Advancing Circular Economy in the Built Environment: A Framework for User-Centered Software Tool Development
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| Publicado en: | ISARC. Proceedings of the International Symposium on Automation and Robotics in Construction vol. 42 (2025), p. 730-738 |
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IAARC Publications
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| Acceso en línea: | Citation/Abstract Full Text - PDF |
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| Resumen: | The construction industry (CI) is widely recognized for its inherent reluctance to adopt new digital tools, largely due to less than optimum user interface and user-centered functionalities compared to other sectors. Poorly designed software tools that fail to consider users' needs, such as ease of use, adaptability, and intuitive learning experiences face limited acceptance. Despite this understanding, few studies have reviewed user-oriented capabilities in software tools for the construction industry, particularly those designed for circular economy applications, resulting in tools with fragmented functionalities. This qualitative study addresses this gap by identifying key user-centered requirements for circular economy (CE) software tools (STs), focusing on tools for material inventorying. A literature-based review is performed to develop an evaluation framework adapting the framework of life-cycle assessment (LCA) tools for early-design stages four themes: Input, Analysis, Output, and User Interface (UI) or User Experience (UX). Using this framework, four commercially available STs for material inventorying of built facilities were evaluated to understand their relevance to support CE practices. Results indicate that essential user requirements such as integration, decision-making support, adaptability, and interoperability with other CE technologies are largely unmet. Additionally, no comprehensive tool currently addresses performing financial analyses of various deconstruction techniques, and disposal choices. The proposed framework with user-centered criteria provides a valuable roadmap for developing user-friendly software tools, to advance circular economy practices. While the user-centered needs are defined based on literature, there is a necessity to assign an order of importance to these criteria from the perspective of industry stakeholders. |
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| Fuente: | Advanced Technologies & Aerospace Database |