My master thesis, in collaboration with Siemens, focuses on improving the user interface (UI) of their Remote Control Operation System (RCOS) for crane operations. The vision for RCOS is to maximize production while ensuring secure and safe crane operations. Siemens aims to achieve more consistent crane usage, which will help extend the equipment’s lifespan and minimize damage. However, the current UI lacks user friendliness. This thesis explores ways to enhance the UI's user friendliness, thereby optimizing the concentration levels of the operators.

This thesis project aims to answer the following research question: “What was and is exactly the agency of design sketching with its affordances in the past, in the present and probably in the future?” To answer this question, the various roles of sketching in different design phases are studied, taking both a theoretical and practical perspective.

Following a general introduction to the themes, definitions and scope of the project, chapter 4 begins with a review of the literature to produce a cohesive theoretical foundation for the role of sketching in the design process. Existing literature in the field of design sketching often lacks a wider view on the human perception of pictorial representations in general. However, the perception of sketches by non-designers, such as clients, is increasingly important. Therefore, the rest of chapter 4 zooms out to provide a perspective beyond ‘design sketching’: the human psychology behind the perception of sketches and paintings. This leads to a better understanding of the interactive human role that is involved concerning the agency of design sketching.

Chapter 5 focuses on design sketching in practice. Firstly, it analyzes the development of design sketching from the twentieth century till now. Thereafter, to gain insights on design sketching in modern times, the results of interviews with five designers are presented. This offers crucial insights into the contemporary context of design sketching as well as knowledge of current approaches to upcoming trends
that are appearing in this field and might shape the agency of sketching.

The interviews provide two observations. Firstly, there appears to be a decline in the sketching skills of young designers entering the work field. Secondly, designers tend to increasingly pay attention to the affordances of drawing with regard to outwards communication, rather than a focus on internal affordances. This might lead to an unbalanced practice of design sketching, in which some core affordances with regards to the design process are lost.

Hence, the situation calls for increased recognition of the significance of sketching in design. Chapter 6 aims to explain the key aspects of sketching for designers. The essential theoretical affordances of sketching are captured in a framework that reveals the agency of design sketching.

The Framework for the Agency of Sketching should be applicable in practice, with the following goal: to let designers rediscover design sketching as an agency and unlock its benefits. Therefore, chapter 7 provides a vision on realizing this. So, while the primary focus of this thesis project revolves around the development of the theoretical framework, its possible application in practice is briefly explored, leading to the proposal of two concept directions.

This thesis is conducted in collaboration with Changan Europe a Chinese Car company that has based their design centre in Turin, Italy. The core of this thesis is to create an interior design process for L4AD. The aim is to translate the research into a physical prototype to fit the automotive industry.

The leisure state that is provided by L4AD will challenge the current design process. The design will not only be focussed on the interior, but also take in account the implementation of the autonomous system.

The autonomous system will require more involvement from the UX department earlier on in the process to integrate the HMI system.

Autonomous driving technologies are developing at a high speed. Providing a possibility to improve road safety. “However, this transition also brings in new risks, such as mode confusion, overreliance, reduced situational awareness, and misuse” (Grondelle, 2021). This development in L4AD will change the relationship between the driver and the interior design. Whereas the driver’s role will change from being a driver to becoming a supervisor.

Developing a new design process
The backbone of this design process will be the basic design cycle. Which will be analysed and adjusted. This results in a design process that is less linear as well as optimising the integration of UX design into the interior design process. Whilst going through the basic design cycle certain adjustments and suggestions are concluded in this report.

The approach for this interior design process is more user-centred through the implementation of Vision in Product Design, Rich experiences and the Matrix 3 & Matrix 4 method. Combined with analysing the company's current design departments and user-tests to validate the use of these methods within the automotive industry.

