Digital Prototyping Online Journal

What is a prototype??
A prototype is a representation of an idea or product. It could be anything from the most basic representation of form to a highly refined and function object. It could be made from any substance as long as it representative of the end product. It has to be at a level to allow for testing of the idea or product to the level required. Prototypes are used to test and develop and idea or concept and to test it in a number of contexts. In a user centered design approach this allows for feedback and insights into contexts of use and to help in the iterative cycle of design.

What does prototyping mean for your work?
Well in all design work prototyping in a critical part of the process. Having a background in Industrial design, I know the importance of prototyping to the design process and how without it so many elements of a concept can be missed. It also allows for testing and even sometimes just the ability to see the ideas form to see if it will work. I have developed prototypes in the form of basic sketches, mockups through to full working scale models both inside software and also in physical form.
Smart Campus App
The following photo’s are from a high fidelity prototype project designing a smart campus application. The prototyping process allowed a number of aspects to be ironed out and developed long before one line of code was written.





Prototypes.
Offline.
Sketches, storyboards, mockups, Cheap and fast to produce.
Online.
Software. Partially implemented or digital mockups.
Week 2 Exercise Part 1
My Washing Machine’s Interface.
The interface to my washing machine has what seems to be an infinite amount of possible combinations. This wouldn’t be so bad but as soon as one column changes the values in the others change. The interface seems to reset if you use a few different combinations and allows for things to be selected that really don’t need to be there. I have decided to stop the crazy different selections and rely on one setting that I stick with regardless of my washing choice. I don’t know what sort of washing extraordinaire they though was buying such a machine to add such an elaborate array of possible wash combinations but it is extremely annoying. Check the photo, looks easy doesn’t it until you decide that you would like to wash cotton, and every other column on the machine changes. Then while you change another column that sets off more changes and before long you go back and forth until the machine nearly books a one way trip to the tip.

What looks like a user friendly interface is in fact a nightmare. They engineers have tried their best to create this masterpiece of design but I can guarantee never did any user testing. The first series of tests would have made it glaringly obvious that the changing array of settings does not work. The design is sound and easily followed but the underlying functionality does not match the design and Interface layout.
My Interface Variations.

The design is similar to the original but the bases for the changing system settings would be based on the fabric choice. Once the fabric was chosen then the next step would be to allocate the desired setting across the Interface. Provide an Auto and Manual mode so any changes could be changed and not change the overall settings.

Full digital display allowing easy to use readouts. The M/A button on the side allows for an easy one click was or for the people that want to heavily modify and create a new setting then Manual option is available. The other feature is provide a save function so if you do design a special wash setting allow it to be saved and retrieved at a later date.

The last variation is full manual, easy to set and takes little time and effort. The first button will provide a setting across the board but you can use the buttons to change them at any stage.
Week 2 Exercise Part 2
Paper Prototype
The main problems faced are based around the Interface configuration so an in depth paper prototype that was refined and implemented in high fidelity further on in a subsequent test would allow for a user centered design that was simply to use instead of the flight controls of a jumbo jet!!
Interactive Prototype
The system could be easily represented in a program like Adobe XD and allow the refined results to be extensively tested in the electronic format.
The system is quite old and the systems offered today are much more sophisticated but that is no excuse for a bad design.

