PhD Theses (Design)

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Intangible Heritage of the Folk: Study of Conceptual Metaphors in the Folk Bihu Songs of Assam
(2025) Borgohain, Nilutpal
Design is the process of creation, manifestation, and consumption of ideas. Yet the dominance of vision, and by extension, the focus on tangibility in the domain, potentially marginalizes Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH). However, ICH forms like folk songs and folklore frequently embed rich documentation connecting the tangible to the intangibles. This thesis investigates Assamese Folk Bihu songs (Bonghokhas), associated with Assam's state festival, as significant representations of ICH, aiming to explore the cultural knowledge and lived experiences they encapsulate through the lens of conceptual metaphors.
(A) socio-spatial approach towards the understanding of Place Identity construction through the study of cultural event spaces: A case of Guwahati, Assam
(2023) Das, Anusmita
Contemporary Indian cities have been in the flux of an emerging cultural resurgence that has greatly impacted its socio-cultural environment. As such there has been a proliferation of festivals, growing interest in the revival of traditions and rituals, celebration of indigenous arts, crafts, and cultural symbols which represent the unique identity markers of each city. This response could be considered as a response to the rapid globalisation and urbanisation, which has led to mass migration of people in urban environments leading to the confluence of ideas, philosophies, and culture, while stretching and challenging the psychological and physical boundaries of cities around the globe. As a result, cities have become the physical manifestations of such paradigm shifts thus becoming hubs of cultural expression which are notably rich in visual culture. In this regard, the city can be viewed as a palimpsest which constantly transforms, evolves and mutates like an organic entity, thus redefining its meanings over time as result of a conglomeration of multiple intermingling discourses. As these cities grapple with the changes brought forth by globalisation, they also provide a sneak peek into their response against the current wave of homogeneising forces of globalisation. Cities can no longer be perceived as a static entity; rather, they are morphing into urban spaces which are more fluid and malleable wherein temporality and informality are significant urban characteristics. In the post-industrial scenario, cities in India have become critical sites of negotiation and are expected to become some of the largest urban agglomerations of the twenty-first century. As cities are growing, the built and cultural heritage is fading in the cacophony of modernization. This global phenomenon of identity crisis has been approached by various discourses with varying perspectives, yet an extensive and all-encompassing comprehension of identity construction lacks in embracing a socio-spatial approach. There is a need for critical analysis of the present context of urbanism in India which focuses on the emerging characteristics that define Indian cities. This requires a particular local thinking approach for global cities in India. The formal domain of studying cities needs to be stretched to include new ideas of urbanism which puts equal emphasis on the intangible cultural, temporal and dynamic aspects of the city. Spectacles such as festivals which form an integral part of the Indian urban scenario require in-depth analysis on their role in shaping place identity. With growing emphasis on the ‘cultural economy’ as a strategy for urban renewal at both national and global platforms, the subject of inquiry of this research focussed on the spaces in the city where such manifestation of cultural events occurs. This includes cultural event spaces encompassing social practices, rituals and various festive celebrations which are not necessarily religious in nature. This was premised on the belief that cultural manifestations imparts deep-rooted meanings to places and enhance people’s association with a place through their recurring nature of occurrence and public demonstration of various ritual and social processes. The research probes into the theoretical underpinnings of ‘Place Identity’ while exploring ways in which participants’ perception of such event spaces could be enhanced. Guwahati, a tier two city and the biggest city of North East India has been considered as the site of study. The study will eventually draw findings to support the hypothesis that “Cultural events may influence the identities of people involved and their construct of Place Identity” through the analysis of the recent resurgence of multicultural festivals in Guwahati and their inherent impact on the changing aspects of identity of the place and the people involved.
