Third move—prototypes
2002
Prototypes are a kind of material conversation that the designer has with the user. It is based on the idea that objects mediate our experience and understanding. This is not usability testing which seeks to verify the design of a product holistically at a rather late point in the development process, but a way to learn from the user what familiarity the object has (or lacks), what patterns of behavior the object fits into, what intuitive responses the user brings to the object and which aspects of the prototype elicit satisfaction or delight, for example. It is an ongoing conversation between the designer’s prototypes and the user-it is intermittent, critical, appreciative, empirical evidence of the prototype’s success or need for specific further development.