Building the Magic

OK, I've been slacking on publishing research paper links. Here's an interesting one from a few years back that still has some important lessons. There's an interesting space at the beginning of product development where it is unclear what a product will do, what it will look like, and how the user will interact with it. All too often a CEO or marketing exec decides a new product that does X should be made and then it is built. A better idea is to watch existing users working and either ask them, or let them show you where they have problems. Then build products to solve it or enhance it. Sometimes a bit of inspiration on the part of the designers can be useful as well, but the new design ideas should be grounded in existing practice. Theoretical ideas that don't enhance real usage don't make successful products.

This paper looks at how to come up with new ideas for mobile device functionality, by interacting with users in-situ.

Iacucci, G., Kuutti, K., & Ranta, M. (2000).
On the Move with a Magic Thing: Role Playing in Concept Design of Mobile Services and Devices. Paper presented at the DIS'00, Brooklyn, New York

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