Design, Development and Evaluation of a Training Method to Improve Firing Skills on Moving Targets
(2023) Parasaram, K C P
The basis for any country’s sustained overall growth in a long term, is it’s ability to ensure fulfilment of minimum basic essentials to all its populace, create a healthy & competitive atmosphere and provide equal opportunities for all, so as to ensure overall prosperity in the long run. The underlying foundation for all this to happen is an assured stable and peaceful atmosphere, which is the responsibility of the security forces. Conventionally, world over, external threats are taken care by security (defence) forces and internal security is handled by police forces. In the modern history of security threats, especially in the last 3-5 decades, terrorism has gradually gained gigantic proportions to the tune of becoming a global phenomenon which seriously & significantly affects/ impacts many nations across the world. Of the many ways in which terrorism affects, suicide styled surprise terror-attacks, is a major global challenge that security forces (police included) of many countries are coping up with. These attacks can be divided into two broad categories. First, attacks which target the civilian population, who are generally unarmed and hence such attacks cannot be resisted. Second, attacks which are specifically targeted on security personnel (soldiers as well as police), on those who are deployed on patrol duties or guarding a check-post, i.e., those deployed as the first line of defence. While there are many multi-pronged measures in place to control/ curb the terror-menace, one common step/ feature i.r.o. many countries is Special Forces (SF), who are highly capable to handle & neutralise such terror threats. These indomitable forces are considered, every country’s most potent force, capable to handle any kind of risk/ threat situations. From the observations based on various terror attacks that have been unleashed in the past on security personnel (police or security forces), it has been observed that, SF do take/ need some time – atleast a few hours, to reach the scene of attack, before they can take control over the situation and neutralise the terror threat. So, it is evident that, when ever a terror attack occurs, it is the security forces of the first line of defence, i.e., those deployed on patrol duties or on check-post duties, who are inevitably the ‘first to bear the brunt’ of such attacks. In this context, the ability of these security personnel (soldiers as well as police) to fire accurately at those attacking terrorists is highly significant, to nail them down or chase them away or atleast give stiff resistance, till the time additional/ SF arrive. From the training perspective, ability to fire at moving targets during training stage can be considered as equivalent to, or a reasonable measure of the ability to fire at moving attackers in real situations. In this context, imparting firing skill on moving targets at training stage is considered important.
Mass Communication Design for Assam Tea Plantation Workers
(2024) Goduka, Suresh
This research evaluates the effectiveness of mass communication campaigns among the tea plantation worker communities in Assam, the world’s largest tea-growing region. These workers play a significant role in global tea production. They are a heterogeneous mixture of about a hundred tribes and castes originating from different parts of India. They exhibit a rich diversity in respect to language, tradition, culture and social background, and are known collectively as the Tea Tribe in Assam. Since the era of British tea planters, they have settled in the close-quartered tea garden colonies. This isolation has led to unique socio-cultural dynamics within these communities, which presents both challenges and opportunities for mass communication. This research includes a field survey to measure the effectiveness of different mass media tools among the Assam tea plantation worker communities. The findings indicate that the reach and effect of the mass media tools among the population under study have been poor. This suggests a pressing need for a new approach that can effectively bridge the communication gap. In response to this need, the research work proposes a novel framework for mass communication design. It included designing alternative media tools, which were tested for usability among the target population. The testing process involved projective technique with recorded feedback. The findings from these tests are presented as recommendations and guidelines for designing messages, ensuring optimal effectiveness, of mass campaigns among marginalized communities, such as the Assam tea plantation workers. It considers the unique socio-cultural dynamics of these communities and seeks to create communication strategies that resonate with their experiences, capacity and context. The recommendations were validated by the producers of mass communication campaigns. This research underscores the need for adequate context-based designing of mass communication, addressing the unique communication needs of diverse communities. The research work may help in developing future models focusing on mass communication mediated by design interventions.
Smart Home Product-Service-System (SH-PSS) Innovator Toolkit
(2024) Ganvir, Leeladhar
The prime inspiration of this research is to formulate a framework for factors affecting consumers' new technology acceptance and develop an innovator toolkit for idea generation enhancement during the smart home ideation phase of the design process. The effort has been experimented, validated and successfully demonstrated in this study. The term 'smart' has become widely used to describe advanced products and innovative business strategies, leading to substantial growth in the smart home market in recent years. The expansion has resulted in the launch of a multitude of unique products onto the global market. The appeal and practicality of smart devices lie in their ability to understand a user's surroundings and activities within a certain context, facilitating adaptive responses. The deployment of smart home technology has been found to give several advantages in the long run, hence boosting the quality of life for users, particularly among elderly people. These advantages reach across different domains, including healthcare, security, and entertainment, as highlighted by Marikyan (2019). The growing acceptance of smart homes worldwide can be attributed to the tangible benefits they offer in terms of promoting pleasant and healthy lifestyles. The representation of advanced intelligent technologies in science fiction movies has significantly influenced the level of user engagement and acceptance. In spite of the increasing prevalence of smart technology in household products, there is a conspicuous lack of research focused on user-centric perspectives in this field. The present collection of study has primarily focused on the technological elements, while overlooking the crucial user perspectives. Hence, it is important to incorporate user perspectives in the design and development of smart home technologies, specifically in relation to the acceptance and adoption of these innovative technologies by users.
