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Symmetry
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Symmetry/Asymmetry in Computer-Aided Industrial Design
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Symmetry/Asymmetry in Computer-Aided Industrial Design

A special issue of Symmetry (ISSN 2073-8994). This special issue belongs to the section "Computer".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2025 | Viewed by 1137

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Yanpu Yang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Construction Machinery, Chang'an University, Xi'an 710064, China
Interests: product design; decision making; ergonomics; kansei engineering; product innovation design
Prof. Dr. Dengkai Chen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Shaanxi Engineering Laboratory for Industrial Design, Department of Industrial Design, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an 710072, China
Interests: industrial design theory and methods; ergonomics design and evaluation; human factors engineering and reliability analysis; industrial design for extreme enclosed spaces; human performance enhancement

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Symmetry and asymmetry are pervasive elements in the field of industrial design, playing crucial roles both aesthetically and functionally. On the one hand, symmetry serves as a fundamental aesthetic principle that significantly contributes to the success of design. By applying symmetry alongside other aesthetic design principles, such as balance, proportion, and unity, designers establish a robust foundation for guiding visual composition heuristically. This approach not only enhances aesthetic appeal, but also fosters user satisfaction and design usability. On the other hand, asymmetry presents unique challenges and opportunities within the industrial design process. It encompasses various forms of information discrepancies, including the following: (1) Demand information asymmetry: The gap between the demand information gathered by designers and the actual needs of users. (2) Perceptual asymmetry: The disparity between the information conveyed by a design scheme and the user's perception or interpretation of it. Understanding and studying these symmetry/asymmetry issues can provide critical support for the effective execution of the industrial design process, ensuring that designs are both functional and align with user expectations. This Special Issue aims to explore and address the following topics, among others:

  • Symmetry in product/website/interface design;
  • Uncertainty and asymmetry in design decision-making;
  • Methods in computer-aided industrial design;
  • Ergonomics and human factors in design.

Prof. Dr. Yanpu Yang
Prof. Dr. Dengkai Chen
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Symmetry is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • symmetry in product/website/interface design
  • uncertainty and asymmetry in design decision-making
  • methods in computer-aided industrial design
  • ergonomics and human factors in design

