Industry 4.0 is leading to technological advancement in manufacturing and causing changes in tasks performed by operators. This represents a potential trigger of humans' stress and workload. This paper aims to investigate work-related stress in an industrial environment through a real production case study through ECG, EDA, EMG, and respiratory band. From stress physiological indicators analysis, preliminary suggestions for the case study are provided to make the production system more human-centered, according to Industry 5.0. Further studies may test the effect of the recommended actions.

Design and manufacturing innovations are important competitive attributes in the premium marine sector. The adoption of an open innovation process has the potential to deliver behavioural and technological transformation. This pilot study illustrates an open innovation approach to explore the benefits of digital innovation when designing new products within the premium marine industry. The research demonstrates how an open innovation approach will flourish when focused on co-creation in collaboration with a network of cross-functional partners.

Digital transformation increases the need for interdisciplinary collaboration along the product lifecycle. It is currently hindered by a low data consistency resulting from the use of heterogeneous systems and data models. Especially in work planning, where several data models are combined, this decreases efficiency. Systems Lifecycle management (SysLM) offers a solution to this remedy. However, a sudden switch to SysLM is not possible in brownfields. Thus, it is necessary to examine the challenges and opportunities to derive case-specific measures that enable its adoption in work planning.

This study proposes a Moon-based factory for space-bound products, aiming to revolutionize space exploration through In-Space Manufacturing (ISM). It defines key elements for lunar manufacturing by adapting Earth-based factory models to lunar conditions.

This study delves into Industry 5.0's Human Centric Manufacturing and Systems (HCM and HCS), emphasizing worker welfare and sustainability. Industry 5.0 advocates a human-centric approach, built upon three foundational pillars safety, inclusivity, and empowerment. The paper highlights the successful integration of Design and Systems Thinking in HCM and proposes a workshop at MADE COMPETENCE CENTRE proving the effectiveness in raising awareness and promoting Human-Centric principles throughout the system life cycle and in achieving Human-Centric Systems (HCS).

This article introduces a Human-centred Engineering Design (HcED) practice, which values human aspects. This practice engages deeply into (1) human geometry and motion for specific tasks, (2) product and manufacturing complexities through rapid prototyping, and (3) the broader human task context. This cross-disciplinary method combines ergonomics, AM, sensor applications, and multiple design practices. The framework provides concrete tasks to drive innovative designs in engineering. The study, grounded in design research case studies, led to five new Paralympic Rowing world records.

While research into responsible innovation is not new, there have been recent calls to explore responsible product development, across different development stages and pillars of responsible innovation. In this paper, we use scientometric analysis to explore how the responsible innovation knowledge structure has evolved over the past 50 years. Our aim is to explore the relevance of the topic and propose future research orientations. Findings show that responsible innovation is an emerging topic warranting further investigation.

This paper explores the implementation of Industry 4.0 technologies in Small Enterprises (SEs), focusing on the unique challenges they face. It presents four case studies demonstrating how low-cost, low-effort solutions can enhance efficiency and productivity in small companies. The solutions, developed in a local makerspace, address specific manufacturing challenges that lack affordable or existing off-the-shelf solutions. The paper highlights the value of iterative prototyping in implementing Industry 4.0 solutions and discusses how this approach can help SEs overcome adaptation challenges.

The growing research field of gamification promises new insights and innovative methods for the active design of user experience. This article examines the extent to which gamification complements the established methods of user experience design in the context of product development. To this end, assessment criteria are proposed that can be used to evaluate human-centred design methods. A qualitative comparison is then used to determine the added value of the innovative field of gamification for future user experience design in consumer products.

This research explores the impact of Design Thinking (DT) on Organizational Behaviour, explicitly focusing on individual employees, the micro-level of the organization. The research runs a single-case study within an Italian bank adopting DT through its HR department. The study proposes a model illustrating how DT adoption influences specific individual behavioral constructs: motivations, attitudes, capabilities, and creative behaviors. The study finds that fostering confidence in the creative process enhances human engagement and proactivity.