Ergonomic design interventions for ensuring OSH of the workers engaged in Floating Solar PV installation and maintenance
(2023) Sen, Abhijit
Climate change concerns have prompted a concerted global push towards generation of renewable energy. Within the ambit of the solar photovoltaic industry, floating solar photovoltaic (FSPV) projects are growing in number in India. As a result, a large population of fixed term workers with little or no experience or training are engaged in jobs related to installation and maintenance. While working in these new kinds of workplaces, there are likely to be several human-machine mismatches giving rise to ergonomic issues. As a result, these workers are exposed to emerging occupational health and safety (OSH) risks that can have both short term and long-term health effects as well as direct & indirect costs. Immediate attention for mitigation of these risks must be an important priority for all stakeholders. Little or no research has been conducted covering these OSH dimensions in the FSPV sector. In this backdrop, a comprehensive literature review using the PRISMA method was carried out which revealed several knowledge gaps and possible design opportunities. The aim of this research was to investigate and measure the specific nature of OSH risks faced by the workers engaged in FSPV projects and to design context specific solutions from an ergonomics design perspective for risk mitigation. Objectives were defined and field studies were undertaken after obtaining approval of the ethics committee, informed consent, and permission from participating organizations. In accordance with the objectives, literature review and exploratory field studies in India were carried out. Twenty different OSH risks were identified and measured at two FSPV sites in India based on severity and vulnerability using a risk perception questionnaire developed during the research work. Stakeholders such as safety managers (n=30) and FSPV workers (n=53) participated in the studies. In addition, discomfort glare, socio-demographic and environmental parameters at both the sites were also measured. The top five risks identified include falling into water, heat stress, electrocution, solar radiation, and slips/falls on the floating platform. Discomfort glare was also identified as a severe risk factor. In a collaborative study, cross-cultural studies on OSH risk perception and socio-demographic aspects (age, weight, height, income & work experience) were carried out amongst solar PV workers (n=135) engaged in Saudi Arabia and India. Findings indicated differential risk perceptions across the countries towards the same kind of risk and correlation of socio-demographic factors with risk factors. Hence, this part of the research work explored the dimensions of cultural ergonomics in reference to solar photovoltaics projects as a maiden effort. In accordance with the risks identified in the very-high and high categories, design concepts were developed using three methodologies namely, hierarchy of controls, Co-design, and bow-tie risk analysis. Innovative and novel design concepts resulted from the three methods and CAD models were developed to address the contextual risks. Discomfort glare was found to be a severe risk factor requiring immediate attention. A prototype of an anti-glare and anti-UV eye protector named GlareSafe was developed to address the risk of discomfort glare and UV radiation. The eye protector was positively validated on the parameters of productivity in visual tasks, reduction in discomfort glare and usability through field studies. The product also addresses contextual requirements such as hydration, wiping of sweat and preventing PPE loss in water. Flowing from this design, a proposed framework of Compliance through Design (CtD) is an output of this research work. Several other novel design concepts such as floating fence, redesigned floater, maintenance board and maintenance mirror were validated through a questionnaire study where solar PV engineers compared the existing design/working condition with the proposed concept(s). Significant improvement and benefits were perceived in favor of the proposed design concepts. Most of the design concepts are low cost and can be adopted by the stakeholders to avoid direct and indirect costs related to negative OSH events. The findings of this maiden study add new knowledge in the identification of OSH risks in the FSPV sector, measurement of OSH risk perception, socio-demographic profiling of FSPV workers, development of novel design concepts and framework for implementation of a design strategy. Application of design as a risk mitigation strategy is a major dimension of this work and is ultimately expected to add to the safety quotient in FSPV projects. This research is also aligned to the Sustainable Development Goals (3,8,7 & 13) of the UN. The various facets of this present research will certainly be beneficial to safety managers, FSPV project developers, FSPV workers, policy makers, design researchers, industrial designers, ergonomists, and other related stakeholders.
