Last week I drafted questions to be asked during the prototype testing portion of the project. I specifically worded these questions to address the most basic assumptions of our hydroponic design. Reflecting on this exercise, I realize that I was also critically thinking about other design options 3Dream hasn’t fully considered. This class has already evaluated prototype designs during Week 5 with the Design for America Team. One important takeaway that I believe to be applicable is avoiding group confirmation bias. The similar views that I share amongst members of my group have skewed our collective judgment. Product prototype designs are tested before commercialization to reduce the effects of confirmation bias.

This week’s reading provides the guidelines for effective prototype testing. There are multiple variables that must be controlled, or the findings may be misleading. Those variables include: finding proper test subjects, defining the usability tasks, the interview questions, the test environment, and finally updating the prototype. I believe this final step to be the most critical because it relies on personal judgment. Assuming a prototype test is properly conducted, it is possible the findings will not initiate any design changes. Worse yet, the results could spark design changes that retrospectively fails. It is difficult to gauge the sometimes widely ranging test subject expectations, which is why reviewing the results is both a science and an art.

After reading the article and having aspects of design on my (hopefully open) mind, I headed to the store in search of hardware materials for the hydroponic drip system. I got a PVC pipe connector, a T-joint to hang plants from, and a measuring bucket for the base. I am currently designing a stabilization device on Fusion360 to firmly anchor the 5-foot PVC pipe in the center of the bucket. Since this piece will be 3D printed, I will easily be able to implement any feedback I get from the imminent prototype testing.

To conclude this week’s post, I wanted to promote the upcoming Design for America spring expo event being held on campus. They are awesome people working on local projects that you can check out here. The slides from the Week 5 Design for America presentation helped inspire me when thinking about prototype testing questions. Designs have a meaningful impact on how we interact with the things around us, and for the creative people in the world, there is always room for improvement.

Until next week.