Form aesthetic principles represent an aesthetic consciousness developed through long-term human labor practices, which are crucial for the design and evaluation of product form. The equilibrium aesthetic principle is a vital component of the form aesthetic principles, significantly influencing other form aesthetic principles. This study introduces a method for product form design and evaluation using an improved equilibrium measurement formula that incorporates the number of form elements and is structured in three phases: design (phase 1), evaluation (phase 2), and analysis (phase 3). In phase 1, the primary functional units (form elements) of the target product are identified, and its potential spatial arrangements are analyzed. Clay models, 2D wireframes, and 3D models are constructed based on spatial layout schemes, yielding several alternatives. In phase 2, the original equilibrium measurement formula (E_I), the improved equilibrium measurement formula (E_II), and expert perceptual questionnaires (E_III) are applied to evaluate the alternatives, obtaining their respective rankings. In phase 3, a Pearson correlation analysis is conducted on the three evaluation results, followed by a discussion of the research findings. The results show a significant correlation between E_II and E_III, with a correlation coefficient of 0.986, enabling the selection of the optimal design solution based on their rankings. The findings indicate that incorporating the number of form elements as a new parameter in the measurement formula enhances the accuracy and effectiveness of form aesthetic measurement. This paper uses the bladeless fan as an example to demonstrate the proposed method, offering product designers a novel approach to enhance form aesthetic measurement.

Universal design (UD) is a design style that promotes the design for all people regardless of their abilities and sociodemographic features. The UD is also viewed as an element of social sustainability. Shopping complexes, as one of the main places for leisure activities, can be designed and assessed based on UD to enhance the usability for all shoppers. At present, no clear definition of UD is available in shopping complex design criteria. Consequently, a very limited number of design and assessment guidelines are based on UD. The present study remedied this shortcoming in knowledge through translating and defining the conceptual components of features of UD for shopping complexes. The contribution of shopping complexes’ design elements also was identified. The aforesaid objectives were achieved through a comprehensive literature review. The findings of this review contributed to the development of conceptual models to define UD in shopping mall design. This study administrated a questionnaire to collect data, and the data were tested for model fitness using structural equation modeling. The UD translation can help practitioners and researchers to design and assess the shopping complexes to ensure all shoppers are served on an equal basis.

While there are people with disability live in Kurdish parts of Iraq, a very limited number of buildings are properly designed to serve these people. Considering the challenges that people with disability face in public buildings, the United Nations has recommended the implementation of the Universal Design (UD) principles in public buildings in Iraq to ensure that all people could have access to the public buildings regardless of their abilities and backgrounds. Hence, there is a need to gather pertinent data by assessing the adherence of shopping malls in this part of Iraq to the Universal Design (UD) principles given the role of the facilities to the locals. The present study aims to develop a tool for assessing whether the shopping malls in Sulaymaniyah city adhere to Universal Design principles. An analytical tool, which was abbreviated as SM-UD, was developed using a wide range of shopping mall design elements. The tool was tested for reliability and validity through several statistical tests. Besides, the tool was tested for practicality and communicability in six different shopping malls of Sulaymaniyah. The reliability and validity test indicate that the majority of items showed good to excellent reliability and fair to excellent validity. The results of using the tool show that it is capable of identifying the drawbacks of shopping malls in terms of their universality of design. The proposed tool appears ready to be used by shopping malls’ managers and researchers.

The complete community paradigm, emphasising walkable, self-sufficient neighbourhoods, has gained significant global traction, yet the role of sports and physical activity spaces within such frameworks remains undertheorised, particularly in dense Chinese urban environments. This paper introduces the Chrono-Adaptive Sports Space Index (CASI), a preliminary evaluative framework whose diagnostic utility is demonstrated through three contrasting case studies. CASI integrates temporal usage dynamics, demographic composition, smart-city sensor data, and multi-generational programming flexibility to assess sports environments within China’s 15-Minute Complete Community (完整社区, Wánzhěng Shèqū) policy framework. Unlike existing frameworks that assess sports spaces through static metrics, CASI proposes that sports environments must be evaluated across four temporal dimensions: diurnal rhythms, weekly cycles, seasonal transitions, and demographic lifecycle shifts. The four sub-indices are weighted equally (25 points each) as a deliberate first-generation design choice reflecting the absence of pre-existing empirical benchmarks; this assumption requires empirical validation in future research. Through exploratory multi-case analysis of communities in Shanghai (Jing’an District), Chengdu (Tianfu New Area), and Beijing (Chaoyang District), this study provides preliminary evidence suggesting that temporally inert sports spaces may be associated with utilisation losses of 38–52% during off-peak periods and the systematic exclusion of elderly and child populations; these figures should be treated as indicative estimates pending broader empirical validation. A Chrono-Adaptive Design Protocol (CADP) is proposed as a conceptual, practice-informed protocol awaiting prospective empirical evaluation. This research is better characterised as a framework development and initial exploratory application study rather than a validation of a mature instrument. Its primary contribution is a new theoretical and diagnostic lens for complete community planning, together with an agenda for the empirical work needed to develop CASI into a broadly applicable assessment tool. The study’s limitations and a structured five-priority future research agenda are presented in a dedicated section following the Conclusions.