Exercise Week 3

Video Critiques
Video 1
OK, wow first impression was the amount of time and money spend on the item and the video is of such a mediocre quality. At no stage did I even see a dog or see the product in action. They completely missed the point in the fact that I don’t want to see the bent plastic tubes from a heat gun I want to see a psycho dog losing his mind in a thunder storm and the same dog cruising on the couch while the New year’s celebrations kick off.
Video 2
I think this video was a splendid example. The production cost was obviously low but their ability to convey all aspects of the concept was amazing. Not only defining the problem space but also allowing the viewer to understand the exact process used to overcome that problem space. A good example of low budget but extremely effective. This problem is also a massive issue and the use of background data and research just works to establish the validity of their concept.
Video 3
Simply but effective. The video acts as not only an explanation of the problem and solution but also the functionality developed to overcome it. The ability to overlay items such as local grocery stores and crime areas suggests a thorough knowledge of user wants and needs. The application is successful because it sells its product. I want to use it myself. The key is the way that the information is presented and delivered.
Video 4
The idea had no explanation and the designer probably had this incredible mental model in his head but that was totally based on his development of the game and was not portrayed to the audience. There was no relationship between the 3D and 2D models and at no stage was the rules or outline of the game conveyed. The video is so bad that all it does is portray a series of moves based on the fact that the user has a complete and total understanding of the game. This video was really helpful to show the absolute dont’s when we portray our video prototype.
Video 5
This video was the polar opposite to the Pegasus video. A great explanation at the start so the user understands and can follow along with the following content. The use of context was really smart because watching the video you can understand the usage and how it fits into the users environment. The video also moves in steps so as the video progresses so does the products capabilities so you feel like you are part of the journey which I found quite Intuitive. Another strong point was the way the product and team established trust by using credentials. This is a great technique to make viewers follow the content. The different context of use also portrayed a sense of value to the viewer.
Video 6
At first this was hard to follow. Pitch it straight out of the gate to engage the users in the journey. If this video drew in the target audience then they would be more receptive to the information. The concept itself needs to be clearer and better defined. This concept also focuses on someone having knowledge in this space and not at at neutral user of the product.
The Prototype Suite
Coming from an Industrial design background my thinking always focuses on people’s pain points. When I hear the age old saying “if only this did this” or “I hate this product why would it not do this” whenever I hear these things it is a red flag for a design challenge. This is how I came to work on this project. The house I live in uses a rainwater tank to service a lot of the water in my house. After a period of no rain the tank drained and with it we lost the ability to wash cloths, flush toilets and an array of other tasks. This lack of warning or ability to monitor these levels made me angry as the work arounds for the empty tank were not explained and after a frustration few days we managed to find the bypass and got our water back online.

The questions I had was how come I can’t check this and If I knew, then I could have taken preventative action before this situation arose. With this problem space the WaterWise system was conceptualised.

My Video Prototype
My Video prototype.
This concept portrayal in the video format was quite a challenge. I have never worked in the video space and quickly realised after the critiques that the intricacies of displaying and conveying a message over video needs to be deliberately planned and executed. I worked on the specifics of the message at first and then looked at how I would accomplish the goals via video.
I broke the video prototype into small chunks with specific goals for each and then set about trying to piece together a framework to achieve these goals. I found after much trial and error that even the finest details and parts need to be planned and rehearsed. I thought the understanding I had of the concept and the problem space would allow a mistake free delivery of content but found that I had to redo the content from worded scripts to get the desired effect.
The software was easier than I thought and with an an understanding of the other software packages in the software suite from Adobe my transition to Premiere was quite good which is a token to Adobes ability to incorporate similarities across its software offerings(Learnability). This part was enjoyable for myself as until this project I had never edited video in my life so to create a finished product was a great outcome. This aspect was of massive importance because as a first time editor my anxiety about the project hinged on my ability to create a video. To take the pieces and edit them into a final product was a massive relief as this was something I was extremely stressed about achieving.
If you look to my physical diary you can see the planning that went into achieving this task even down to breaking up shots and sentences. The feedback and outcomes from the testing really did show some glaring mistakes that I had made but without this process you would never know where you truly missed the mark. Like most things it is only after you take a step back that you can really appreciate the feedback and understand how to improve moving forward. When you are so focused and involved with a project it is hard to identify small problems.
Week 5 Prototype Types

Exercise 1

Gear stick . door handles. accelerator. hand brake. brake . speedo . clutch . horn . steering . door handle . air con . glove box . stereo . power windows.

