Reflections
This week was all about design research and the use of prototypes. The intension of the two lectures was to give an idea on how design technologies, prototypes and artifacts can contribute to research. In particular, it was stressed how important the idea creation and the use of prototypes is, especially for a technical driven research. Therefore, the week was helpful for me to get to know the process of designing research and developing prototypes, topics I have not had knowledge about before.
The questions we had to ask ourselves are how we actually have to come up with ideas, how we then filter and validate them, and how we communicate ideas in the end. The most important step in coming up with a high-value idea is to focus on the problem. In particular, there is a difference between a problem and the real problem of a situation. Our teacher exemplified this by setting two people in the woods, when suddenly a bear comes into the scene. Since the bear conveniently is hungry and certainly a faster runner, the two have a problem now. As the lecturer pointed out though, the real problem is not who can run faster, but who can outrun the other person.
Transferred to the design process, it is more important to define the actual problem than to follow the first thought of solution that comes into your mind. Ninety per cent of our time should therefore be taken to find the real problem while ten per cent of the time should be focused on finding a solution.
What I deducted from this particularly is the connection between the real problem and the idea. A great idea actually works, because it complements the real problem with or without knowing it.
So, how do you come up with a potentially great idea? You have to find a real pain point first, meaning a real problem that needs solving. If the market and the timing is right in addition, you have to check if the idea is able too stand strong when further pursued. I compared these criteria on inventions, which we clearly still benefit of today and which were designed out of genius ideas: the TV remote control (1955), the Microwave oven (1955), the Jet Airliner (1958), the Industrial Robot (1961), the Communications Satellite (1962) or the LED (1962), just to name a few (Hutchinson, 2005). Although market situations tend to change quickly, it is apparent that these inventions are still profitable and the products used on a daily basis.
In order to prove that an idea or certain method works, you have to demonstrate its feasibility with the proof of concept, which mostly includes the development of a prototype. As I have already formulated the roles of prototypes in my first theme post, I will just shortly focus on their most important qualities: prototypes are a "first, typical or preliminary model of something, especially a machine, from which other forms are developed or copied" (Oxford Dictionaries, 2015). They typically present different stages during a design development, always representing the current perspective of the designer. Since prototypes continuously question the design decisions, they provoke to gain more knowledge and with that are able to direct the research process.
The questions we had to ask ourselves are how we actually have to come up with ideas, how we then filter and validate them, and how we communicate ideas in the end. The most important step in coming up with a high-value idea is to focus on the problem. In particular, there is a difference between a problem and the real problem of a situation. Our teacher exemplified this by setting two people in the woods, when suddenly a bear comes into the scene. Since the bear conveniently is hungry and certainly a faster runner, the two have a problem now. As the lecturer pointed out though, the real problem is not who can run faster, but who can outrun the other person.
Transferred to the design process, it is more important to define the actual problem than to follow the first thought of solution that comes into your mind. Ninety per cent of our time should therefore be taken to find the real problem while ten per cent of the time should be focused on finding a solution.
What I deducted from this particularly is the connection between the real problem and the idea. A great idea actually works, because it complements the real problem with or without knowing it.
So, how do you come up with a potentially great idea? You have to find a real pain point first, meaning a real problem that needs solving. If the market and the timing is right in addition, you have to check if the idea is able too stand strong when further pursued. I compared these criteria on inventions, which we clearly still benefit of today and which were designed out of genius ideas: the TV remote control (1955), the Microwave oven (1955), the Jet Airliner (1958), the Industrial Robot (1961), the Communications Satellite (1962) or the LED (1962), just to name a few (Hutchinson, 2005). Although market situations tend to change quickly, it is apparent that these inventions are still profitable and the products used on a daily basis.
In order to prove that an idea or certain method works, you have to demonstrate its feasibility with the proof of concept, which mostly includes the development of a prototype. As I have already formulated the roles of prototypes in my first theme post, I will just shortly focus on their most important qualities: prototypes are a "first, typical or preliminary model of something, especially a machine, from which other forms are developed or copied" (Oxford Dictionaries, 2015). They typically present different stages during a design development, always representing the current perspective of the designer. Since prototypes continuously question the design decisions, they provoke to gain more knowledge and with that are able to direct the research process.
Hutchinson, A., 2005. The Top 50 Inventions of the Past 50 Years [online]. Popular Mechanics. Available: http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/gadgets/a341/2078467/ [Accessed at 11 Oct. 2015].
Oxford Dictionaries, 2015. prototype: Definition von prototype im Oxford Dictionary (Amerikanisches Englisch) [online]. Available: http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/de/definition/englisch_usa/prototype [Accessed at 11 Oct. 2015].
Oxford Dictionaries, 2015. prototype: Definition von prototype im Oxford Dictionary (Amerikanisches Englisch) [online]. Available: http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/de/definition/englisch_usa/prototype [Accessed at 11 Oct. 2015].