Shaping Emotions: An Emotive Form Design Framework for Emotional Disconnect Identification and Creativity Enhancement
(2023) Vaidya, Gaurav Vinod
The prime aim of this research is to formulate a framework for emotional disconnect identification and creativity enhancement during the product form ideation phase of the design process. Contemporary trends in design show consumer inclination towards objects which motivate them, improve their quality of life and spark emotions. Consequently, along with the functionality requirements, a product needs to serve consumers' emotional needs, and for that, the product must relate to them at their emotional level. Previous research suggests that the emotional element of design could be more crucial in deciding the success of the product than the functional aspect, as it affects consumers' decision-making in choosing a product. Thus, designers must possess the necessary knowledge and skills to deal with this design paradigm of product emotions. Moreover, designers should know whether their intended emotions are conveyed to the consumers. These issues are addressed in the current research with a systematic approach in a phase-wise manner that has resulted in proposing the Shaping Emotions Framework. The proposed framework has been experimented with and successfully demonstrated with a case of form ideation of Bluetooth Speakers.
(A) Correlation Study between the Subjective and Objective (Eye Tracking) Measures During the Evaluation of Visual Classical Aesthetics
(2022) Nayak, Bighna Kalyan
The term aesthetics is used broadly to encompass the perception, production, and response to art and interactions with objects and senses that evoke an intense feeling, often of pleasure. Evaluation of aesthetics for any visual (two-dimensional and three-dimensional) is critical in today's scenario. Any product's success in the market depends on its aesthetic appeal, as functionality/ usability and utility aspects are almost saturated. Visual aesthetics plays a crucial role in attracting consumers and leading to positive emotional changes, resulting in purchase intention. It is well known that ‘seeing is believing, and believing is buying.’ Thus, the visual perception of any product/image plays a decisive role in consumer behavior. It is important to incorporate aesthetic features in the consumer product during its design and development. Improper assessment of the aesthetic values of a product may lead to market failure.
Designing Innovative Smart City : User-Centric Framework and Inclusive Strategy
(2024) Singh, Abhisek
The trend of Smart Cities has fascinated the ambitions of citizens and Governments worldwide. This race has led to the development of huge infrastructures embedded with Hi-tech services for the comfort of city dwellers. In many places, it was observed that the technology was adopted blindly without analyzing the prevailing conditions of the area or the requirements of the population. It resulted in the development of hi-tech ghost towns around the globe. After the completion of such hi-tech townships, policy makers face difficulty attracting occupants. It raises the question of whether to consider such hi-tech projects successful, where technology and environmental realms have attained a level of sanctity but failed to include a human scale.
Design and Evaluation of User-Centric Gesture-based Selection Techniques for Small Objects of Varying Distances in Dense Virtual Environments of HMD-VR Applications
(2024) Bhowmick, Shimmila
Virtual reality (VR) is a computer-generated simulation of a three-dimensional environment that can be interacted with in a seemingly real or physical way through the use of electronic devices, such as head-mounted displays. In VR, users have various options for interacting with the virtual world, such as controllers, gloves, bare-hand gestures, haptic devices, and bodysuits. VR has a multitude of applications, ranging from gaming to healthcare, education and training, and tourism and travels to name a few. Object selection is an essential and crucial task in any of the VR applications because it allows users to identify, interact with and manipulate virtual objects in the virtual environment (VE). In VR, VEs contain objects of varying densities, sizes, and distances from the user. However, selecting small objects placed at varying distances in a dense VE can be challenging, and can lead to inaccurate selection, increased task completion times, and higher levels of fatigue and frustration. Therefore, it is necessary to develop effective object selection techniques that enable accurate and quick selection, particularly for small objects placed at varying distances within dense VE. Our thesis is focused on controller-less object selection techniques. The thesis is based on five primary experiments, with the first two studies being gesture elicitation studies. The initial study focuses on investigating user-centric gestures for selecting small objects within arm's reach and at a distance in a dense VE. The second study concentrates on evaluating user-elicitated gestures for selecting an individual gesture for each VE condition. The gestures were evaluated based on their ease of use, appropriateness, suitability for the gesture's function, preferences, and effort. Thereafter three studies were conducted to evaluate the techniques with existing techniques in the literature. The third study aimed to design and evaluate gesture-based object selection techniques for dense VE where targets are small and placed within arm's reach. We designed a technique called Locked Dwell Time based Point and Tap (LDTPT) and compared it with existing techniques from the literature. The results showed that LDTPT was the most natural and efficient technique for selecting small targets at arm's reach. However, participants found it difficult to use and learn. To address the limitations, in the fourth study, we designed and evaluated a new technique called Tiny hands, which scales down the size of virtual hands to select small targets. Results showed that Tiny hands technique was significantly faster, more accurate, and easy to use, learn, and preferred over other techniques. In the fifth study, we designed and evaluated AMAZE and AMAZE-X techniques (A Multi-finger Approach to Zoom in dense Environments) for the selection of small targets placed at a distance in dense VE. This technique offers zoom using multiple fingers in VR. Results show that these techniques outperform existing techniques in task completion time, accuracy, easy to use, ease of learning, naturalness, preference and effort. Lastly, we are able to present a set of design recommendations that can be used by designers and developers to design efficient and effective gesture-based object selection techniques for small object selection in dense VE where targets are placed within arm’s reach and at a distance.