transfer . recall . answer . hash . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 5 . 6 . 7 . 8 . 9 . hold . speaker . . display . callback .
FWDWAWS . FWDALL . UNR . VOICE . PICKUP . EXIT . RECIEVER . SPEAKER . REDIAL….
What components are relevant to making a phone call?
The components relevant for making a phone call are the handset and the numbers for making the call. Other than these components the others are extras and just add to the functionality of the system.
What are the interactions of those components with the caller when making a phone call?
The interactions between a caller and the system would first be the Interaction of the physical nature in lifting the handset to the ear. The next Interaction Involves the pressing of the button sequence. Thirdly the interaction with the system to identify the call had been placed either by feedback via the LCD display or the auditory tone in the headset.
What goal is implied by these specific questions & are there other goals?
the goal is to place a call. The basic Interactions to do so are far removed from the complexity of this system with all the added options.
What would you test ?
i would test the phone call sequence from start to finish and move the user through a series of step to achieving that goal.
How would you test that
You could test that in a number of ways from a low fidelity paper sequence prototype or to a full scale prototype such as a phone headset. The test sequence would step through the various stages observing if any problems arose during the sequence of events. the positive test outcome would see the user step through the test protocol without problems easily achieving the goals specified.
Exercise 2
Please check physical workbook.
Horizontal Prototype

Vertical




Week 6 UX

What is complex; unfamiliar; new; changed; in your concept?
This aspect is probably the most difficult component of my system. Due to it’s different nature and often something people have never had an exposure to the problems faced is the explanation of the systems overall functionality. The feedback from early components of the prototyping sequence show that to truly engage the users I must fully demonstrate the system in operation. Without this the story is lost and feedback will be limited. The testing sequence must be well planned and provide a graduated exposure to the systems use. The change surround the move to visual representation and to devise a way to best demonstrate my system visually and then move to further physical representations.
Transfer from notepad
What is UX the story?
The Ux story is to provide a portal into the information surrounding the household water consumption. The Ux must be simply but also allow for a full understanding of what this system represents. The Ux story would involve a user moving around their household and how they can Interact with the system and check the data. A scenario could be the display in the bathroom that informed the user that the tank was at an all time low so the user responds but being extremely sparing in the bathroom and takes a 2 min shower to conserve water.

What is the functional story?
The function story revolves around both the interaction with the systems different components both in regards to hardware and software. The functionality of sorting the data in a way that allows for complete monitoring of the resource and also in the Interaction with and functionality of the display device for viewing this data.
What is the information story?
The information story is the vast array of data points that can be obtained from the systems outputs. What is relevant what best represents this and also how best to demonstrate this to the user. The output of information for both metric tracking and also for quick monitoring whilst moving around the premises.
Revision of testing protocol and outcomes.
I few things came out during the first testing session and that was the extraction of useful data from the process. The use of surveys turned out to be a not very productive source of information and I see it as a tick and flick exercise that shows little interest from the perceptive of the end user. I also believe without a good set of questions the survey can lead the information source to the desired outcome. I have found the information Interview to be a vital and often insightful method of data collection. An informal discussion was developed from questions related to specific goals of each prototype and points of Interest in developing the project further.
Prototype 2 UNITY
The outcomes with prototype one combined with the implementation of Unity really shaped the face of prototype 2. The outcomes from the first phase were positive but the thing that was lacking was an understanding of the overall system. I was stuck between trying to portray the concept and not trying to get into the jargon in the video prototype one.

The problem I face is my concept is very different to the majority so in losing this awareness in the video I thought the best way to approach prototype two was to display simplified versions of the system and how the different aspects Interacted with each other. By laying this foundation of both the conceptual model and helping to convey a good mental model to the users it was hoped that I could progress further in the next stage to show sensor Interaction and it’s reflective data. My aim from the outset was to incorporate Arduino in the prototype so the underlying concept understanding was a significant information hurdle. If I progressed to further prototypes without conveying this level of conceptual understanding the subsequent prototypes would not be well received.
Week 7 Designing Questions
Exercise 1

