Title: An observational study of multi-disciplinary co-design – application to an electromechanical device

Authors: Philippe Marin, Laurent Gerbaud, El-Hadi Mechekour, Cedric Masclet

Addresses: Laboratory G-SCOP, INPGrenoble, UJF, CNRS, 46 avenue Felix, Viallet, 38031, Grenoble Cedex, France. ' Laboratory G2ELab (UMR 5269 INPG-UJF-CNRS), ENSIEG – BP 46 – 38402 Saint-Martin-d'Heres Cedex, France. ' Laboratory G-SCOP, INPGrenoble, UJF, CNRS, 46 avenue Felix, Viallet, 38031, Grenoble Cedex, France. ' Laboratory G-SCOP, INPGrenoble, UJF, CNRS, 46 avenue Felix, Viallet, 38031, Grenoble Cedex, France

Abstract: This paper deals with the observational study of a multi-disciplinary and collaborative design project to produce an electromechanical plunger. The design of the device was carried out by students from different disciplines, in their final year. It was co-located and non co-located. Synchronous and asynchronous tasks were observed and several studies carried out with various scenarios. The aims of the study are to produce qualitative analysis based on the observations made, to prepare observational studies and quantitative analyses in an industrial context and to specify dedicated tools for the support of non co-located collaborative design. In this way, the paper presents a bibliographic study concerning various empirical approaches for observational studies of collaborative design. The successive observational studies are detailed: context, scenarios, tools, actors, recording means. A global qualitative analysis is finally proposed, highlighting the key parameters for the building of an industrial case observation.

Keywords: collaborative design; communication; electromechanical devices; electromechanical design; structural design; sizing; teaching context; electromechanical plunger.

DOI: 10.1504/JDR.2007.016387

Journal of Design Research, 2007 Vol.6 No.3, pp.311 - 332

Published online: 23 Dec 2007 *

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