Embodying Conceptual Metaphors in Mainstream Non-linear English Film Narratives An Analytical Study
(2024) Gokhale, Sheetal Madhav
This research is primarily concerned with the ways in which the advent of digital technology influenced the design of a film narrative and brought about innovation in the execution of cinematic storytelling in recent popular English language cinema, especially that of Hollywood. The study shows that not only does the ease of technology lead to new approaches to visual storytelling (viz. non-linearity), but that these novel experiments remain comprehensible to a lay audience by transforming our imagination of the world. Without a linear and teleological understanding of narrative time, imaginative engagement and narrative comprehension must depend upon other kinds of commonalities of language and culture such as embodied cognition and cognitive metaphors. This study sought to show that the newer understanding of the world that non-linear cinema seeks to elicit, is not only based upon embodied cognitive metaphors derived from language in filmic content but is executed at the level of design and form by manipulating the filmic container itself to facilitate an alternative understanding. In this respect, the study is located at the juncture of narrative design, digital humanities, digital media studies, and cognitive film theory.
Design and Evaluation of User-Centric Gestures for Locomotion in HMD-VR Interfaces for a Seated Position
(2023) Vinod, Priya
Virtual Reality (VR) systems offer a means of immersing users within 3D computer-generated virtual environments (VEs) with the aim of creating a natural experience. This thesis explores and investigates body gestures as a medium of interaction in a seated position for locomotion in multitasking VEs. The present research aims to identify and evaluate natural and intuitive gestures for locomotion in a seated position for three different multitasking scenarios This research presents the results of five user studies aimed at developing and evaluating three new controller-less, gesture-based locomotion techniques for multitasking VEs that can be performed while seated. The first study utilized the gesture elicitation method to generate three sets of user-centric gestures for locomotion suitable for different multitasking VEs. The second study evaluated these gestures based on appropriateness, ease of use, effort, and user preference and further classified them based on hand usage and geometric taxonomy. Three new gesture-based techniques, called the Calling gesture, Deictic Pointing gesture, and Mirror- Leaning gesture, was designed and developed for virtual locomotion. Three different comparative studies were conducted to compare these gestures with techniques from the literature, such as tapping and teleportation, and evaluated based on parameters such as task completion time, accuracy, intuitiveness, performance, comfort, ease of use, perceived workload, spatial knowledge, presence, simulation sickness, and user preference.