I think the questions would have to follow a path of a scenario at first just to find the bad points and the way people firstly relate to the layout of the system. The whole design is hardware based due to the position these items fell in the box. The design challenge would be to use this space to develop a consistency and allow a flow to display so my first series of questions would be to identify a starting point. How would you pay for the charge?
Where would you start on the Interface? Does the system allow you to understand the steps to start? Does the system provide a good way to step through the steps? Where would you start?
The next phase would be based on a test given to the user to purchase a ticket paying their fare. At each step in the process I would evaluate the reasoning behind the steps they took. Did the system give a systematic approach to the next step? Where would you look based on the display to expect the next step?
The next steps after careful observation was to complete the transaction. based on these last step I would ask How would you pay?Did it describe the right method for payment etc etc.
The design that has been developed has used some good principles given the layout constraints they were given. The use of colored squares around payment methods was good but a need to go one step further and break these section into three different color regions based on steps in the task would have made a much better design. Maybe a color coded scheme where the first color is bright and as the steps take place the color changes to reflex the progress along the process.


Week 8
What are the existing traditional interactions for each?
Tetris
Physical Interaction based on driving a car
- Turn the wheel to spin the piece left or right. Brake to slow decent. Accelerate to slam down pieces into place
2. Long stick, spin the stick to spin the piece . Hold high to slow the piece , strike the floor to make it fall.
3. Door knob on the wall. Spin the piece left or right raise the knob to slow and drop for placement.

Tinder
Left to decline, Right to accept, messaging after, super like.
- Representing a physical Interaction is like flipping the pages of a book. Slam the page to super like continue reading if its a like or shut it down and go left.
- A door to represent. Open the door to see the picture. Close the door to shut off or decline. Open the door fully to except. Click and lock the button on the handle for a super like.
- Push a pram forward to decline, draw the pram in to except. Spin the pram for a super like.

Slack
Based around the modality of the keyboard to represent a letter.
- Morse code system to input sounds and therefore letters.
- Alphabetic piano playing the messages as keys.
- The slack slingshot. shoot the letters through a panel that detects the leters and displays the message.


Prototype 2
When Arduino met Unity.

Arduino
The hobbyist today has such a vast variety of tools that are interconnected and the ability to develop products of the highest order and realistic to real world examples is second to none. In recent time the ability to harness these makes creating real world applications in the respect of prototypes achievable. The money and talent needed to create these sorts of projects before made them out of the reach of normal enthusiasts. When I first looked at the brief for these prototypes I knew I wanted to develop a real-world solution to a problem.

My project developed with the use of the Ultra sonic sensor kit. I used a sensor available in the Physical Computer lab and paired it up with the Arduino UNO. At first this hardware paired perfectly with the Arduino sensor and the the data was send using the Arduino IDE through the serial ports for display inside the Unity console. This total process created a huge learning curve haven’t to adapt and learn a number of systems and then have those systems intertwine.

This aspect of the project was the biggest hurdle and some of the documentation I had viewed did not display to me the right way to convert the data inside of the Arduino IDE into a format that Unity could understand. Firstly, the projects and documentation I had researched used a Print () method but after trying and researching for a long time I realized that to send the data across to the Unity console I must use a write, serial () method. After solving this issue, I thought I would have plain sailing but a small aspect that I missed caused headaches and that was the fact that Unity excepts data in a 2-byte configuration instead of the Arduino 1-byte.

When this aspect was solved the Arduino, IDE displayed the data as a series of symbols. The only other aspect that took some time and configuration was the fact that the setting between the two programs needed to be set so that when I sent data from Arduino, Unity was ready and listening to receive that data on the other side. The marrying up of two totally different systems is extremely challenging but rewarding all the same. By having to work through every aspect of a problem an innate understanding develops around the system components and behaviors.
Week 9
Blocks for take home refer to physical workbook.
Unity

