Browsing by Author "Kemnitzer, Ronald B."

Now showing 1 - 7 of 7
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    Adding Value Through Digital Craft
    Lucardi, Audrey Lea (Virginia Tech, 2010-12-07)
    This thesis is an attempt to embody sustainability by discovering value that transcends cost or function. Many objects are considered waste when they still function, but no longer delight the user. Using digital modeling tools and computer numerical controlled machines, designers can digitally craft products unique to the individual. Utilizing these aspects to create pleasure, designers can motivate consumers to be more thoughtful in their consumption, extend the desirable life of a product, and change the current societal norm of disposability.
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    Design: Encouraging Sustainability Through Persuasion
    Yang, Yushi (Virginia Tech, 2013-02-08)
    The thesis proposes a mobile app design along with an innovative business plan aiming to encourage sustainable purchasing. To uncover the limitations in current design practices, firstly, represented examples of sustainable design were reviewed. Then, in an attempt to bridge the gap between sustainability and design commercialization, the techniques of persuasion were studied. It is to figure out how to incorporate hot triggers into computational technologies. As an outcome of the study, the final deliverable is a social networking application that provides sustainable product reviews. Instead of following a traditional sustainable design framework, the final deliverable focuses on creating an efficient supply-and-demand circulation for sustainable products. It delivers a unique corporate proposition showing how the system works, gaining modest profits while promoting sustainable development. Based on an online survey and the user study, the value of the proposed idea was validated. Also, the usability and functionality of the app were improved based on participant feedback.
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    Digital + Physical: Rethinking the Playground
    Tew, Benjamin Montgomery (Virginia Tech, 2008-09-08)
    The increasing presence of digital play experiences has become an undeniable part of many childrenâ s lives. These digital experiences have begun to rival traditional physical play. Even with the introduction of the Nintendo Wii digital and physical rarely cross paths. This masters thesis investigates the design of a play experience that embraces digital experience through the combination of handheld wireless technology and playground experiences. The combination of these elements aims to create a play experience that provides the physical and imaginative aspects of traditional play while utilizing the personal, communication, social, competitive, and graphical informational properties of wireless handheld devices. This thesis documents the research, conceptualization and final development of the Funky Bars and Whirly Bird playground pieces.
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    Industrial Design: Tableware
    Sullivan, Martha Lynn Luttrell (Virginia Tech, 2006-11-14)
    The goal of my graduate thesis is to design a dinner service set suitable for mass manufacture. The purpose of completing an academic study of dinnerware as an industrial designer is to gain a mastery of a product used everyday in and out of the home. With such a rich history in ceramics, it is challenging to design a new dinner service set that is functional, enhances the aesthetics of a meal and sustains the intimate relationship of everyday use by adapting to lives. My particular design ideals are expressed in the line quality, section, volume, breadth and visual language of the Galaxy Collection. This document is a record of the research and decision making process for the design of the dinner service.
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    Reforming Industrial Design Education in Mainland China for Sustainability
    Huang, Tao (Virginia Tech, 2007-04-09)
    Industrial Design in China seldom addresses the issue of sustainability in mass production. Failure to incorporate sustainable design as a core principle will result in long term environmental and economic loss for both business and society. This research studies the current Industrial Design educational system in Mainland China and proposes a new educational framework to engage sustainability as a design objective. This study adopts the philosophical perspectives of constructivism, sustainable design theory, critical pedagogy, and systems thinking. Literature related to sustainability is collected and organized and overlaid with educational constraints identified through the interviews with educators, students, and practitioners of Industrial Design in four major cities of Mainland China. Using the grounded theory approach, from these two sources a new educational framework is proposed. The educational framework categorizes courses in a four year undergraduate Industrial Design educational program into four domains: ecological literacy, artistic, technological, and professional. Suggestions for the appropriate timeline, content, and pedagogical approaches for curriculum are also provided. The proposed framework was then critically reviewed Chinese educators that served as feedback for the final proposition.
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    Why We Draw: An Exploration Into How and Why Drawing Works
    Mills, Jonathan Edward (Virginia Tech, 2010-05-14)
    Visual information allows us to experience concepts in a way that is analogous to the real world; an image represents the semantic meaning of a concept and does so without conforming to the structural or syntactic rules of standard language. Drawing is therefore an agile form of communication, able to maneuver around barriers that impede the exchange of ideas between one profession and another where the difference in cultural dialects gives rise to translation complications. This thesis argues that the value of visual information lies not in the final, finished images, but during the creation of those images, during the action of drawing. If drawings are generally considered a form of communication, then drawing is a form of visual conversation; much like spoken language, its message unfolds as it is performed, and we make meaning from that performance. Following an exploration of the visual and cognitive systems integral to interpreting visual information, a discussion of language structure and sources of language conflict sets the stage for employing the act of drawing as a collaborative tool in cross-disciplinary settings. Proposed is a set of principles guiding this use of drawing which builds upon the research findings herein. These principles are structured to be usable by all professions, regardless of artistic background or traditional practice, and to encourage a reevaluation of drawingâ s role in the problem-solution process.
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    The Xcel Sleeve: Fall Prevention Through Digital Strength Training
    Kauffman, Joseph Ulrich IV (Virginia Tech, 2009-05-04)
    In America, a person has a 1 in 3 chance of falling each year once they reach the age of 65. When someone falls, they risk bodily injury. There are products available to help people when they fall, but they are only effective once a person reaches a point where they are at risk of falling. In order to reduce an individual's chance of falling as they age, preventive measures must be taken before the problems develop. With the use of digital technology, adults can be properly instructed on how to keep they bodies strong and balanced for there golden years. This thesis documents the research, conceptualization, and development of the Xcel Sleeve.