IDE 20 - (Non-Engineering) Design
Experience
Method
Tools
Engineers are weird
Just look in the mirror!
Dilbert “the knack”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlJsPa6UwcM&feature=related
You are probably concerned PRIMARILY with
functionality and features
FUNCTIONALITY
FEATURES
Engineers are willing to ignore other important
characteristics of design that most of society
thinks are important, e.g. color
Function vs. Experience
Both are important!
Why is experience
important?
Everything we design is
eventually experienced.
Interaction Experience
Cell phone
Social Experience
Driving a car
Personal Experience
Getting lunch
Which daily experiences are not smooth?
These bad experiences are opportunities for
DESIGN!
Method
Visual vs. Mathematical
Who does this?
architecture
industrial design
service design
interior design
interaction design
automotive design
graphic design
video game design
entertainment design
fashion design
Exploration
Can take weeks or months!
Original Honda Odyssey design
NO SOLUTIONS
(frustrating for engineers!)
Concepts
Form concepts
Color concepts
Interaction concepts
Copyright Cuusoo
Feedback
Customers
Engineers
Marketing
Management
Refine Concepts
Adjust and Modify
Add new details as needed
Prepare for manufacturing
Final Design
Fully Functional
Aesthetics
Interactions
Discuss possible solution to frustrating design.
Tools and Techniques
Design for Experience
Role Playing
Imagine yourself in the
customer’s shoes
Talk through a specific scenario
Get away from solutions to try to
understand the problems
Storyboarding
Visual description
Can demonstrate current
situation
Or, demonstrate potential design
concepts
Surveys
Detailed questions
Can ask A LOT of potential
customers
Don’t need to interact personally
with potential customers
Ethnographic
Observation
Can see people in their
environment
Easy to make observations that
people may not be aware of
Can only interview limited
customers
Flow Pattern Diagram
Visualization of how people move
through areas
Can provide insight into layout
and placement
Foam Modeling
Form and interaction models
Fast and easy to build
Can include colors and other
features
Can build to scale
Focus Groups
Group of specifically selected
potential customers
Can get feedback on design
concepts and ideas
Allow for interaction between
customers which can produce
unexpected insights
Don’t forget: you cannot design alone.