Rapid development of information appliances: Future approaches for designers

Abstract

This is a collaborative paper proposing the use of ethnofuturism (a combination of techniques, such as environmental scanning and trend forecasting, to predict future user trends) with rapid information appliance design and development techniques. The authors propose a design development model for information appliances that utilise ethnofuturism as an integral component of the design development process.

In this paper, methods for forecasting trends are discussed, followed by a brief description of the Information Ergonomics (IE) System (see Gill output 1). Empirical results from tests on 48 users are analysed using ANOVA, indicating the value of three-dimensional information appliance prototype development. The paper concludes with proposals for full integration of ethnofuturist methodologies with 3D working prototype development in the design development of information appliances. The significance of the paper lies mainly in two aspects:

1. Its proposal that research in ethnographic forecasting methods, and research in rapid information appliance design, be applied in tandem.

2. The empirical test results prove that the standard industry method of testing information appliances at the low and medium fidelity stages of development is severely flawed. The results clearly demonstrate that screen-based prototypes of three-dimensional appliances give consistently misleading results.

In proving a key component of the IE System’s claims, these results also point towards further research (so far unpublished) with even more dramatic results, demonstrating that a very low fidelity 3D prototype can give radically faster, better, cheaper results than a high fidelity screen based prototype. This confirmed earlier live trial observations made by Sony-Ericsson’s Smartphone interface design team, a key collaborator. The results also directly contributed to PAIPR winning of a research student bursary and a research council funded study of physicality.

Gill's contribution was focussed primarily on 2 above. Each author contributed equally to this research.