 Ecological niches .......................................................................................................................... 80 6.5 A goal-centric approach ................................................................................................................ 85 6.6 Describing a design ecosystem ...................................................................................................... 90 6.6.1 End Use 92 6.6.2 Artifact Creation 96 6.6.3 Designers 98 6.6.4 Design Methodology 101 6.7 Conclusion................................................................................................................................... 103 7 Summary and Future Work ................................................................................................................ 106 7.1 Research contributions ................................................................................................................ 107 7.2 Broader impacts .......................................................................................................................... 109 7.3 Recommendations for future work .............................................................................................. 109 9 Works Cited ........................................................................................................................................ 112 10 Appendix A: Copyright Authorization ............................................................................................... 116 3 1 ABSTRACT Traditional engineering design methods are based on Simon’s use of the concept function, and as such collectively suffer from both theoretical and practical shortcomings. Researchers in the field of affordance-based design have borrowed from ecological psychology in an attempt to address the blind spots of function-based design, developing alternative ontologies and design processes. This dissertation presents function and affordance theory as both compatible and complimentary. We first present a hybrid approach to design for technology change, followed by a reconciliation and integration of function and affordance ontologies for use in design. We explore the integration of a standard function-based design method with an affordance-based design method, and demonstrate how affordance theory can guide the early application of function-based design. Finally, we discuss the practical and philosophical ramifications of embracing affordance theory’s roots in ecology and ecological psychology, and explore the insights and opportunities made possible by an ecological approach to engineering design. The primary contribution of this research is the development of an integrated ontology for describing and designing technological systems using both function- and affordance-based methods. 4 2 INTRODUCTION The field of design theory is undergoing a period of change, in which both external and internal pressures are driving researchers to rethink long-standing assumptions about the nature and structure of the engineering design process. Pressure in the commercial environment has driven firms to seek competitive advantage through the adoption of agile and sophisticated design processes. Users and developers of traditional engineering design processes and design theories have fought to keep pace with these innovations, but in many ways their tools still lag behind practice. The central hypothesis of this dissertation is that there is an opportunity to bridge the innovation gap between theory and practice by providing design methodologists with a conceptual framework that addresses the shortcomings of traditional methods. Design practitioners operate in a business environment driven by increasing global competition and an increasing pace of technology change. Businesses today operate in a globalized environment in which designers must work across and design for multiple cultures and socioeconomic backgrounds. The sheer variety of users, use contexts, and cultures that any product is likely to face mean that design processes must be responsive to a diverse set of user needs. While traditional techniques such