You did a very good job in summarizing last weeks theme and as I probably said before I really like how you structure your reflections and add additional information to it. As you wrote in your reflection it is important that not only the idea is great but also that the timing and the market situation is suitable. Great ideas only work when people feel like they need them or at least when you can make them feel like they need something. Tablets are a good example for that. When they were invite many years ago nobody felt like they needed them so it did not really work to sell them. Nowadays Apple & Co. managed to make us feel like we cannot live without tablets and therefore they sell a huge number of them. I like how you point out that the daily use of something is also an important factor of a good. Otherwise it might not get that popular. In the final part of your reflection you did a good summary of what prototypes are and I do not really feel that I could add anything else to your part.
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot for sharing your thoughts! I always enjoy reading your texts. I also found the case of the hungry bear interesting which I think is a good reminder or example of this step along the design research. As far as I understood the second lecture a prototype is mostly to gain Knowledge. Other important aspects of a prototype are: Proof of concept; to evaluate; to find answers; to solve problems; to test theory. What are your thoughts on this? Well done.
ReplyDeleteAs always, a great summary of what the essence and the important lessons of this theme were. An interesting list of examples as well. Many of them seem so obvious today, that it’s hard imagining no-one else coming up with them at the time, hadn’t the particular inventors of them happened to be first. That connects to what you wrote about the market and timing being important. I wonder how society would have been different if there were no remote controls. When you get up to change the channel, perhaps you realise that there are more important things to do, and you’re up anyway, so you do something else entirely. Maybe TV wouldn’t have become the same wide concept as it is today if it wasn’t for the remote. But then again, it’s almost impossible to imagine that no-one would have had that idea eventually.
ReplyDeleteGreat summary of the week's theme.
ReplyDeleteI think a large part about coming up with great ideas is having a lot of knowledge that you then can see connections between. This knowledge can be gained through for example the intake of earlier research or by prototyping.
I agree with you, and the lecturer, that prototypes are used as something that provokes to gain more knowledge, and that this directs the research process. This design process is then analysed and evaluated so that you are able to make a knowledge contribution.
Hi! Great summary! I like your examples of great ideas and explanation of questions to innovative ideas. I also agree with your point that prototypes can be source of new knowledge. I just would like to add that problem definition create a framework of design research, but the direction of research can be changed after prototype testing. As you mentioned research represents the current perspective of the designer, so it's quite subjective. Using prototypes allows to get empirical data and after that probably to see the problem from another angle.
ReplyDeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteVery interesting and detailed blog post on this week's theme. I felt like I was going through the lectures again while reading, which is a great point because it shows how precise and straight to the point your writing is.
I didn't write about the importance of market and timing in my post reflexion, and I feel like that's a big thing I overlooked - indeed, it's really important as you've pointed out, especially in industry research, and I couldn't agree more with what you said - the idea has to be able to stand strong when further pursued. With the examples you've pinpointed, I feel like that's a strong argument that you've built, and I thank you for reminding me about that :-)
Hey,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your reflection. It was a great summary of Haibo's and Lundström's key concepts in both lectures. Your comparison of focusing on the "real problem" and the subsequent result of finding a solution that has a long lasting impact on how we use technology was great. I also read an interview with Tina Seeling, who teaches classes on creativity and innovation at Stanford University School of Engineering who said that you have to "refocus the questions to change our lenses". I guess that is somewhat coherent with some inventions, such as the microwave oven - here it was all about "How can I efficiently heat up food - without a real stove?" Overall, good job!
Hi Marion,
DeleteVery well executed reflection of theme five. It is very good that you emphasize the importance of idea creation and the use of prototypes. Furthermore, I liked the example and the reasoning of the two people facing a bear as this clearly states that finding the real problem is far more important that actually solving it. A mind-set which we shall always bear in mind. Good work!
Hi Marion,
ReplyDeleteVery well executed reflection of theme five. It is very good that you emphasize the importance of idea creation and the use of prototypes. Furthermore, I liked the example and the reasoning of the two people facing a bear as this clearly states that finding the real problem is far more important that actually solving it. A mind-set which we shall always bear in mind. Good work!
I have to say that you very well summarized the this of this week. It is well structured and detailed. You underlined a very interesting point when you talked about the market, the right timing to come out a product and the different examples of genius ideas. Indeed, when you design a product if the market is not ready to welcome it, even if it is a great idea, it could flop.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing, it has been very useful for me!
Hey,
ReplyDeleteNice reflection and a summary from the lecture. I am not sure, but it seems to me that you are only talking about the lecture of prof. Haibo. I got that impression when I read the part where you say that the proof of concept is needed to demonstrate the method you are providing. In the context of that lecture that is the truth, and I think that prof. Haibo was referring to prototypes in the industry, not so much in research.
On Fridays research, lecturer Lundström said that for research proof of concept is not needed, prototype is used only for generating and extracting new information relative to the research idea and doesn't have to be working properly. At least, this is how I understood it.