Design, Development and Evaluation of Transfer Assistive Device Using Biomechanics in Human-Machine Environment
(2024) Mahammed, Kelifa Seid
This study aims to design a simple, inexpensive, and safe transfer assistive device with a focus on introducing a new research direction in the field of assistive technology devices through a context-driven research approach during concept selection, evaluation and development process. An alternative design methodology was executed and adopted to explore the interaction between the user and the current device and generate integrated human-machine design conceptualization and evaluation strategies. Custom biomechanical assessment methods for human-machine interaction were synthesized to evaluate the device's safety and usability. A working prototype was developed, and an EMG-based experimental validation was conducted on the selected potential participants to examine the functionality of the developed transfer assistive device. The study's main contributions are: an alternative biomechanical loading prediction equation was formulated to determine the compressive loads at the L5/S1 lumbar spine for any load and handle orientations, which would be helpful in the early estimation of musculoskeletal disorders in a similar product. A simple alternative methodology for identifying an optimum handle design and orientation was presented using a human-machine approach based on the EMG data recorded during the experiment, and a new technique was also presented for the effective selection of an optimum actuator load and its location in the context of human-machine design. Additionally, three findings were also obtained from this experiment, which may be useful for ongoing related studies, such as (1) the compressive load at the spine largely depends on posture than the hand load, (2) BR muscles had the highest contribution in the FPT tasks, in contrast AD muscles was shown to have lowest contribution. (3) the formulation of a predictive equation for estimating the spine load that might help in evaluating the handle design in a similar product. Generally, a transfer assistive device employing a precisely selected component was developed that was able to transfer users in a biomechanically accepted transfer posture.
Study on Ergonomic and Crew Protective Interventions on Light Armoured Vehicles for Ethiopian Army
(2022) Mengistu, Amare Wibneh
Light armored vehicles (LAVs) are multi-purpose type of vehicles. It can be used for reconnaissance activities such as patrolling and scouting activities, transporting and carrying troops, ambulance service, small and large scale combating activities in various army wings, and conflict cessation in streets and institutions of urban or city. From the design perspective, LAVs require maneuverability, survivability, off-road efficiency, and compact size, maintaining the adequacy of the space and comfort. Researchers have conducted various studies regarding its maneuverability, survivability/crew protection, and firing power in a compact interior space of the vehicle. However, ergonomics aspects are often overlooked while space compactness and crew protective aspects are considered. Therefore, the current research aims to investigate the design intervention of the ergonomic and crew protective aspects without affecting the space occupancy and mobility of the Ethiopian LAV to enhance crew comfort and safety.
Designing a Knowledge-Based System to Facilitate the Process of Fall Risk Assessment in Construction
(2023) Vigneshkumar, C
Fall from height (FFH) accounts for a large number of fatalities and severe injuries in the construction industry worldwide. Several approaches have been proposed by many researchers to enhance the safety performance of construction industry by preventing falls. However, fall incidents continue to impact the construction sector more in developing regions compared to developed countries. This could be achieved through fall risk assessment (RA) method. The entire safety procedures are likely to fail, if RA fails, as this is one of the critical safety processes in construction industry. But, the traditional method of RA fails to identify safety risks involved in construction activities due to lack of experience and time. To address these safety challenges, some researchers recommended to integrate knowledge management (KM) concept into construction safety management. Unfortunately, there has been few studies that attempts to integrate KM into safety in construction. Hence, this study focused on integrating KM into the safety planning to facilitate the process of RA in the Indian construction industry focusing on preventing falls. This research was presented in the context of traditional vertical formwork because the use of formwork in construction frequently involves working at heights and its operations are associated with a high level of falls incidents and injuries across all construction operations.
(A) Visual Study on Motifs and Patterns of Ahom’s Brick Monuments
(2022) Deori, Saurav Khuttiya
Assam is located in the North-eastern part of India; it is blessed with its rich and diverse culture and heritage. One of the most influential aspects of heritage is the reign of Ahoms in Assam for nearly 600 years (A.D. 1228–1826). Historically, Ahoms are from a group of Tai people and most historians mention that the descendants of Tai people are from Yunnan province. The Ahoms came to Assam by crossing the Patkai Hills on the northern- eastern border of Myanmar. They settled over the Brahmaputra valley and extended their kingdom over the upper and lower part of Assam. With the leadership of the first Ahom King Sukapha (A.D. 1228–1268), they set up their first capital in the Charaideu district of Assam. The initial phase of the Ahom dynasty was unstable as they were expanding the kingdom subjugating the Brahmaputra valley of Assam. By the 17th century, art and architecture flourished prosperously. Literature states that during the reign of Ahom King Rudra Singha (A.D. 1698-1714), the masonry architecture flourished.
