Designing Tools For A Shifting Landscape
Dongzhi Xia · KTH Publication Database DiVA (KTH Royal Institute of Technology) · 2015
By investigating the existing prototyping tools and emerging technological paradigms, this thesis contributes a new flow-based visual programming software called Glue which makes prototyping physical interactions and connected experiences easier for designers without a strong technical background. With overwhelming new technologies and interconnected disciplines, more designers learn technical know-how and build technical prototypes to better explore and evaluate concepts. However, most existing prototyping tools are still engineering-oriented and their ways of introducing programming and electronics can be intimidating for non-specialists. The aim of this thesis project has been to rethink prototyping tools and to bridge the gap between design tools and the new physical and digital hybrid design context. As a result, Glue is proposed and developed to offer an alternative way to create a program by manipulating logics graphically. With visible flows and real-time feedback, designers can learn, understand and create program intuitively. The smartphone integration allows beginners to set up flexible architectures and mimic connected experience easily. Glue also provides powerful ways to explore invisible behaviours across time and possibilities.