My research is on softening the hard technology of electronics and of programming, to make it usable as a tool in the design process. Designers typically have a general idea how the product should behave in interaction with users. The next step is bringing this description to make an actual experiential prototype which in most cases involves electronics and programming. We try to find ways to easily transfer the idea from the designer’s storyboard to an experiential sketch.

I teach a course called Interactive Technology Design, in which students conceptualize about a design assignment. They first build a sketchy prototype and then go through a couple of iterations. During the course, the concept becomes more mature and the prototypes become more experiential. At the end of the course the level of technology involved varies, but all the prototypes allow to experience their concept. It is necessary if you design experiences to be inspired by technology and to be able to understand it in a product. Another course that I teach minor Interactive Environments, is taking it to another scale. In industrial design we are mostly focused on products that are table top, but in this minor the spatial aspect is added and we consider complete interactive environments.

We are now experimenting with a model of a state machine. It translates smoothly from the storyboard about the product experience to a diagram, from which the code is made automatically. It is very visual (something very appealing to designers) and it is also something which can be used by more people together.

text by Malgorzata Pawlak