Final Prototype - User Interaction

 Integrating prototyping into your product development process can be transformational. It can make a richer experience, and enable the user to empathize with the product. The point of a prototype is to have a tangible visual representation of the solutions discussed throughout the design process. Instead of repeating the information discussed in the ideation phase - a prototype acts as a model that takes into consideration everything discussed. 

Having this model allows me as a designer to validate my concepts by sharing the prototype with the users. After observing the user interaction with the mockup model, I made few modifications and then finally prototype was built.

The materials used in the final model were polycarbonate sheets and a wooden bench. The polycarbonate was sourced from a small-scale roofing factory where the extra polycarbonate sheets which were wrongly cut or minorly defective were available at a very reasonable price. Whereas I searched for wooden stools in the scrap market which unfortunately I couldn't find. Therefore I substituted the wooden stool with an existing wooden seating at my house. It worked for the prototype as it had the same height as my proposed sketches. 

As you can see in the video above, the polycarbonate sheets are translucent, which means it's not too transparent to disturb the user's privacy but at the same time see-through enough for the user to be aware of their of your surroundings so that they don't feel blocked from all sides.

In the video above the user is my dad who frequently has to go out and experience lack of social distancing and is therefore concerned by the safety of himself and his family. Using the product he was quite satisfied by the overall design. I asked about his experience with the final prototype as compared to the mock-up model and he stated that he liked the selection of the materials and experiences a noticeable change in the comfort of the product. He was able to interact better with the final prototype as compared to the mock-up as it was a more realistic experience. 

My design describes usefulness in three ways:- Problem-solving, safety, and practical. It solves the problem of maintaining social distancing in space constrain places and improves the safety of the people. The design is safe and environmental friendly. The pinewood is from a fast-growing tree which therefore makes it affordable to buy in bulk. Polycarbonate is a cheaper as well as durable substitute of glass that is being used in the partitions of the furniture. 

Aesthetics is a core design principle that defines a designer's pleasing quality. Here the design's aesthetic is defined by the colorful translucent partition and the cream color of the pine wood.

Finally, the scope and marketability of the design are in the small or medium-sized shops, clinics, and companies, where the investment in the furniture is moderate, and adding this product, will declutter their space and will help them to embrace social distancing. 

Coming all the way to the end, the design thinking process challenges assumptions, redefines problems and creates innovative solutions to prototype and test. This process helped me to reframe the problems in a human-centric way and created a product that feels intuitive for the end user. 

This was the last stage of the design thinking process as well as my final say on this design challenge. Thank you for reading the blog. Do let me know in the comment section below about your reading experience throughout the designing process. 

References:
Roy, C., n.d. Design Thinking Phase 4: Ultimate Guide to Prototyping | Workshopper. [online] Workshopper.com. Available at: <https://www.workshopper.com/post/design-thinking-phase-4-everything-you-need-to-know-about-prototyping> [Accessed 11 August 2021].