Structure and output mechanisms in Design for Environment (DfE) tools

This paper advocates that a paradigm shift is required in order to improve the performance of the next generation Design for Environment (DfE) tools. Four output mechanisms were identified during the analysis of 22 DfE tools. Further analysis of these mechanisms revealed that the output was focused in one of two ways. In the majority of tools, strategies are prioritised to initiate the output mechanisms, resulting in guidance that is strategy focused and of limited use to the designer. The alternative is to focus on the product under development to initiate the output mechanism. This has the potential to deliver output and guidance that is directly relevant to the product. This paper identifies and discusses the types of guidance provided by DIE tools. The performance of each tool at assisting the user towards a better understanding of environmental issues and improving their ability to generate viable solutions is fully discussed. In summary, this paper explains the background to the study, outlining the research method, and discusses the importance of the findings relative to the future design of DfE tools. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.