Chapter 5: Collective Form generation by a group of expert designers
5.2 Conducting Participatory Research 2: Collective Form Generation by Expert Group
5.2.2 Conducting Session
Reviewing the video recording of the session helped to draw detailed notes of the process the designers underwent. The notes gave shape to analytic account of each stage of session with the help of technical and design understanding of the researcher.
5.2.2.1 Conceptualization
Participant expert group was shown visual representation to conceptualize vehicle forms in the participatory session. The schematic arrangement of the set up for the exchange between designers is shown below.
Figure 5.5: Seating schematics
Refer to Figure 5.5, participants were numbered from left to right in clockwise direction. Participant-P1 is on the left side close to camera, Participant-P2 sitting next to Participant-P1. Participant-P3 and Participant-P4 in clockwise direction there on.
5.2.2.2 Conversations:
Conversations started within the group with small thumbnails and doodles. Discussions were mainly on conceptual thinking towards new vehicle products. In the beginning, they started to discuss basic engine type, drive and packaged the volume of the engine in
order to establish the basic type of vehicle. They assumed conventional drive viz. front engine to be available in entry-level cars. While they talk about engine, pick-up trucks also came in discussion because of the possibility of having a large luggage as well as cab space. Luggage area occupied an important part in discussion and the group started to discuss about quickly sketching out various storage possibilities like stacking and modularity with basic usability options like sliding, rolling etc. While the discussion evolved from basic type of vehicle to luggage, they started to look at other problems like poor lighting condition in India and how this vehicle design could attempt to provide lights in the rear portion of the cab space while loading and unloading during night and low day light situations. An important situation of large seating cab also came along, where they discussed basic question of ingress and egress and through sketches started to communicate in the group. One of the examples was a roll-up door. Styling or looks of the vehicle came as a discussion point quite late in the session. They all showed their interest in powerful, sturdy and strong looks but at the same time emphasized on simplicity. Later they felt that input was good enough for sketching concepts. From here a silent and intense sketching session started.
5.2.2.3 Sketching:
Having a fuzzy idea on the type of vehicle, engine, volumes of cab and luggage, the participants started sketching. During sketching their discussions ranged from vehicle architecture, configurations to components and then to details that led them to clarify as to what an entry level cars should have in terms of engineering in order to solve context-sensitive issues. They began visualizing the integrated images of the vehicles through sketches. These images of the new vehicle that bridge the gap between two wheelers and cars, were diverse and different. Participant-P2 worked on modular idea with interchangeable cab and luggage modules (Figure 5.6). The whole module can be changed if one needs to do it for four passengers. Because of the bad nature of Indian roads, he conceptualized high ground clearance and to solve ingress and egress issues and also introduced foldable footboard.
Figure 5.6: Interchangeable cab and luggage modules proposed by P2
Participant-P3 conceived a two-part vehicle having cab and cargo like long haul trucks.
Attaching the modules when needed, to transport goods or people. Other designers jumped in with ideas of designing a ramp with rollers etc. Hydraulic jack was also considered for supporting the cab/cargo to connect with the driver’s cab (Figure 5.7).
Other alternative was to have a wheel at the front of the cab/cargo that is 90 degrees, touching down to drive the module out. P3 also discussed the use of high tail lamps and explored the possibility of low intensity lights.
Figure 5.7: Participant-P3’s two-part vehicle proposal
Participant-P1 suggested rollers as a way of attaching and detaching modules. Ramp can also be made at the rear of the door. (Figure 5.8)
They briefly talked about styling and jointly suggested to have standard and neutral one without any particular theme.
Figure 5.8: Participant-P1’s Rollers as way of attaching modules.
5.2.2.4 Negotiations:
At this stage, designers had already sought the direction of the vehicle. From their earlier discussions, they choose modularity as the concept for cab & cargo space with the driver's cab. However, they seemed practical when they reflected on the cost of engineering another wheel. This led them to think about the size and volume of the cab and cargo modules. During the discussions, they pulled out the template that shows the basic human packaging (provided as a part of kit). They assumed and pushed the driver and co-driver space forward and cleared the rear space for cab and cargo space. (Figure 5.9)
Figure 5.9: Sketching over the template and negotiating.
They also started to assign work to each member. Participant-P1 volunteered to integrate all sketches into an integrated holistic form. In order to sketch forms, they
certain elements like front and rear overhangs; ramps use and frequency; wheel size for proportions etc. While Participant-P2 and Participant-P3 worked on rear, Participant- P4 explored graphical details.
