Gareth Loudon

THE TRADITIONAL DESIGN PROCESS VERSUS A NEW DESIGN METHODOLOGY

This paper reports on the results of an exercise held at the National Centre for Product Design Research (PDR) which is based at the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff (UWIC) in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, and two UK Top Ten design consultancies, Alloy Product Design and PDD. The event was sponsored by the Audi Design Foundation and set out to cover the ground from briefing document to the full design and prototyping of an Information Appliance within 24 hours. The exercise was undertaken by two teams, one based in London at PDD’s headquarters and comprising staff from PDD and Nottingham Trent, and another comprising staff from UWIC and Alloy Product Design, based in Cardiff. The latter team had access to an interface development methodology described in the paper while the former did not. This paper will initially concentrate on the activities of the interface design team based in Cardiff, their design strategies and, in particular, their use of the prototyping methodologies developed at UWIC. The paper reports on the structure of the “day”, negotiations between the various teams, the consequent concessions and the integration of GUI and hardware aspects of the interface design process. It then examines the results of the Nottingham Trent/PDD team’s efforts and compares the approaches and the results. In conclusion it examines the UWIC interface development methodology process’s strengths and weaknesses, particularly through comparison with the more traditional design approach undertaken by the other team.

Active and passive physicality: making the most of low fidelity physical interactive prototypes

This paper presents three case-studies which comprise a systematic investigation into the use of low fidelity physical interactive prototyping techniques to form a design principle based on the constructs of active and passive physicality. It proposes that, with a better understanding of active and passive physicality, designers can make more effective prototypes for early stage user trials. Results of our studies indicate that the most effective prototypes balance both active and passive physicality equally. In addition, the notion of physicality can demonstrate why, in our studies; paper prototyping, screen-based prototypes and even Arduino prototypes produced unsatisfactory user data.

The effect of physicality on low fidelity interactive prototyping for design practice

In this paper we propose the concept of ’active’ and ’passive’ physicality as mental models to help in understanding the role of low fidelity prototypes in the design process for computer embedded products. We define ‘active physicality’ as how the prototype and its software react to users and ‘passive physicality’ as how the prototype looks and feels offline. User trials of four different types of ‘low fidelity’ prototypes were undertaken using an existing product as the datum. Each prototype was analysed in terms of active and passive physicality and user responses were collated and compared qualitatively and quantitatively. The results suggest that prototypes that balance both active and passive physicality produce data closer to the final device than those that are strong in one at the expense of the other.

Getting into Context Early: A comparative study of laboratory and in-context user testing of low fidelity information appliance prototypes

ABSTRACT For designers developing information appliances, bringing together the physical and digital elements of a product early in the design process presents a prototyping challenge. Whilst prototyping methods have been developed to address this need, these methods have so far only been evaluated using laboratory-based testing approaches. This paper argues that testing in-context should also be supported by prototyping methods, and presents the findings of a comparative study between a laboratory and in-context user test of early information appliance prototypes. A key question was whether the type of ‘rough and ready’ prototypes frequently found in user laboratory setting might, with some careful development, be suitable for in-context testing. The results of the study show that in-context and laboratory testing of early, ‘rough and ready’ prototypes uncovered different usability problems. In this study, in-context testing of prototypes uncovered problems with physical inputs and product format not seen in the laboratory environment. In contrast, the increased opportunities for spontaneous user reflection during laboratory testing provided insights into user expectations of functionality not seen during in-context testing.

Organisational learning capability in SMEs: An empirical development of innovation in the supply chain

Abstract Evidence that a company’s innovation performance, Knowledge Management capability, and its corporate and operational performance are inextricably linked has been the focus of numerous academic studies over recent years. Whilst a significant body of research exists focusing on learning at company level, little research exists on how supply chains learn and innovate in collaborative working environments. The aim of this paper is to determine the learning and innovation skills that emerged from a collaborative project with new developed supply chain. Its focus is on identifying how each organisation within the supply chain developed its Organisational Learning Capability (OLC) when the companies were tasked to collaborate and develop a new and innovative product. The companies had not previously worked with each other and so the project monitored the level of collaborative activity as well as innovative output from the collaboration. The results suggest that improved organistional learning capabilities led to increased levels of organisational innovation as well as improved supply chain collaboration. The paper concludes with the development of a Supply Chain Organisational Learning and Innovation Framework (SCOLIF) and the identification of a number of cultural dimensions which are considered useful for managers and engineers to consider when implementing innovation projects.

Affect and Dialogue in Collaborative Cross- Disciplinary Research: Developing Interactive Public Art on Cardiff Bay Barrage

Abstract Where Cartesian philosophy distinguishes the perceiving and perceptual mind from the body, phenomenology constitutes the experiential/experiencing body as the subject, giving rise to the affective potential of art. An immersive world of digital connections, smart cities and the Internet of Everything dramatises the centrality of relationship, the intertwining of Self and Other, in the lived environments of human experience. This article addresses the contextual, disciplinary and practical challenges encountered in developing an ambitious interactive public art project embedding SMART technology on the coastal fringes of Cardiff, the capital city of Wales (UK). It examines the processes and problems involved in delivering a stimulating aesthetic experience in and on a complex site, for a complex audience profile. It traces, in particular, the dependence of a multi-disciplinary project team on the theoretical and practical effects of affect in their ongoing effort to produce engaging, provocative, socially inclusive interactive public art, in and through human-centred design techniques.

Collaborative Research Model for Designing Sustainable Water Usage Solutions

This paper was published in Smart Innovation, Systems and Technologies on 26 February 2017 (online), available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-3518-0_84

Improving Aid Through Good Design: A Case Study in Rural Zambia

This paper presents case study material relating to the application of a process of Human-Centred Design that draws upon Design Thinking for the development of medical products for rural Zambia. The underpinning method was developed in response to calls for the development of culturally and contextually appropriate medical product solutions as opposed to the current solution; directly imported products and methods from industrialised nations. The authors note the benefits and limitations of the approach taken, reflect on the resulting insights and provide recommendations for future studies.

Rich digital collaborations in a small rural community

In this chapter we describe experience in the design and installation of a low-cost multi-touch table in a rural island community. We discuss the creation of the table including: pragmatic challenges of installation, and then re-installation as the physical fabric of the multi-purpose building (cafe, cinema, meeting area and cattle market) altered; technical challenges of using off-the-shelf components to create state-of-the art multi-touch interactions and tactile BYOD (bring your own device) end-user programming; design challenges of creating high-production value bespoke mountings and furniture using digital fabrication in an environment that could include sewing needles, ketchup laden sandwiches and cow manure. The resulting installation has been used in semi-in-the-wild studies of bespoke applications, leading to understandings of the way small communities could use advanced interactions. More broadly this sits within a context of related studies of information technology in rural developments and a desire to understand how communities can become users of the rich streams of open data now available, and, perhaps more important, offer ways in which small communities can become empowered through the creation and control of their own data.