Research Products: Evolving Prototypes for Long-Term User Interaction
Category: Modelling · Effect: Moderate effect · Year: 2016
The concept of a 'research product' offers a more robust framework than traditional 'research prototypes' for investigating complex, long-term human-technology relationships in everyday contexts.
Design Takeaway
When designing for long-term user engagement, move beyond the ephemeral nature of prototypes and aim to create 'research products' that feel more complete, contextually appropriate, and capable of independent exploration by users.
Why It Matters
As design research moves beyond immediate usability to explore sustained engagement and emotional connection with technology, the methods for creating and evaluating these interactions must also evolve. Research products provide a tangible means to explore these deeper, more nuanced aspects of user experience over time.
Key Finding
The study proposes 'research products' as an evolution of 'research prototypes' to better study long-term user interactions with technology, highlighting qualities like a sense of completion and contextual fit.
Key Findings
- Traditional research prototypes are often insufficient for studying long-term user engagement and complex human-technology relationships.
- Research products, characterized by being inquiry-driven, having a sense of finish, fitting into specific contexts, and operating independently, offer a more suitable model for this type of research.
- These research products enable deeper generative inquiries into how users interact with technology over extended periods and in everyday life.
Research Evidence
Aim: How can the concept of a 'research product,' with its emphasis on inquiry-driven design, finish, fit, and independence, extend the utility of traditional research prototypes in exploring long-term human-technology relationships?
Method: Design Research Case Studies
Procedure: The authors define four key qualities of research products (inquiry-driven, finish, fit, and independent) and analyze five distinct design research projects that exemplify these qualities, illustrating how these 'products' facilitate generative inquiries into user interaction over time.
Context: Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and Design Research
Design Principle
For research exploring sustained human-technology interaction, prioritize the creation of 'research products' that exhibit a degree of finish, contextual fit, and user independence to facilitate deeper, long-term generative inquiries.
How to Apply
When undertaking a design project that investigates how users interact with a product over weeks or months, consider building a more polished and contextually integrated artifact (a research product) rather than a purely functional, early-stage prototype.
Limitations
The concept of 'finish' can be subjective and may vary depending on the research goals; the independence of a research product might be constrained by the research context.
Student Guide (IB Design Technology)
Simple Explanation: Sometimes, just making a quick model isn't enough to see how people really use something over a long time. This idea suggests making a more finished, real-feeling 'research product' to better understand those long-term uses.
Why This Matters: This concept helps you think about how to best represent your design idea for testing, especially if you want to see how people use it over a longer period, not just for a quick test.
Critical Thinking: To what extent does the pursuit of 'finish' in a research product risk prematurely closing off avenues for user innovation or unexpected use cases?
IA-Ready Paragraph: The development of this design artifact was informed by the concept of 'research products,' which extend traditional prototypes by emphasizing inquiry-driven design, a sense of finish, contextual fit, and user independence. This approach was adopted to better investigate the long-term interaction and evolving relationship between users and the proposed design in its intended everyday context.
Project Tips
- Consider the longevity of your design's interaction with users when deciding whether to create a prototype or a research product.
- Think about how 'finished' your artifact needs to feel to elicit genuine long-term use and feedback.
How to Use in IA
- Reference this concept when discussing the iterative development of your design, particularly if you move from early prototypes to more refined models for user testing.
Examiner Tips
- Demonstrate an understanding of how the fidelity and context of your design artifact influence the type of user insights you can gather.
Independent Variable: Type of artifact (research prototype vs. research product)
Dependent Variable: Depth and nature of user insights regarding long-term interaction
Controlled Variables: Research context, user group, duration of study
Strengths
- Provides a framework for studying complex, long-term user-technology relationships.
- Offers a practical evolution from the concept of research prototypes.
Critical Questions
- How do we objectively measure 'finish' in a research product?
- What are the ethical considerations when designing 'independent' research products for users?
Extended Essay Application
- An Extended Essay could explore the evolution of prototyping methodologies in HCI, comparing the utility of research prototypes versus research products for investigating specific design challenges over extended periods.
Source
From Research Prototype to Research Product · 2016 · 10.1145/2858036.2858447