Frugal Design for Marginal Contexts: Formulating a Systematic Approach and a Design Toolkit
(2022) Upadhyay, Pankaj
This thesis examines the subject of ‘Frugal Design for Marginal Contexts’ to forward the scope of product design in marginalised socio-economic scenarios and equip designers with necessary tools. ‘Frugal design’ is defined as a low-resource intensive design process for developing affordable, optimised, performant and holistic products, and ‘Marginal Contexts’ (MC) are defined as social scenarios with poor socio-economic conditions where people lack freedom and capabilities.
Design And Development Of DASH: Design Assessment Framework And Tool For Sustainable Housing
(2023) Piparsania, Kratika
The idea of sustainability is based on three pillars: environmental, economic, and social, per the Brundtland report. Housing is a type of architecture with which any occupant can connect. It is a place that supports an occupant’s physical, emotional, cultural, and social needs, which support their consciousness. The methodology includes an extensive literature review, data collection, and analysis to understand, achieve, and balance sustainability. The study identified an evident gap in current green building rating systems regarding the inclusion of social and cultural indicators. There is an inclination for quantitative approaches, such as energy, the environment, and resources. The study found that it is viable to identify, recognize, and determine social and cultural indicators that are both tangible and intangible. There is a need to cater to more sustainable housing that is socially and culturally appropriate for the transition to a low-carbon future. In most research regarding the sustainable built environment, participation and feedback are limited to industry experts and professionals, and residents are excluded. This study presents residents' views regarding the incorporation of socio-cultural indicators and the understanding of sustainability. This study focuses on socio-cultural sustainability: incorporating culture as the fourth pillar of sustainability or as an extension of social sustainability. This study attempted to fill this gap by collecting data from Indian residents, thus validating social and cultural indicators according to occupants’ needs. Through a secondary data review and survey research, this study intends to find relevant socio-cultural indicators that are occupation-defined. The context of this study is specific to India and its residents, with a limited set of people involved due to restrictions resulting from COVID-19. This study aims to determine a way to more effectively integrate the physical and intangible aspects of housing for socioculturally focused and sustainable development by establishing a theoretical framework. The developed theoretical framework is further translated into a practical toolkit. The assessment tool is designed and developed in Microsoft Excel. Each section has design guidelines based on sustainable design practices and best practices followed by national standards and codes. The categories of the tool are identified in the framework and are sectioned into various categories and sub-categories. The template is made in a spreadsheet format, and the tool is designed and developed using Microsoft excel. Each sub-category is detailed with specific design guidelines. The guidelines are based on sustainable design practices and best practices followed by national standards and codes. The scoring for the entire sheet and every section is on a scale ranging from "Poor" to "Best Practice" with score values (-1, 0,3,5), which are color-coded. All criteria within each category have been assigned equal weightage (i.e., 3 for good practice) except for innovation which is 1. The score of each section is calculated and reported after every sub-category's data. The final score calculations for the overall category are displayed at the bottom of the worksheet. The last tab, "Result," provides a concise summary of all the data, divided by category and multiple graphical charts. The toolkit covers seven categories of effect, identified as they have the most significant potential to reduce a building's environmental impact and remove the most frequently met problems and barriers in a balanced, sustainable design. The tool is later validated by industry experts who have worked in the development of similar assessment tools. The tool is checked with heuristics principles for user interface testing with the help of participant observation. The tool version V1 is revised based on the feedback received, and further V2 is developed and validated.
