Matching Items (3)
Filtering by
- All Subjects: Design services
- Creators: Takamura, John
Description
Industrial design is the practice of creating solutions by studying people and businesses. Originally centered on development of goods, industrial design uses methods rooted in human behavioral study, human factors, and strategic problem solving. As our economy and professional practice shift away from manufacturing towards a service-dominant landscape, industrial design must align its profession to formally include service design. The small service business setting is a microcosm in which the value of design and branding in business is magnified. This research reinforces design's ties with services marketing and business and is dedicated to finding solutions for the backbone of our economy. Micro-businesses with fewer than 20 employees often lack the sophisticated management, marketing, and strategies that bring about success. Despite the fact that 70% to 80% of small and micro businesses are service based, little research is dedicated to unique strategies for these small service firms. Research has shown that using strategic business design increases small business success. Given high small business failure rates, it behooves entrepreneurs to use intuitive planning tools that are appropriate for the dynamic startup years. When put within reach and context of small business owners, the tools used in design draw a clear map of insights into the "design" of small businesses. Through a literature review, interviews, and a new workshop method, the needs of small business owners and the challenges they face are used to design and implement an accessible, actionable strategic toolkit for small service businesses. This simple, interdisciplinary toolkit was designed with the goal of increasing the efficacy and likelihood of ongoing strategic business planning through context-specific, instrumental activities. The tools are shown to help a business owner form pragmatic, iterative problem-solving approaches that allow the business owner to plan in the face of uncertainty and find insights into her own business, brand, and services.
ContributorsGrimes, Lynelle (Author) / Takamura, John (Thesis advisor) / Peck, Sidnee (Committee member) / Wolf, Peter (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
Description
According to the ADA (American Diabetes Association), diabetes mellitus is one of the chronic diseases with the highest mortality rate. In the US, 25 million are known diabetics, which may double in the next decade, and another seven million are undiagnosed. Among these patients, older adults are a very special group with varying physical capabilities, cognitive functions and life expectancies. Because they run an increased risk for geriatric conditions, Type 2 diabetes treatments for them must be both realistic and systematic. In fact, some researchers have explored older adults’ experiences of diabetes, and how they manage their diabetes with new technological devices. However, little research has focused on their emotional experiences of medical treatment technology, such as mobile applications, tablets, and websites for geriatric diabetes. This study will address both elderly people's experiences and reactions to devices and their children's awareness of diabetes. It aims to find out how to improve the diabetes treatment and create a systematic diabetes mobile application that combines self-initiated and assisted care together.
ContributorsLu, Chenyang (Author) / Takamura, John (Thesis advisor) / Herring, Donald (Committee member) / Doebbeling, Bradley (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2017
Description
In recent years, with the increase in the number of students studying abroad, the psychological problems of international students have attracted more and more attention. At the same time, due to the stigma and stereotypes of mental illness, international students have encountered difficulties in using campus psychological counseling services of overseas universities. Gamification is a concept that applies the elements of games to non-gaming fields. It is being widely used in various fields. This study aims to conduct user research for designing a better experience and service design for international students using campus psychological counseling by using gamification. The study was conducted using an extensive literature review as well as quantitative and qualitative research methods including a focus group, an online survey, and an interview to explore the main sources of pressure for international students and their perception on-campus counseling service. Furthermore, this study tried to explore the feasibility of online services and how gamification be applied to the services. The results showed that international students have been reported to have psychological pressure on some special issues, and few international students used campus counseling. International students who have used campus psychological counseling services also expressed their dissatisfaction with campus psychological counseling. Additionally, the study showed the feasibility of online services and the acceptance of core drives of gamification. The conclusion can be summarized as a user research for future service design in the campus counseling system, which includes expected functions and some gamified ways of online services. Because the results showed that online services cannot replace face-to-face consulting services, how to combine online and offline services, and how to let gamification reach its full potential will be further discussed.
ContributorsXu, Wei (Author) / Takamura, John (Thesis advisor) / Mejia, G. Mauricio (Committee member) / Johnson, Mina C. (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2020