TINK - sketching product experiences of connected objects

90 - TINK
5.4 User Test
As described in the previous chapter,
TINK is a big platform made of several
components. While testing the entire
platform would require an extended test
with a fully functional prototype, a user
test was performed using the partially
developed prototype.
The test focused on understanding how
interaction designers with different levels
of technical skills use TINK to sketch a
system diagram of Connected Objects.
5.4.1 User test goals
As the main contribution brought by TINK
is the possibility of sketching system
diagram of connected objects composed
of multiple entities and devices, the test
examined the following research questions:
• Does the platform allow the sketching
of system diagram of IOT kind of
products?
• Is the naming scheme used for the
platform comprehensible?
• Do interaction designers feel
empowered by TINK?
• Do programmers feel facilitated by
TINK
• Is the interface usable?
5.4.2 User test setup
Similarly to the layout of the user research,
the test involved six interaction designers
with different levels of programming skills.
Each hour long session had two participants
working together.
The participants involved in the study
never saw the platform before the test.
The test, divided in 4 phases were videorecorded
for future analysis.
The main phases of the test consisted
of designing a connected products, and
representing the system diagram of it; first
on paper and then using TINK.
1)DESIGN A CONNECTED PRODUCT (10min.)
A design assignment was given to the
participants:
MY SOCIAL LIFE
How can I become less entwined with
social media? Social media appears
to eat the time and energy that I
would rather spend with my friends
and family in real life. Do I feel I will
miss out on important updates? What
does it mean to be connected through
social media? Could you invent a way
to move me from online to offline
interactions with my friends? How
can I move from social media to
social life?
Because during the first session it was
observed that the participants were taking
much more time than expected to come
up with an idea due to the complexity of
the assignment, in the second and third