Design Development of Post-Disaster Transitional Shelter
(2023) Dev, Kankana Narayan
Transitional Housing is a crucial intermediate phase in the disaster recovery process, where the affected population resides for a temporary period until they can return to their habitats. The built environment today is affected more and more by rapid and drastic changes due to human-made and natural disasters. Presently, Humanitarian Aid of disaster relief shelters functioning the role of transitional shelters is often in the form of plastic sheets, tents, prefabricated units, and public community buildings such as community centres, schools, hospitals, university halls of residence, places of worship, sports venues, and private rentals. The providence of such facilities is often carried out by the government administrations, NGOs, and Humanitarian Aid Agencies. The term of residence in such facility ranges from days to years, which disrupts the normal functioning of the public institution that is used to house the displaced population, especially schools and colleges. The study begins by studying the impact of disasters and Humanitarian Aid with a focus on Shelter Aid. The definition of transitional accommodation by several aid agencies is analysed with the help of case study of transitional shelters implemented in the aftermath of past disasters. We identified essential characteristics of transitional housing by making a comparative review of different solutions developed in the past in the global context by universities, architects, designers, engineers, manufacturers, NGOs, and governments. The objective of this research is to develop the design guidelines for transitional shelter aftermath of a flood disaster, with a focus to create dignified living conditions which are both environmentally sustainable and economically feasible. The context of the study is the Flood Plains of the Brahmaputra Valley in the North Eastern state of Assam, India which gets flooded annually displacing thousands of people. The residents of the flood-plains and scattered river islands in the form of sandbars of the Brahmaputra basin reside there due to the available fertile land for agricultural activity. Evidence of architectural adaptation in the form of ‘chang ghar’ or houses on stilts is observed in the indigenous tribal houses to address the floods. Most households had personal boats for transportation during floods. A sequential mixed method approach is used in this research. The qualitative phase focused on selected study of three flood-prone settlements in the Brahmaputra Valley. This study documents the rural homesteads lifestyle in the valley by a selective survey of households from three locations which are annually affected by floods. Visual documentation supported by draft measured drawing and user interviews are used to study the homesteads, which are mostly nonengineered. Salient building elements are identified and documented. Structural components, Comfort, Material Technology, Architectural Design, Sanitation and Waste Management are studied in detail to understand the lifestyle of the people and the cultural influences. Further, analysis is made to understand the housing response to the disaster profile of the context. The genre of transportable, flexible and ephemeral architecture is rapidly expanding in the Humanitarian Shelter Aid sector. The research proceeds with the development of a full-scale prototype of a temporary shelter kit model made using the locally abundant material of Bamboo with community participation. The full-scale prototype underwent three iterations until March 2020. The design criteria are determined by the analysis of different aspects that could contribute to the optimization of the final product: life in relief shelter camps, essential qualities of a domestic environment, its spaces and functions, general requirements set by aid organizations and technical strength requirements. Bamboo is considered as a material for construction due to its availability in abundance, a renewable resource, and because many people in the region reside in houses made of Bamboo. From the findings of the design exercise, we realize that Bamboo is the most appropriate material for use in transitional housing across the region of Assam. The structural stability with thermal comfort and privacy contribute to the cultural acceptance of the shelter type. The design development involved the community at every step of its conception to develop ownership over the project and also the construction of the same. However, the storage of the shelter kit of non-treated Bamboo was found to be a challenge. We also explored the option of enterprise development of the shelter kit to establish the delivery of the shelter locally within the community as part of disaster preparedness.
Design Heuristics for Furniture Design and Tool for Model Making
(2023) Das, Supradip
The furniture industry’s innovation culture is shifting towards democratic design by internalizing the production process. Designers, product developers and engineers work together in a prototyping space to transform a concept into a real product, considering the prototype as the boundary object amongst different domains and stakeholders to foster innovation processes. Given design students’ future endeavours in the aforementioned work environment, prototyping activity is an integral part of design education to improve the immature mental model of novice designers. In contrast, teaching prototypedriven design innovation is not that simple, as it is tacit knowledge. Furthermore, prototype-driven design innovation is difficult for novice designers, as prototyping is the main activity. Simultaneous thinking and making tend to be complex activities for novice designers. This research seeks to develop tools to support novice designers in thinking and model-making, emphasizing furniture design. An extensive literature review on prototyping culture, novice designers’ mental models and requirements for prototyping were used to arrive at the specifications for developing tools. ‘Design heuristics for furniture design’ (DHfFD) as a catalyst for thinking and ‘Tool for Model Making’ (TfMM) as a catalyst for making are two different tools developed in this research. The toolsets have been developed from an analysis of the characteristics of 650 award-winning furniture (chair) designs and published compendium of well-known successful designs and introduced in the form of cards. A total of 86 DHfFD cards and 65 TfMM cards had been developed. This research extends its investigation to analyze the acceptance and effectiveness of the tools with novice design students. Students have enthusiastically accepted it to generate more diverse concepts and models with appropriate materials and processes. This study correlates DHfFD with more alternative concepts and TfMM with the quality of the appearance model in furniture design. This research integrates evidence, methods, and perspectives from cognition and design, correspondingly providing a pedagogical recommendation to use DHfFD and TfMM to overcome prototype-driven design innovation issues in furniture design among novice designers.

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