The way people are cooking is shifting. Were people have had gas hobs for a long time it is now changing to cooking on induction. Cooking on gas will be banned from 2050 on and is disappearing already. The way induction hobs are implemented at the moment is with a glass plate on top while still taking up space on the countertop like with a gas hob. Boretti thought of a solution to use another kind of ceramics able to have the looks of all kinds of materials like marble or nature stone. The concept provided by Boretti at the starting point of this graduation project was a standalone oven with this induction hob solution on top. The assignment was to create a version totally integrated into the countertop since the whole countertop can be made of the same ceramics. To make a design that fits the needs of possible user groups, fit with the trends at the moment and in the future and suit the ways of living from 2021 on, an analysis was performed. Main conclusions were the shift in the marketing Boretti has to make., the change of the way people are living, house are becoming more open, smaller houses in cities are getting more expensive and multifunctionality of space with also making more connection between living room and kitchen are trends to take into account. This results in design changes in kitchen blocks, the need for better air circulation and purifying and multifunctionality in countertop space. The analysis was followed by an ideation phase in which partial problems were tackled with different solutions. The topics ideated on were the user interface, multifunctionality cooking zone indications and the integration possibilities of a combined air extractor and air purifier. This ideation resulted in three different concepts were combinations of partial solutions were made. After making three different concepts, two were combined. The new combined concept has an accessory bar that breaks up the countertop surface into a living part and a cooking part. This accessory bar has space for a range of simple accessories to things like a Boretti water tap. Personalisable Qi charging spots can be chosen while the consumer configures the countertop. To make sure the surface above the cooking zones can be used totally for other purposes, the control interface is not fixed. This interface is a smart rotational knob with which all cooking zones can be controlled. The final concept is a kitchen island version is worked out in detail. The control knob has a light ring which refers to a gas burner and has haptic and visual feedback for the intensity of the selected zone. The main USPs are the multifunctionality and styling made possible with the material, an improved orientation during cooking and the smart knob. Since there will be differences in the needs and configurations consumers will want to have for this concept. A range of product is suggested to Boretti around this concept.

As you well know we are entering a new era. An era in which more and more things are becoming smart including the cars that we see around us. This technology will soon bring us new services like car- and ridesharing with autonomous capabilities. Big brands like Renault and Audi expect self-driving cars on the road around 2022. Nevertheless, a lot of questions remain unanswered. One of these questions is the adaptation of the interior to self-driving technology. What will we do, when we do not have to drive anymore? Every OEM has a different answer to it and a study was done in this project that shows that we will spend our time doing activities like sleeping, eating, working, socializing, using in-car entertainment or being private while daily commuting in this private ride-sharing car with friends or family members.

The second question that probably pops-up in your mind right now is how this interior will enable this. The solution provided in this thesis exists out of a mechanical rail system that enables different seating layouts which ensures that all occupants (in most cases this will be two) can enjoy the activities that they do during commuting to the utmost. Imagine that you want to have some private time while your friend is sleeping. He wants his personal space in the rear and does not want to be seen by you while sleeping. Besides that, he desires to feel safe and wrapped around by the interior. All this is possible thanks to the simplistic mechanism that resulted after a lot of iteration with the client.

The third question relates to the rituals that people have during these activities. Before sleeping people tend to read a book or watch something on the tablet and slowly fade away. These kinds of rituals show that the interior should provide solutions like a foldable table and space in which they can store their small or big luggage, when not in use. A creative session resulted in a cabin package which was used as a reference during the interior design. This session looked at the required stuff that people take with them during commuting which creates an atmosphere that feels like a second living room.

The design of the interior has function over form. Every part is designed with a specific scenario in mind while the aesthetic laws of automotive design were used, like indexing and coherent shapes. The design inspiration came from the interior philosophy of BMW, a visual comparison of current living rooms and a collage, in which the aim was to bring a design which has a nice harmony between simplicity and complexity with a balance of geometric and organic shapes. I present to you a proposal interior for a ride-sharing autonomous car for urban cities around 2022.