Theme 5: Design Research

We started out by reading the research paper Comics, Robots, Fashion and Programming: outlining the concept of actDresses by Farnaeus, Y & Jacobsson, M. The paper is about how semiotics in comics and fashion can be used to develop a new physical language. So the writers introduce a design concept called actDresses. The concept is that different kinds of physical markings such as physical clothing, labels, and accessories, which after being attached to digital objects, indicates some behavior, action or property of the object. Today stickers and cases are common accessories that we use to make our technology more personalized and I think that one of the key points that the writers mention in the paper is that we nowadays want technology to be customized to our individual preferences.

Protoypes

A prototype is an early test version of a product, design or function that usually do not have all the features that the final product will have. The word prototype derives from Greek and means primitive form, which means that a prototype is often created with less quality, less expensive materials and is nowhere near as advanced as the final product will be.

Using a prototype is an easy way to test a prduct at an early stage to see what improvements need to be done. The best way to test and refine the prototypes in the design process is with the help of users evaluating usability. The three factors that play into how useful a prototype are effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction.

Making use of prototypes is a relatively inexpensive way to test advanced ideas and see what is possible to achieve and not. If we would not use prototypes we would probably throw away a lot of money on unsuccessful advanced research. But developing a prototype and adjusting it can be expensive and take a lot of time. And the prototype is also a primitive form of the final product, which makes it hard to evaluate what the product will actually be like.