Theme 5: Design research - Topic 1 (before)

"Turn Your Mobile Into the Ball: Rendering Live Football Game Using Vibration", 

Shafiq ur Réhman, Jiong Sun, Li Liu, and Haibo Li 

• How can media technologies be evaluated? 

As technologies are designed for end users, it is important that the evaluation is done from their point of view. In this mobile vibration study, the researchers evaluated the usability based on ISO recommendations in terms of effectiveness, efficiency and user satisfaction. For effectiveness, they calculated the error rate of participants’ results. To measure efficiency, they recorded the delay time of the vibrational stimulus and the users’ reactions. User satisfaction was evaluated by a simple questionnaire based on the Likert scale (cf. Social Research Methods).

• What are characteristics and limitations of prototypes?

A prototype is a first version of a new technology. It needs to include all major features and functionalities in order to provide representative results for the further development. The prototype does, however, not yet contain all of the end product’s features and it is therefore not enough to only do user tests on the prototype (cf. National Instruments). In the vibration study, for example, the prototype only tested the technology of vibration, but not yet an app producing live vibration signals during a football match.

• What role will prototypes play in research?
• Why could it be necessary to develop a proof of concept prototype?

Prototypes are critical in technology research and need to be used in the proof of concept phase. First of all, a feasibility test of the new product or technology has to be conducted to see whether the technology actually works in the intended way (cf. Techtarget)  Prototypes also let the technical designers or researches test the new technology with actual users who have no previous knowledge or expectations about the product. Based on the results of the proof of concept, the technology can be evaluated and improved from both a technical, as well as the external users’ point of view. However, prototypes and proof of concept cannot replace testing the final product, as for example the variable willingness shows in this study.

• How can design research be communicated/presented?

When presenting and communicating design or technology research, it is important to describe the functionalities, as well as the intended goals and the research process, in detail. Readers who are not familiar with the project need to be able to grasp the whole picture. The results can best be visualised with the help of graphs and diagrams. Ur Réhman et al. present their mobile vibration research very understandably by clearly dividing their report into logical parts and explaining the background and process for each part. They also successfully implement graphs to present the results of their research.