TINK - sketching product experiences of connected objects

Graduation Assignment - 17
phase. Along the process, through several
iterations, the designer moves from ideas
to formulating a concept, to refinement
of that concept, and then detailing and
designing the final product.
Different kinds of sketches are used trough
the all process: in the beginning of the
process a lot of sketches are done quickly
as an explorative technique to support the
ideation phase.
When the idea develops, tests are
conducted to evaluate and improve the
design. Several aspects of the interaction
might be tested separately and integrated
together in the next steps. At the end the
integration of the different component of
the design (such as materials, aesthetics,
interface…) will result in a product that
will look, feel, and behave very similar to
the one that is going to be produced.
A sketch with this level of detailing is
defined a prototype.
The sketches done along an iterative design
process are not just conventional paper
sketch, but they can assume different
forms according to the features that have
to be understood, experimented, and
tested. The sketch might take the shape of
a clay model, a mechanical contraption, or
a website.
While the practice of sketching is
fundamental in every design practice, in
the field of interaction design, sketching
covers even a more important role. If it is
in fact possible to understand the visual
aesthetic of a juicer from a rendering, it is
impossible to experience how that object
will feel like and will behave in your hands
without a model, a prototype.
1.1.4 Terminology
The semantic problem between the use
of the word “sketch” and “prototype”
in the interaction design practice and in
theory must be solved in order to avoid
misunderstanding along the rest of the
report.
Two useful concepts have been identified
to refer to those artefacts that are built
along the design process and go beyond
the conventional paper sketch but still
don’t present the accuracy of a prototype.
The practice of “sketching in hardware”,
refers to the strong sketchy, almost messy
and more designerly connotations, has
the benefit of emphasizing the material
and experimental qualities 5 . On the other
hand, “experiential prototyping” highlights
that the goal is to design and support the
experience and not the prototype (or the
built artefact). 5
I will use in the concept of “experiential
prototype” in the rest of the report as
it provides more flexibility to describe
the spectrum of sketchy and less sketchy
artefacts produced along the design
process to describe physical representation
of the design developed with the scope of
testing a part or the entire interaction.
Moreover, this term is the one commonly
used within the TU Delft design community
to describe to this practice.