TINK - sketching product experiences of connected objects

User research - 61
analysed at the end.
• A third approach used, was to
consider an action as a consequent
set of events happening on different
layers. This approach requires a
very good understanding of how the
system is working and therefore was
mostly used by the participant with
software engineering background.
While most of the session started with
different approaches, at the end of the
exercise, in all the session was observed
a switch towards the third approach of
filling the scheme. This can be interpreted
as a consequence of the fact that the
scheme, after a short learning time is
easily understood and therefore is used in
a fluent way.
At first glance some participants found
the model confusing: the openness of
the model in fact does not suggest any
procedure to fill it in nor a clear starting
point.
Some other limitation of the model were
discovered:
• In a complex system of connected
object multiple entities can play a
role, Expanding the diagram with
multiple users, objects and devices
might be required in order to have a
clear representation of the system,
however, this might result in a
complicated tangle of arrows.
• If an object performs an action
towards the environment, this is not
considered by the diagram.**
In the section of the model between object
and data, it is interesting to notice that
while the data being sent to the cloud
are always simple data, (a number, a
location etc.. ) the data that the object
or a device retrieve from the cloud are
most of the times complex information
(preferences, behaviours etc…) derived
from data recorded over time and/or by the
collections of data produced by different
entities.
Designing the system diagram
The assignment of designing a system
diagram was voluntarily vague; no
indication on how a system map is
supposed to look like was given in order to
not influence the participants. Due to this
reason four completely different system
diagram were produced.
Anna and Claudia designed the system map
as a series of actions that are happening
one after the other. The system diagram
they designed represent how different
actions are happening in a chronological
order.
This kind of system is therefore very close
to a representation of the concept in the
form of a storyboard.
In the short interview done after the test
it was stated by the participants that
** The communication model presented in chapter 2 was modified including the places entity in order to solve
this issue.