Theme 5: Design research

Research paper about: Turning Your Mobile Into the Ball, Rendering Live Football Game Using Vibration

1. How can media technologies be evaluated?

Based on last week's subject of quantitative research, I would say that media technology has to be evaluated both in a quantitative and qualitative way. This is because media technology is based on both numbers, prototypes, and technicalities but also the human interaction with these elements. In Haibo Lee’s paper he evaluates based on three aspects: effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction. These are both quantitative and qualitative.

2. What role will prototypes play in research?

Most theories or inventions can look good on paper, but more often than not there is need for some kind of empirical data to be collected to figure out if there is true potential. A prototype is a great way to quickly recognize flaws and improvements that could be made, making it easier for test subjects to get into the same mindset as the researcher.

3. Why could it be necessary to develop a proof of concept prototype?

When explaining the product to investors they might need a proof of concept to be truly convinced of the idea. Also as mentioned above, it is easier to find faults in a prototype compared to loosely based theory.

4. What are characteristics and limitations of prototypes?

The limitations of prototypes mostly boils down to time and effort, sometimes a lot has to be put into it. A prototype also might not have the full functionality of the real product which might hamper the testing phase. There is also risk of getting stuck in the mindset of the current prototype because the researcher has spent so much effort on it.

5. How can design research be communicated/presented?

If it is through a research paper, I suggest pictures, sketches and/or videos as the main component in explaining how it works. Having a clear understanding about the product is crucial to gain insightful critique and opinions on it. For a presentation, a prototype/live demo would give the most rewarding experience for the audience, I believe. With Haibo Lee’s vibrating phone, an app (prototype) could be sent out to the audience’s phones, while Haibo kicks around a ball.

Research papers about: Finding design qualities in a tangible programming space & Differentiated Driving Range

1. What is the 'empirical data' in these two papers?

In the paper about programing space by Ylva F. & Jakob T. they had staged activities for children to play and test their prototype about programming in the real world through drag & drop. They are using the difficulties the children faced as a discussion point but there is no real data displayed, ergo no empirical data. The other one about showing the remaining capacity in an electric car is using state-of-the-art-analysis and interviews to gain insight into the subject. I am unsure if this counts as empirical data.

2. Can practical design work in itself be considered a 'knowledge contribution'?

Because design work involves human interaction as a main staple. I think the knowledge contribution could be subjective, like historically determined perception - in our current stage of time, a function such as drag & drop might be more popular than a roll-down menu. It might be an absolute fact of the human mind or just a trend within our current society, it is very context sensitive. If more people work within the same subject, closely related - they could of course learn from these design works, gaining knowledge. But all in all, I’m a bit on the fence here.

3. Are there any differences in design intentions within a research project, compared to design in general?

While design out in the market is about being mostly appealing but also functional. I think design intentions in a research project should strive towards usability as its main goal. It should be apparent from the start what the purpose of the prototype is and how it is used.

4. Is research in tech domains such as these ever replicable? How may we account for aspects such as time/historical setting, skills of the designers, available tools, etc?

I think it depends on the complexity of the research and the simplicity of the product, who is the target group and how do you test it on them? I think it is at least replicable to a certain degree, you could use the same type of prototype but as mentioned above, the trend of drag & drop might have passed, creating a different result.

5. Are there any important differences with design driven research compared to other research practices?

Design driven research is mostly about refinement, iterating over many steps to create something that is great for the user, a solution for their needs. In design I would say that the user is in focus, while in other research sectors it is more about creating new knowledge, independent of the satisfaction of the user.