Social Shifts
A Study of Lisbon Public Parks: Identifying and Classifying Problems View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session João Boavida, Hande Ayanoglu, Cristóvão Pereira
The smart city concept is far from being closed and probably will never find its final resolution. Besides, the smart city concept has important components that support both its own definition and definitions of related concepts. Other crucial "smart" city components fall under this conceptual definition's umbrella. One of the most important components of cities is their public parks. Therefore, more research should be done on parks in the context of smart cities. The research's primary objective is to characterize the various types of solutions for the issues found in Lisbon's public parks and, ultimately, to speculatively suggest solutions that can combat the problems. This paper's goal is to demonstrate the problems that the questionnaire and in-person observations revealed. The survey gathered data on how people use public parks and what issues they consider most pressing. The observations, which took place in three open-air parks in Lisbon, were used to support the data regarding specific users (i.e., the elderly, kids, and teenagers), who did not respond to the questionnaire, as well as to complement the information provided by those who did. The survey's findings show that, generally, security and cleanliness are issues that affect citizens. Additionally, observations showed that there are barriers that pose a problem for particular populations and equipment that is often left unused or put to other uses. We can draw the conclusion that technology cannot be used to solve every issue. The study encourages considering particular populations when creating and following co-design methodology.
Noise and Silence: Home Textiles as a New Interface for Sound and Communication View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Joana Machado, Isabel Cabral, Helder Carvalho
The development of new applications or ways of interaction applied on textile substrates has been proved to be a good opportunity for product design, with significant exploratory character. The main goal of this project is to create a possibility of extending the function of a textile substrate by combining it with electronic elements and conductive ink. Specifically, an alternative that transforms a home textile product into a non-conventional musical instrument was developed that could acquire inclusive, didactic and exploratory qualities. This can add a new interpretation of music, musical objects and the purposes of our home textiles. A textile musical instrument based on a MIDI piano keyboard was developed, using a microcontroller with an interface for capacitive sensors. A pattern printed with electrically conductive ink on a textile fabric for bed linen acts as a keyboard and is connected to the microcontroller’s capacitive interface. The development of the conductive pattern involved preliminary screen-printing experiments with conventional inks, to validate the parameters of the printing process and the surface design. Later, two conductive inks were tested to print the actual keyboard. The final object allows the user to interact with the textile producing sounds according to the touched area of the printed pattern. Practical tests have shown the reliability and ease-of-use of the developed textile keyboard. In future work, validation of the developed object with the targeted audience will be carried out. Aspects such as washability and rubbing will also be further studied to determine needs related to additional finishing processes.
New Challenges and Agendas for Design: Collaboration and Multidisciplinarity as Mandatory in Extreme Social Scenarios View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Ana Margarida Ferreira, João Gomes Ferreira, Diamantino Abreu, Vasco Santos, Emilia Duarte, Eduardo Gonçalves
The world has seen an increase in extreme natural phenomena. Although such situations often occur in the world and the history of humanity, some scientists believe that critical situations result from recent past decisions and behaviours. Examples are extreme thermal amplitude, fires, earthquakes, or volcanic activity. This reality is intensified by the characteristics of the different geographies of our planet, with incalculable social and human consequences, such as in Turkey. The SHELTER project results from the perception of the relevance of this subject and from an effort to contribute, through the design of a seismic shelter, to lessen the impact and consequences of a disaster such as a large-scale earthquake. Considering the project's complexity, a multidisciplinary team of designers and civil and mechanical engineers was created, among others, in a collaborative exercise between companies, universities and Portuguese laboratories. Issues related to preserving human life during the possible collapse of the building and survival in the post-collapse period were under attention. In terms of specific design tasks, the emphasis was on the study of conditions to ensure the survival of occupants during the collapse of the building and on the support for the psychological well-being and comfort of occupants after the collapse. These tasks were developed through a user-centred design approach, using 3D, digital and analogue modelling technologies. In its general design and structural quality, the project's quality was validated through numerical simulations and experimental tests with crash test dummies, demonstrating the successful response to this design challenge.