Form expressions: Form Expression was discussed and the keywords chosen were - Simple, Rugged, and Reliable. They also emphasized that vehicle should have steady &
stable stance. The vehicle should have a solid kind of look that suits the cross over between car and mini truck. DLOs (Day Light Openings) can be conceived in the straight lines and planes. By this stage, Participant-P1 assumed the role of integrator and started to bring in everybody’s ideas into vehicle form sketches. (Figure 5.10)
Figure 5.10: Sketch Integration undertaken by P1
5.2.2.5 Joint sketching and Presentation
Group decided to divide the task within the members. In the course of the discussion, they volunteered to sketch and render various parts of the vehicle. Participants P2 and P3 facing each other interacted in terms of volumes, spaces and attach-ability of cargo/cab with driver’s cab. They also discussed on locking details of the two male and female parts.
JOINT SKETCHING
a) Participant-P2 sketched front perspective of cargo/ cab of the vehicle as shown in Figure 5.11.
Figure 5.11: Perspective view of cargo/cab module undertaken by P2
b) Participant-P3 sketched the rear perspective view of the driver’s cab conversing and referring to sketch of participant-P2 (Figure 5.12).
Figure 5.12: Perspective view of rear of driver’s cab
c) Participant-P4 explored various graphic expressions in the side view with the aim of keeping the proportions intact. (Figure 5.13)
Figure 5.13: Various side view explorations undertaken by P4
d) Participant-P1 integrated his earlier form explorations with sketches of Participant
Figure 5.14: Perspective view of overall vehicle.
PRESENTATION
In order to improve the sketch in terms of proportions, stance and graphics, participants decided to co-render the evolved sketch. Refer Figure 5.15.
Figure 5.15: Sketch co-rendered
As they finished, they gave a presentation showing final rendering along with their sketches. In the presentation, the following points were highlighted.
Vehicle packaging and specifications: Given the packaging, it was quite important what volumes worked for them and how much they could shift in terms of spaces, as they needed to decide ground clearance and placement of engines and passengers.
Underpinning Theme: The theme that evolved though the session was the Concept of Modularity. The Drive unit being a single separate unit, offered the advantage that different modules could be attached to it. This offered flexibility to it.
Aesthetics: For an entry-level car, the visual look of the car was to be solid, steady and reliable. Cross over between trucks and van like vehicle with large DLOs (Day Light Openings) worked for them.
Detailing: Basic detailing was required to further enhance the expressions. In order to align cargo/cab with the driver’s cab, details such as the placement of locking mechanisms (male and female) was critical. Extra lighting sandwiched (between cargo/
cab and driver’s cab) provide light when modules are attached or detached.
5.3 Analysis – Sketch as Mediator for Participatory Visualization The researcher has already presented object mediated participatory research in chapter 4. The outcome of this study was presented as a research paper during the Participatory Innovation Conference, PIN-C 2013, Melbourne. It gave an opportunity to discuss the research approach and findings with Mr. Dennis Day, a researcher and analyst from Denmark. This resulted in agreeing to collaborate jointly on the research and further examine the phase of collective concept generation activity.
As presented in this section, this phase of the research had resulted in a collaboratively designed idea/concept of a vehicle product. The activity was highly sketching intensive and constantly mediated by sketches. This resulted in a keen interest to examine the process of participatory visualization further - how designers collaborated around ‘the sketch’; given the sketch’s physical placement, its own materiality, and its semiotic resourcefulness, how does it participate in such participatory activity? Will it allow us insights into participatory design as a democratic set of actions, relationships and outcomes? Video recording offered visual and auditory data of the activity with a focus on action around the sketch, resulting in a shot of a table, the sketch, as well as other papers, and the torso of the designers sitting around the table (Figure 5.16). The sketch being at the center of analytic gaze (Figure 5.16).
Figure 5.16: Sketch at center of analytic gaze
Presented here is the outcome of this collaboration with Dr. Dennis Day, who undertook to work with the researcher to help analyze the video recording of the process of visualization considering the sketch as the mediator for negotiating consensus among participating designers.
Presented in the following section is the detailed methodology and insights of the expert analyst’s perspective.
The researcher sent video-recorded data of ‘negotiation’ phase of participatory innovation workshop to Dennis Day (collaborator in research). This is a ‘maker/analyst’
research, where a ‘maker’, in this instance the doctoral researcher, sent in five minutes’
video-recorded data of design in participatory innovation workshop to Dr. Dennis Day an expert ‘analyst’ collaborator. A 5 minute clip of the video material supported by suitable transcriptions of the conversations in English was shared online using Dropbox. This was followed by series of Skype discussion. The outcome of the exercise resulted in co-authoring of a conference paper. He is to initiate an analysis of some interactive practices evident in the data. This section was particularly interesting because of negotiation aspect of the designers’ collective form conversations. A 5- minutes transcription was made and the analysis is presented in this section. This section on analysis shows how a design sketch can play a role in design practice as a physical space for negotiation. Thus, researcher’s focus in this section was on how this research can help us get better results in overall participatory approach (which will appear in Chapter 7).
The details of the literature reviewed and supporting theory; the data and the methodology; analysis and results which constitute a part of the research are reproduced below.