Iterations
User
Testing
& Evaluation
Researching and Investigating |
Before you can come up with some design ideas or solutions, you will probably want to do some more research to acquire the information you need to start. For example, you may have gaps in your knowledge about electronics and / or properties of components or materials to design the housing. You might also feel it is necessary to find out more about the type of people you are designing the product for and limitations they may have. TRACKS contains tutorials, activities and CAD tools to help you. Other places to find out the information you need include the internet, intranet, libraries, books, local businesses etc.
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The Design Brief |
Your design brief should be a short clear statement about what you need to do. It might start: "To design and make a ....for...." Before you can write the design brief, you need to come to some conclusions about your meeting, observations and conversations with the user. To help you do this, write down statements about the user and context on different pieces of paper. Now spread out the pieces of paper and by looking at them carefully, try to make some connections. You want to create a view point of your own about what is needed. This personal view and empathy with the user and their needs is crucial when you go on to produce design ideas and solutions.
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Analysis and Synthesis |
Analysis involves breaking down the user's needs and problem into smaller chunks so it can be solved more easily. Synthesis, on the other hand, is the bringing back together of these to produce the coherent whole or overal design solution. The iterative design process allows you to move between these phases in stages. The "smaller chunks" might concern: What
your product needs to do - What weight
and size it might be - Whether it uses
battery power - How
it can be maintained - What
safety considerations are important - What
the maximum cost should be and the total number of units to be made
- What
environment the product will need to work in and the
Ergonomic factors that will make it easier and more comfortable to use.
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Design Specification |
The design specification can be written after you have considered the user's needs and the context. It is a list of the requirements you are finding a solution for and allows you to define the design challenge. Although it is used as a starting point for your designing, you can revise the specification as you refine your ideas and thinking throughout the design process. A
specification might
state specific requirements. For instance, the maximum allowable weight
and size of the product, or the actual colour of the materials to be
used (eg. "The housing must be blue"). Points in the specification
can be left more open however. For instance, "The colour of the
housing should be vivid and cheerful". This would provide you with
more choice when you start to consider the colour and appearance of
the product.
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Iterations |
The middle white band shows some of the activities that can take place when designing iteratively. Some of these will require speculation or critical appraisal and others discussion, modelling or testing in the real world. As the designer, you will need to decide if and at what time they are done. When you model or test your design ideas, you will normally need to adapt or refine them many times to produce the solution you are looking for. These are known as iterations. The design activities and processes are usually carried out cyclically when doing this. By designing and testing in stages, it enables unforseen problems to be noticed earlier. Smaller problems can be resolved more easily than larger ones and, as such, they are normally quicker and less costly to solve.
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User Testing of Prototypes |
Try to create your test scenario in a location that captures the real situation or context of the user's life. By providing a real experience for them, you can watch and observe how they interact with your solution. Any potential problems will surface more easily and these can inform you about how your prototype needs to be refined to make it better. Try to show the user the prototype but not tell them about it as they will reveal more about their experiences when using it. It is often helpful to provide alternative solutions or variations for the user to consider too. Interestingly these can help to provide more information about the user and their needs.
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FastTrack
+ Design
Considerations
(click for details)
A Guide to
User Centred
Iterative
Design
(click headings for
more details)
![]() ![]() A
Guide to User Centred Iterative Design
The Design Brief Your design brief should be a short clear statement about what you need to do. It might start: "To design and make a ....for...." Before you can write the design brief, you need to come to some conclusions about your meeting, observations and conversations with the user. To help you do this, write down statements about the user and context on different pieces of paper. Now spread out the pieces of paper and by looking at them carefully, try to make some connections. You want to create a view point of your own about what is needed. This personal view and empathy with the user and their needs is crucial when you go on to produce design ideas and solutions.
Design Specification The design specification can be written after you have considered the user's needs and the context. It is a list of the requirements you are finding a solution for and allows you to define the design challenge. Although it is used as a starting point for your designing, you can revise the specification as you refine your ideas and thinking throughout the design process. A specification might state specific requirements. For instance, the maximum allowable weight and size of the product, or the actual colour of the materials to be used (eg. "The housing must be blue"). Points in the specification can be left more open however. For instance, "The colour of the housing should be vivid and cheerful". This would provide you with more choice when you start to consider the colour and appearance of the product.
Researching and Investigating Before you can come up with some design ideas or solutions, you will probably want to do some more research to acquire the information you need to start. For example, you may have gaps in your knowledge about electronics and / or properties of components or materials to design the housing. You might also feel it is necessary to find out more about the type of people you are designing the product for and limitations they may have. TRACKS contains tutorials, activities and CAD tools to help you. Other places to find out the information you need include the internet, intranet, libraries, books, local businesses etc.
Analysis and Synthesis Analysis involves breaking down the user's needs and problem into smaller chunks so it can be solved more easily. Synthesis, on the other hand, is the bringing back together of these to produce the coherent whole or overal design solution. The iterative design process allows you to move between these phases in stages. The "smaller chunks" might concern: What your product needs to do - What weight and size it might be - Whether it uses battery power - How it can be maintained - What safety considerations are important - What the maximum cost should be and the total number of units to be made - What environment the product will need to work in and the Ergonomic factors that will make it easier and more comfortable to use.
Iterations The middle white band shows some of the activities that can take place when designing iteratively. Some of these will require speculation or critical appraisal and others discussion, modelling or testing in the real world. As the designer, you will need to decide if and at what time they are done. When you model or test your design ideas, you will normally need to adapt or refine them many times to produce the solution you are looking for. These are known as iterations. The design activities and processes are usually carried out cyclically when doing this. By designing and testing in stages, it enables unforseen problems to be noticed earlier. Smaller problems can be resolved more easily than larger ones and, as such, they are normally quicker and less costly to solve.
User Testing of Prototypes Try to create your test scenario in a location that captures the real situation or context of the user's life. By providing a real experience for them, you can watch and observe how they interact with your solution. Any potential problems will surface more easily and these can inform you about how your prototype needs to be refined to make it better. Try to show the user the prototype but not tell them about it as they will reveal more about their experiences when using it. It is often helpful to provide alternative solutions or variations for the user to consider too. Interestingly these can help to provide more information about the user and their needs.
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