Empirical studies show that adaptations of existing agile methods are necessary for developing physical products creating obstacles and challenges. This paper aggregates the gathered findings from several cross-sectional industry surveys and establishes a relationship between the extent of utilization of individual agile elements based on Scrum and the need to adapt these elements in applying agile procedural models. The emphasis of examination resides in the purpose perspective of agile elements with the aim of facilitating context-specific adaptations more effectively.

Service and digital transitions create a range of solutions by combining their features and introducing both human and automated agents as intermediaries. The paper classifies non/digital product/service and explores how these transitions change user involvement. A model is proposed to assess the user's role with human (service) and automated (digital) intermediaries. Utilizing user journey phases, the model is applied to four case studies, revealing commonalities in transition occurrences. Evidence suggest a potential adoption in design identifying the key phases per each transitions.

Weak ties contribute to an individual's happiness, health and career, yet networking events supporting weak ties are often considered ineffective and unenjoyable. More support is needed to aid the design of these experiences. This inductive qualitative study explores how weak tie interactions occurred in a 3-day event for a professional networking community. Data was collected from multiple behavioural settings through direct observation, semi-structured interviews and archival data. Results highlight five structures underpinning weak tie interactions and associated implications for design.

Addressing VUCA challenges in product development, the Human-Centred Analysis of External Variety (HAV) method is introduced. Focusing on the early stages of new product development, HAV provides a structured approach, reducing uncertainty through quick market analysis, customer engagement, and goal setting. HAV is illustrated using a cargo bike product family case study and emphasizes its role in aligning human-centred methods with project goals. The first steps of the HAV method are presented, but also the need for further action towards a validated and elaborated method is discussed.

Agile methods are increasingly being used in automotive development. This research delves into the current state of agile transformation in the automotive industry regarding benefits, challenges, organizational adaptations, and successful measures to establish the agile approach. The results of an online survey reveal that benefits are already evident after 6 months and that challenges are mainly organizational in nature and organizational structures need to be adapted. Main drivers of success are pilot projects on a small scale and top management support as well as training managers.

Design is associated with many benefits for businesses, ranging from successful products and brands to greater economic success. However, companies still have difficulties in unlocking the potential of design. This publication develops a literature-based conceptual model that outlines necessary organizational factors and their interrelation to create an environment for design and designers to thrive. At the same time, it explains why companies are having difficulties in leveraging the benefits of design. Further research directions are derived to strengthen the role of design and designers.

Using foresight methods such as scenarios, possible futures can be described and anticipated. Needs and requirements as well as product properties can be derived from that, which is necessary to plan successful products for future customers. Changes that occur in the future development can be identified with monitoring and the expected future can be adjusted. A consistent understanding of the use of monitoring for the product engineering process does not exist and is developed in this paper. Thereby, monitoring is considered in the context of validation and located in iPeM.

To establish a coherent Digital Thread, encompassing diverse information obtained during the design process, it is imperative to ensure the traceability of information particularly between engineering and manufacturing teams. A challenge lies in maintaining links between data, particularly in the context of configuration management. Through the principles of complementarity, we explore links between the Engineering and the Manufacturing definitions through a major structural element. We forsee the principles of complementarity as a support for Digital Thread throughout the product lifecycle.

This study investigates the relationship between the number and type of prototypes developed in rapid prototyping contexts, a team's performance self-estimations, and final actual performance. Findings suggest a strong correlation between each of these elements, with the converse also found to be true, motivating the introduction of the concept of Design Delusion - a type of cognitive dissonance due to differences between perceived and actual states. The paper suggests that early prototyping helps identify and mitigate design delusion, improving design decisions and preventing technical debt.

This paper outlines the evolution of decision-making spaces through selected instantiations, analyzing the role of design in their utility and identifying preliminary patterns in spatial layout. It builds on the combination of two research fields: A) Decision support systems and B) Creative Spaces. The paper aims to take a first step towards combining these two existing research fields by focusing on the spatial design aspects that foster the convergent aspect of creativity and to provide guidance for further research on the design of decision-making spaces.