For the first phase of this next step in the prototyping project I was in a spot of bother as I began trying to establish a way for the data collected from my projects hardware to be communicated across to Unity for the design and display aspect. After going through several Arduino projects and getting my head around several aspects of the code and how the systems worked I was feeling quite confident.
The next stage in trying to send my data was a massive learning curve and an enormous number of frustrating hours ensured as I overcome what was now looking back a series of simply mistakes but at the time it was a frustrating endeavor. The moment I final got both sides working and the data from the Arduino Ultra sonic sensor displayed insides Unity’s console was an amazing feeling. With the ever-present deadline and a system that I managed to break every half an hour my stress levels were on max. The one saving grace was the holiday period so I had more hours to dedicate to the discovery than I would have normally had. Once I had developed the basic MVP I could look to use the data to create a visually attractive and effective prototype. My goal was to use the data I was collecting to display to a user the exact representation inside the software.

The steps taken previously were a lead up so a big step and hurdle was based around this prototypes delivery. Without tackling this goal, the whole project would not have really represented what I had envisioned to achieve from the outset. The ability to fully convey your message is often hard and I found this project especially difficult. There is a fine line between technical jargon and a great and thorough explanation of a complex system.

The big aspect was the ability to turn a project into a physical to digital representation. The goal was to allow users to Interact with a physical representation of a water tank and then be able to see a direct correlation inside the Unity program. The data from the sensor was configured to change the position of the cylinder along the y axis. By doing this the changes in the physical tank transferred to an Instant display of water levels inside the Unity program. The user could watch as they filled the tank and see the water rising in the onscreen prototype tank.

The physical system was made up of a container from Bunnings that allowed for the container to be drained via a tap. The container had a plug system on the lid that I cut out and attached a piece of pipe for easy refill by the testers. The system rose and in doing so the Unity display changed with it.
Week 10
The establishment that I chose was a small cafe near my house that does a lot of breakfast traffic. The cafe is small and sits on the end of a block of shops so the inside outside area represent an L shaped configuration. The business is family run with the dad on the grill and the two sons run the counter and also the service. On many occasions there is often a third person working the counter. You walk to the counter and place your order, with this you are given a number and walk about to find your own seating. The place is often packed and it can seem like managed chaos going on. The pain points are the amount of seating available and the use of the space. the seating could be better configured to allow for more seating and much greater access in and out. The space is limited but I don’t think it has been utilized properly. The food is good and at a good price but often some service issues can arise. the flow of an order and especially if you add in coffee to the order the food can come out in a very different order. I have sat there while a friend finished his meal before mine arrived.


I think the experience could be helped with a screen based order system. the place still uses the old paper stub method of ordering so if a coffee comes often this is not picked up straight away if the place is super busy. A way to project the coffee orders to the machine and the food to the chef would allow for this problem to be sidelined. The other problem is the huge metal table tags. There must be a better way. A possible card that when placed on the table allows the system to read the card and displays the seating arrangement inside the cafe. this would allow for the service staff to already identify the position of an order before going outside to provide it. This would also allow for tracking orders from the coffee counter as well. The payment area and system work well enough but sometimes the wait on your meal is not something that is able to be monitored. The ability to see a table based prediction based on the represented data in a cue on the internal scene would allow the user to identify which position in the line they were and how long their meal might take.

All expensive options and for a small cafe probably not the right choice given the cheap and easy methods the team have already established.
Week 11