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

39 pages, 10771 KiB  
Article
A Data-Driven Methodology for Industrial Design Optimization and Consumer Preference Modeling: An Application of Computer-Aided Design in Sustainable Refrigerator Design Research
by Yu Chen, Haotian Liu, Jianwei Zhang and Jiang Wu
Symmetry 2025, 17(4), 621; https://doi.org/10.3390/sym17040621 - 19 Apr 2025
Viewed by 263
Abstract
Addressing the insufficient identification of key consumer requirements in refrigerator design and the current limitations in understanding the impacts and underlying mechanisms of product design on sustainability, this study develops an interdisciplinary methodological framework that synergizes industrial design principles with advanced computer-aided design [...] Read more.
Addressing the insufficient identification of key consumer requirements in refrigerator design and the current limitations in understanding the impacts and underlying mechanisms of product design on sustainability, this study develops an interdisciplinary methodological framework that synergizes industrial design principles with advanced computer-aided design techniques and deep neural network approaches. Initially, consumer decision preferences concerning essential product attributes and sustainability indicators are systematically elucidated through semi-structured interviews and multi-source data fusion, with a particular emphasis on user sensitivity to energy efficiency ratings, based on a high-quality sample of 303 respondents. Subsequently, a latent diffusion model alongside a ControlNet architecture is employed to intelligently generate design solutions, followed by comprehensive multi-attribute optimization screening using an integrated decision-making model. The empirical evidence reveals that the synergistic interplay between functional rationality and design coordination plays a critical role in determining the overall competitiveness of the design solutions. Furthermore, by incorporating established industrial design practices, prototypes of mini desktop and vehicle-mounted multifunctional refrigerators—derived from neural network-generated design features—are developed and assessed. Finally, a nonlinear predictive mapping model is constructed to delineate the relationship between industrial design characteristics and consumer appeal. The experimental results show that the proposed support vector regression model achieves a root mean square error of 0.0719 and a coefficient of determination of 0.8480, significantly outperforming the Bayesian regularization backpropagation neural network baseline. These findings validate the model’s predictive accuracy and its applicability in small-sample, high-dimensional, and nonlinear industrial design scenarios. This research provides a data-driven, intelligent analytical approach that bridges industrial design with computer-aided design, thereby optimizing product market competitiveness and sustainable consumer value while promoting both theoretical innovation and practical advancements in sustainable design practices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Symmetry/Asymmetry in Computer-Aided Industrial Design)
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26 pages, 5978 KiB  
Article
Research on Symmetry Optimization of Designer Requirements and Prototyping Platform Functionality in the Context of Agile Development
by Zheng Wen, Jianming Yang, Bowen Sun and Yuanwei Liu
Symmetry 2025, 17(4), 502; https://doi.org/10.3390/sym17040502 - 26 Mar 2025
Viewed by 176
Abstract
Aligning designer requirements with prototyping platform functionalities remains a challenge in agile development (AD) environments, as existing tools often fail to accommodate evolving needs. This study proposes a systematic approach to optimizing prototyping platforms by bridging the gap between user needs and functional [...] Read more.
Aligning designer requirements with prototyping platform functionalities remains a challenge in agile development (AD) environments, as existing tools often fail to accommodate evolving needs. This study proposes a systematic approach to optimizing prototyping platforms by bridging the gap between user needs and functional design. First, a designer requirement architecture was constructed using grounded theory, identifying three core elements: interaction needs, collaboration needs, and visualization and testing needs. The F-KANO model was used to categorize requirements, while DEMATEL was used to prioritize them based on interdependencies. Finally, quality function deployment (QFD) was used to map designer needs to functional specifications, deriving an optimization strategy. Empirical evaluation through user testing indicated notable improvements in workflow efficiency, usability, and collaboration effectiveness. This research offers a systematic framework for refining prototyping platforms in AD, improving design efficiency and UX. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Symmetry/Asymmetry in Computer-Aided Industrial Design)
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18 pages, 941 KiB  
Article
A Failure Touchpoint Identification and Reconfiguration Approach for Enhancing Product–Service Symmetry
by Zhuo Liu, Suihuai Yu, Wenjun Du and Fangmin Cheng
Symmetry 2025, 17(4), 485; https://doi.org/10.3390/sym17040485 - 24 Mar 2025
Viewed by 238
Abstract
Asymmetry of product–service systems, that is, the presentation of services that does not match the expectations of stakeholders, often leads to inefficient services. To address design asymmetry in service systems, this study proposes a stakeholder-centric methodology for failure touchpoint identification and service reconfiguration. [...] Read more.
Asymmetry of product–service systems, that is, the presentation of services that does not match the expectations of stakeholders, often leads to inefficient services. To address design asymmetry in service systems, this study proposes a stakeholder-centric methodology for failure touchpoint identification and service reconfiguration. Grounded in the principles of multi-stakeholder value co-creation, the framework involves a three-phase process: systematic identification of failure-prone touchpoints through tripartite analysis (enterprise, service personnel, and user perspectives), generation of reconfiguration alternatives aligned with prioritized stakeholder requirements, and multi-criteria decision-making to optimize service configuration. The methodology achieves design symmetry by integrating stakeholder evaluations across failure diagnosis, causal analysis, and solution validation phases. A case study on a visitor management system demonstrates significant improvements in service quality (overall score increased from 0.70 to 0.81), validating the approach’s efficacy. This research bridges the gap in existing studies by balancing multi-stakeholder interests, offering a novel contribution to service design literature. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Symmetry/Asymmetry in Computer-Aided Industrial Design)
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