Design process perceived as an information process to enhance the introduction of new tools Carole Bouchard, Améziane Aoussat To cite this version: Carole Bouchard, Améziane Aoussat. Design process perceived as an information process to enhance the introduction of new tools. International Journal of Vehicle Design, Inderscience, 2002, 31 (2), pp.162-175. hal-00915209 HAL Id: hal-00915209 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00915209 Submitted on 6 Dec 2013 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. Science Arts & Métiers (SAM) is an open access repository that collects the work of Arts et Métiers ParisTech researchers and makes it freely available over the web where possible. This is an author-deposited version published in: http://sam.ensam.eu Handle ID: .http://hdl.handle.net/10985/7609 To cite this version : Carole BOUCHARD, Améziane AOUSSAT - Design process perceived as an information process to enhance the introduction of new tools - International Journal of Vehicle Design - Vol. 31, n°2, p.162-175 - 2002 Any correspondence concerning this service should be sent to the repository Administrator : [email protected] 1 Design process perceived as an information process to enhance the introduction of new tools C. Bouchard* and A. Aoussaty *Laboratory CPN-ENSAM, 151 Bd de l'HoÃpital, 75013, Paris. E-mail: [email protected] yLaboratory CPN-ENSAM, 151 Bd de l'HoÃpital, 75013, Paris. E-mail: ame [email protected] Abstract: Our research adds its weight to collaboration between companies and the research laboratory in conceiving new products (CPN/ENSAM Paris). Our work focuses on industrial design, creativity and innovation. In this paper we have formalized the design information process to build new toolsof communication, decision-makingand creativity for the different players in the design process. Keywords: computer aided design tools, design process, information process. Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Bouchard, A. and Aoussat, A. (2002) `Design process perceived as an information process to enhance the introduction of new tools', Int. J. Vehicle Design, Vol. X, No. Y, pp. 1±14. Biographical notes: Carole Bouchard islecturer and researcherand obtained hisdoctorate in IndustrialEngineering in 1997. She made her thesis for a European car supplier in the ®eld of the automotive design on the subject modelization of the care design process, application in bumpers design. Carole Bouchard practices of three years in the laboratory of new productsdesigtnand innovation of the National Superior School of Arts and Crafts as contractual professor. She works today on the thematic of the creativity and innovation, aswell ason a subjectshedevelopsfor three yearsconcerning designwatch. Ameziane Aoussat is the head manager of the New Products Design Laboratory of Parisat the National Superior School of Artsand Crafts since 1996. He practices as lecturer and researcher since September, 1995, having been a research engineer before. Ameziane Aoussat pilots research projects and was quali®ed in the functions of Professor of Universities since March, 2000 on the following subject: contribution to the modelization of the products design process in the mechanical specialty. He obtained his doctorate in 1990 about the contribution in innovation asa plural approach. Today his mission consists in the management of the overall research in the CPNI laboratory and in the stimulation of the education and research activities as well as industrial research collaborations. *Corresponding author. 2 C. Bouchard and A. Aoussat 1 General Introduction Today, the design process of industrial products has been transformed both by earlier computerization and production of design information aimed at clari®cation and memorization of the earliest phases such as marketing, design, etc. Thisevolution isbasedon the context of variety and reaction capability de®ned by Midler [2] where initial phases are modi®ed by both inter-professional synergy which takes place increasingly earlier in the process and by the introduction of new digital tools especially in the early phases of design projects. We believe that the introduction of new digital tools must be based on improved formalization of the early phases in the design process. In this respect, the design process can be seen as an information production process, i.e. a set of successive cycles of design information with the manipulation of an increasing number of concrete representa- tions of physical objects to reach the Final Solution, with a problem space being set in a solution space for each cycle. Results in this paper involve the formalization of input data as intermediate representations from the technical speci®cations. Indeed, the design process can be seen as an information process where the design problem space will be gradually transformed into a solution space. 2 Modelling the information process in design Finalized intangible information is transformed step by step into tangible information by way of mental representations (transfer of information: shaded area). Birtley [5] proposes a generalization of the theory of information: `information iswhat formsor transformsarepresentation'. A comparisoncan here be made between the transformation of images and the representations generated by messages containing information. The information modi®esthe representationssocommu- nication can be measured by measuring these changes. A physical system supplies an Figure 1 Evolution of the computerization process in engineering design [1]. Figure 2 Description of a materialization cycle [3]. Design process perceived as an information process 3 Figure 3 Representation of the diachronous design process (adapted from Lebahar) [3] [4]. external memory modifying the problem of perception in a decisive way. The space issue (expressed goals), together with the solution space (physical representations), are given precision by the production of signs ± verbal codes in the case of briefs and formal codes in the case of solutions. Each cycle ± Brief1, m1 and M1 ± matches a state of representation. The evolution of the Brief is de®ned by the transformation of ends into purposes, purposes into objectives, objectives into criteria, the criteria as increasingly concrete technical speci®cations. Mental representation corresponds only partially, like the physical model. By de®ning models within a set of attributes, process P is characterized by the following succession of cycles: Brief1 M1 (A11, A12, A1n), Brief2 M2 (A21, A22, A2n) and BriefNMN (An1, An2, Ann)1. The process develops a system of information (objectives) in a signs system (solutions) in which recognition and evaluation enable the production of new signs. Signs emanate from the process of the mental make-up of an imaginary object being changed into an easily comprehensible object. The design process ®ts into the general plan of the process of conception presented above. The solution space, in the context of the activity of design, is especially marked by the changeover of iconic signs to plastic signs. The solution space is established by a succession of modelled forms. Thus, the diachronous design process is characterized by the gradual overall recon®guration of a space problem (brief) into a space solution (3-dimensional model), according to a recursive cycle in which partial transformation takes place from the space problem to intermediate solution spaces at every representation level. At any time in the process, designers must be able to assimilate and deal with a large volume of information without losing sight of objectives. This equivalence characterizes the problem/solution space. The design process consists in reducing abstraction through the use of various successive levels of representation integrating increasingly numerous constraints. It is characterized by Wang asconcepualization including an iterative cycle of mental solutions shown with a given problem [6], where (1) the selection of a solution or partial solutions enable the limitation of uncertainty, and keeping in mind the necessary level of vagueness in modi®cations during subsequent phases [4], (2) new constraints are then added by preserving shape and initial ideas, with (3) the display of a new physical representation generating new ideas and new solutions. Lloyd and Scott describe the design process as generative, deductive and evaluative statements in the activity of design [7]. We consider the design process can be based on the three following phases: 4 C. Bouchard and A. Aoussat 2.1 Generation phase This phase consists in the generation of new ideas and new solutions: by means of numerous mental images and from brief data and other information contained in any design project, designers can generate physical representations and physical solutions as 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional models. This requires the use of manual or digital tools, depending on designer skills and on corporate culture. Thisphasecan be performed in accordance with various `trends analysis'