The first thing that is apparent with the Theremin is that because the system up on the position in space of the objects in this case hands you cannot provide a mechanical representation within that space. The way to provide a way to allow someone to complete a tune would be through feedback of both the height and position of the users hands. This could be done in a number of ways but I think a referencing system on a projected scene would allow a user to follow along properly and position there hands in the right places to begin the movements necessary to replicate the tunes.
Week 12
I think my experience has changed as the complexity has changed. The depth of the prototyping sequence has allowed me to construct a concept that could be developed for commercial use. The process has developed a greater understanding of extracting the right data and the power of good observational skills in the design and testing of prototypes and concepts. Some of the design insights that developed the project came out of informal discussions and I now believe portrayal of the system well to the users allows them a greater understanding and mental model which often reflects in progression ideas and use scenarios. The insights gained in these discussion resembled mini brainstorms and by allowing the discussion to flow and take notes allows for some great progression to be made. All people see the world in a different way and sometimes sitting back and taking in the information and asked questions based on the situation can provide some great information for the future directions to follow. Another element of reflection is my confidence to really put in the hours and break down problems into small chunks and really set a path to follow to allow the goals to be met. This subject is good in the sense that this is all individual work so the learning process for a given task is not distributed and focus must be applied to obtain the desired outcome.
Many firsts came out of the course and the ability to tackle them and produce the prototype that is desired is a good outcome. I often take on too much and given a second run at it I would probably chose a similar path. The hours spent debugging or doing tutorials all pays off when the system comes to life and works the way it was envisioned. I have done a lot of prototyping previously but mostly in the physical space. the ability to translate a physical system and move into the digital adds some great skills to the prototyping skill set.
The Next Stage
From this level of representation a tester or user could see the system in play but it still wasn’t at the stage to convey the final representation of the concept. With this aspect I needed to show the data from the tank displayed for the testers to evaluate. This stage created a few problems as I tested different systems and delivery methods. I managed to create a JSON server and deliver the data via this means to the IP of the Arduino board but from there had problems around how I would display or graph this data.
After a number of failed ideas and methods I found the Adafruit IO system that would allow me to transfer data from the project via WIFI to be graphed and watched in real time. Without being at the final stages of realizing a product and therefore developing a dedicated website and graphical Interface this was a perfect simulation environment for my data. The big difference was the fact that I had to change from a analogue system to a digital one and implement WIFI. The previous prototypes had used a serial port connection to the Arduino and from there onto Unity. The difference with this new endevour was that the data was based on IOT so I had to change the hardware to get access to the Internet and project my feed of data across for interpretation with the Adafruit IO system. I managed to achieve this by developing the system on the Adafruit HUZZAH feather that uses the ESP 8266 chip for communication of data across WIFI.

This step was achieved with a separate hardware system due to the fact that no matter what avenue I took I could not develop the system to talk to both Unity and Adafruit at the same time. Both systems work on different data presentation and the data for Unity would present as garble in Adafruit and vice versa in Unity if I changed configuration.

The systems were differently setup so I had to create two hardware solutions. 1 byte for Adafruit and 2 Byte for Unity. Even after all this my final test at Uni had the new Arduino system being booted from the Uni WIFI as I tried to test. The good thing was that through extensive testing and data logging previously I had data sets that represented the system in action and was able to create a test on the fly that was exactly the same as the system in real time.

Google Drive Folder with Final Prototype Tests and Date inside Adafruit IO.
I knew that with this subject and prototype suite it was easy to take a simple approach and develop an easily testable game that was easy to deliver. I see these courses as a challenge and an opportunity to really push the development of knowledge and force the project well outside the safe boundaries of development. The difference in post grad is the students are hear to push further and develop new skills and Insight. This sort of environment creates a platform to push outside the safe zone an in turn the learning capabilities are massively multiplied. When I started this subject I had never even seen C# coding, worked in a game engine or developed anything with Arduino. To tackle one of these aspects alone creates a big learning curve but I think if the passion for the project is there then the learning becomes natural. I am now a big hobby enthusiast and have gone on to develop some new projects using Arduino.
FINAL REFECTION
My undergraduate studies were in Industrial design so the need for systematic and in depth prototyping is a must. This approach allows for the process to take shape based on problems and scenarios that could never be developed prior than the prototype phase. The big difference between that discipline and this is that often the user component has been investigated and a very specific problem is presented to develop a solution for. Now that I have worked in the user centered design space would I trust the guidelines given to me by an external source…..probably not.. This approach allows for a graduated approach with steps and iteration to be developed and tested. As a design approach this is far superior to being given a specific frame to work in. This is even more apparent in the fast and ever changing dimension of modern society and technology. The pivot to understand the space and user is important, and old school methods simply do not apply to the world today. This approach also allows for a much better design process that changes and forms to create solutions that are truly designed with the end user in mind.