Now the course will shift with emphasis on skills and prototyping in a variety of dimensions (e.g. paper, lo/hi-fi, experience..). We will still be connecting this portion of the course to our earlier discussions on theories (e.g. hermeneutics,  phenomenology, etc..).

Examples of Prototyping (that is, particular portions of these phenomena):

• processes
• sequences
• conceptual models/frameworks
• interfaces
• products
• experiences

We’re not just designing an interface, but rather an ecosystem and prototyping can help flesh out some of the complex issues surrounding your design and its impact on direct and indirect stakeholders.

• when you make a prototype focus in on a core question–this helps design the process through which you’ll create your prototype
• we can use theory to take old methodologies (which have certain assumption that don’t really apply any longer) and create new (and more relevant) approaches (e.g. transition to experience prototyping)

Notion of triangulation

• concept taken from ethnography
• a professional observer joins a particular community
• strategy is to get three independent streams of data (e.g. survey, interview, observation) & then look for patterns emerging among all three
• Contextual Inquiry has pracitioners creating 5 types data in order to see patterns emerging among them

Take home points:

• We must distinguish between formulating vs. evaluating ideas
  • formulating = not good idea, needs iteration (good for low fidelity)
  • evaluating = think you are pretty close and testing to see how well it (i.e. the idea) works (good for high fidelity)
• Distinguish between things (e.g. interfaces), logic, and processes
  • aspects of products (e.g. experiential dimensions of interaction)
  • logic (e.g. IA, organizational structure)
  • sequences of tasks
• Low vs. High Technology Prototypes
  • do not assume a correlation between low/high tech & low/high fidelity

Facebook in-class design assignment for Thursday’s class.