Purpose-A Multi Expert System is presented that can analyse a design and provide designers with suggestions for improvement and changes to designs at an early stage in order to improve assembly later in the manufacturing process. The Multi Expert System can analyse a design and provide designers with suggestions for improvement and changes to designs at an early stage in order to improve assembly later in the manufacturing process. Design/methodology/approach-The whole system consists of four expert systems: Computer Aided Design (CAD) Expert, Automated Assembly Expert, Manual Assembly Expert and Design Analysis Expert. The Design Analysis Expert includes a subsystem to collate the information from the Assembly Experts and to provide costs and advice Findings-The approach and the systems can reduce manufacturing costs and lead times. Research limitations/implications-A knowledge-based reckoning approach to design-for-assembly automation is used. The approach and systems can reduce manufacturing-costs and lead-times. The system can estimate assembly-time and cost for manual or automatic assembly and select suitable assembly techniques. Practical implications-The system can estimate assembly time and cost for manual or automatic assembly and select a suitable assembly technique. Originality/value-The new system models assembly, product and process design using a natural approach for capturing intelligence. The new approach categorised automated assembly and manual assembly into separate individual experts. Intelligence and knowledge from each was captured and embedded within the individual expert that represented the process. This approach enabled greater flexibility and made the subsystems easier to modify, upgrade, extend and reuse.

Four types of appeal were used to determine which would be the most effective in eliciting interest in and donations to a charity for children. In a "needy child" appeal, a picture of a child who was ill-looking and poorly clothed was used to help solicit donations. In a "helped child" appeal, a picture of a healthylooking child was presented. A third type of appeal presented both a "needy" and a "helped" child, in order to demonstrate that donations could actually help the needy child to a better life. In a final control appeal, no pictures were used. Results indicated that the "helped child" appeal was most effective in eliciting interest from potential donors; the "needy child" appeal proved least effective. These results were discussed in relation to research on reactance theory, the "just world" hypothesis and interpersonal attraction.

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Knowledge-driven editors can improve productivity by taking care of the low-level details of a design artifact, and by guiding the user through an interaction. Despite this, editors that dictate their knowledge too strongly can actually reduce usability by forbidding a sequence of interactions that the user has planned -a sequence that may be the most natural to the user. This paper introduces the use of an automatically managed "To Do" list as the primary method for the knowledge agent to communicate to the user. The 'To Do" list guides the user to a correctly constructed design artifact, without overly constraining the user.

The effect of introducing a delay between a joystick and a motor controller is investigated. Time-delays are introduced to a HCI for an intelligent wheelchair. The effects of the time-delays are then investigated. The ability of wheelchair users to complete tasks is considered. Two systems and two different ways for drivers to interact with their wheelchairs are considered in various situations. Wheelchair drivers were scrutinized while they completed a task with their wheelchair. Time-delay was introduced to investigate errors made by drivers undertaking tests with and without sensors and a computer system to assist them. As the delay was extended then more errors were made. When the time-delay was longer or when the wheelchair was moving through more complex situations then users did better when assisted by a sensor system. It is suggested that in simpler situations with a shorter time-delay then little sensor assistance was required but more assistance was needed in more complicated situations or when the time-delay was longer. So it might be better to vary the sensor support provided depending on the difficulties being encountered.

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