integrating interaction design evaluation into product design
DESCRIPTION
Formative evaluation plays an important role in the domain of interaction design (IXD). It occurs throughout the design and development processes, with the results of evaluation feeding back to revise the design. How important is formative evaluation in a product design process? Will this method obstruct creativity, or it can inspire and promote better design? In the fall of 2010, students from a senior-level product design course and a graduate-level interaction design course were grouped together to work on a GE Healthcare sponsored design project: home-based health monitors for individuals with Cerebral Palsy, Parkinson’s Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, and Arthritis. Product design students led the overall process of design: investigating the diseases, brainstorming the concepts and finalizing the design with stages of prototypes and computer models. IXD students acted in two roles: designing the interactive design components of the concepts and running formative evaluations iteratively to improve the outcome during the process. They adopted several evaluation methods, including usability testing, interface criticism, cognitive walkthrough, and heuristic evaluation at different stages to evaluate and improve the design outcomes. Instead of being an outside critic, they actively participated in the creation process. Product design students gained from the experience of working in a multi-role team, listening to the evaluation results, and integrating suggestions into their work. This paper reports the structure and outcomes of these design collaborations, highlights the gains and losses in the process, and most importantly, illustrates a potential path to conduct such design education in the future.TRANSCRIPT
Integrating Interaction Design Evaluationinto Product Design Process
STEVE VISSERProfessor of Industrial Design
CHERYL ZHENYU QIANAssistant Professor of Interaction DesignDepartment of Art and Design
An urgent need to considerdigital interaction
User Interaction Experience00
interface + navigation
Interface
00
A boundary across which two independent systems meet and act on or communicate with each other.
Interface00
What is the industrial designer’s responsibility?
Physical interface itself
or
Integration of digital & physical interface
User Interface00
Engi
neer
ing-
cent
ered
user
-cen
tere
d
A Humanized InterfaceLessons learned so far:• Don’t replace humans • Don’t replicate humans• Reflect human behavior.
Three qualities of the human interface (Christopher Fahey, IXDA 2010)– Sentience– Intimacy– Personality
00
Navigation00
Lost in the navigation01
01
Lost in the navigation
To integrate physical and digital interaction in education, there are gaps
Gap between design and cognitive science
01
Gap between design and information technology
01
Gap between design and evaluation methods
01
GE Healthcare Home Monitor
for patients of Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's, Arthritis, Cerebral Palsy
What are the home monitors on the market?
Existing Product Usability Tests00
Identified Problems00
Diseases Research00
Empathetic Research00
Identified Many ProblemsFor example, for CP• Impossible to make universal product creation since no two CP patients are exactly the same.• If wake up during the midnight, it is very hard to adjust position and fall back to sleep• Lack of resources to organize series of training• Lack of adequate information resources for patients who are over age of 18.• Expensive products and treatments• Eager to regain some form of freedom: from human aides, of movement, of social interaction.
…
00
The design goal changed from monitoring to improving the chronic conditions and life quality
Concept Progression00
Each team illustrate 12 design concepts
Review Concepts00
96 design concepts generated from 8 teams
Physical Prototypes00
Digital Prototypes00
Design Evaluation00
Multiple Sclerosis Problem
33© 2011 Cheryl Zhenyu Qian, Purdue University
Design Outcome
© 2011 Cheryl Zhenyu Qian, Purdue University
© 2011 Cheryl Zhenyu Qian, Purdue University
© 2011 Cheryl Zhenyu Qian, Purdue University
© 2011 Cheryl Zhenyu Qian, Purdue University
© 2011 Cheryl Zhenyu Qian, Purdue University
© 2011 Cheryl Zhenyu Qian, Purdue University
00Arthritis Problem
The solution.
Fits comfortably in hand
Design Outcome of Enable
Track how long you have been inactiveDesign Outcome for Arthritis
Design Outcome00
School of Visual and Performing Arts– Industrial and Interaction Design– Graphic Design (VCD)– Electronic and time-based Arts
College of Engineering– Mechanic Engineering– Computing Engineering– Electronic Engineering
Push the envelope of design
www.interactiondesign.us
Deadline: Feb. 1st, 2012