Output details

Designing a design tool: working with industry to create an information appliance design methodology

This paper presents guidelines on what a prototype-based methodology founded on industry needs and challenges should include. The paper is an exploration of current industry practice and how it is affected by a variety of influences and problems. It details the collaboration between the Programme for Advanced Interactive Prototype Research (PAIPR) group and three key commercial partners: Sony Ericsson, Samsung and Alloy Total Product Design (a UK top-five design consultancy) as well as the result of a ‘stress test’ project sponsored by Audi in which the group designed and developed a product in 24 hours. All three commercial partners were involved in trialling the design and prototyping methods. This very close development of an applied technique by an HEI-based researcher in partnership with industry is not unique in academic research, but it is unusual in this field and few research outputs deal with hands on industry issues in such depth and over a significant period. The issues that the research sought to address are well recognised in the field and so the guidelines that form this output are known to be required. The paper represents a frank appraisal of the successes (e.g. Sony-Ericsson Smartphones’ adoption of our method) and its drawbacks. It concludes by drawing out lessons that will be of use to a range of research groups tackling similar and overlapping issues by providing insight into actual problems followed by concrete proposals on which researchers can build.