Abstract
Little is known about the effectiveness of shape manipulation activities carried out by designers, especially in the early phases of design. For the development of improved shape manipulation tools it is necessary that their effectiveness can be evaluated. We propose a method to gather empirical data on designers' shape manipulation activities and to analyze the effectiveness of these activities. We applied this method and conducted an experiment to observe designers at work. The test subjects worked on three clay modeling assignments. We compared what would be an ideal way for designers to create shape, to how they actually did it in practice, when using clay. We identified the modeling activities the designers performed, how these activities could be systematically described, and which parameters played a role. Finally, we analyzed the effectiveness of some of the activities. Further research could investigate in which contexts an increase in effectiveness can be achieved.
Citation
Wiegers, T., Dumitrescu, R., and Vergeest, J. (2002) Determining the effectiveness of shape manipulations by observing designers at work, in Durling, D. and Shackleton, J. (eds.), Common Ground - DRS International Conference 2002, 5-7 September, London, United Kingdom. https://dl.designresearchsociety.org/drs-conference-papers/drs2002/researchpapers/87
Determining the effectiveness of shape manipulations by observing designers at work
Little is known about the effectiveness of shape manipulation activities carried out by designers, especially in the early phases of design. For the development of improved shape manipulation tools it is necessary that their effectiveness can be evaluated. We propose a method to gather empirical data on designers' shape manipulation activities and to analyze the effectiveness of these activities. We applied this method and conducted an experiment to observe designers at work. The test subjects worked on three clay modeling assignments. We compared what would be an ideal way for designers to create shape, to how they actually did it in practice, when using clay. We identified the modeling activities the designers performed, how these activities could be systematically described, and which parameters played a role. Finally, we analyzed the effectiveness of some of the activities. Further research could investigate in which contexts an increase in effectiveness can be achieved.