Testing industrial design concepts is an essential part of the design process, as it helps you evaluate the feasibility, usability, and desirability of your ideas. Testing can also help you identify potential problems, gather feedback, and improve your design before launching it to the market. In this article, you will learn how to test industrial design concepts using different methods and tools.
Before you start testing, you need to define your goals and objectives for your concept. What are you trying to achieve with your design? Who are you designing for? What are the main features and benefits of your concept? How will you measure the success of your testing? By answering these questions, you can clarify your scope and focus for your testing, and set the criteria for evaluating your results.
Quizá suene un poco obvio definir los objetivos pero es una etapa de descubrimiento en donde la mayoria de veces llegamos a mucho más, pues se trata de encontrar un camino y para llegar a el surgen preguntas y respuestas qué te llevan a más preguntas. Al final el objetivo es que se vuelva una investigación robusta que ataque todas las necesidades y nos defina los objetivos más claramente.
Testing industrial design concepts can be done in various ways, depending on your goals, budget, and timeline. Sketches and drawings are the simplest and cheapest way to test a concept, as they allow for quickly communicating an idea and receiving feedback. Mock-ups and prototypes are physical models or representations of a concept, which can be low-fidelity or high-fidelity based on the detail and functionality desired. User testing and surveys involve gaining feedback from target users or customers, either by observing them using the concept or by asking questions. Software and simulations are digital tools that enable testing a concept in a virtual or simulated environment, which is useful for complex or risky scenarios that are difficult or costly to test in reality. All of these methods can help test the form, function, aesthetics, ergonomics, usability, performance, desirability, satisfaction, preference, functionality, reliability, safety, and efficiency of a concept.
Das Testen ist ein zentraler Aspekt und ist deshalb in allen g?ngigen Design Theorien enthalten. Durch das Testen erst ergibt sich ein Feedback Loop und gewonnene Erkenntnisse k?nnen in den Gestaltungs und Entwicklungsprozess zurückgeführt werden. In meiner Erfahrung war weniger die Wahl der Methoden und die Art der Prototypen das wahre Problem, sondern ob überhaupt ausserhalb einer Firma/Entwicklungsteams getestet werden kann. Kann diese Tatsache nicht umgangen werden ist es wichtig im kleinen Rahmen zu versuchen m?glichst viele Inputs zu bekommen um das best m?gliche Produkt mit den gegebenen Umst?nden zu entwickeln.
I love using low fidelity mock ups but they inherently cause problems when interacting with users. People aren't used to seeing things that aren't fully flushed out. It can create negative initial impressions. Here's a few tips to prevent that: - Set expectations before they see the prototypes. - Show them examples from past projects that can ease them into the process. Their initial impressions will be associated with that old prototype and not the new idea. - Involve them in the process of creation or modification. - Have them do an interaction recap of all the variations to help them see the first product again after they've been immersed in the low fidelity world.
A mi me ha funcionado mucho iniciar con bocetaje e inmediatamente después pasar a un modelado 3d básico qué me sirve únicamente de visualización. Pues nos da una perspectiva muy realista y podemos hacer modificaciones fácilmente. Esto no solo sirve internamente al equipo de dise?o, sino que es una forma en que el cliente puede visualizar el producto y tener claro el como se va a ver. Después de ello, pasamos a los prototipos físicos qué pueden tan sencillos o complejos como quieras o como el proyecto requiera y poco a poco ir escalando con el fin de ahorrar tiempo y recursos para que cuando ya estemos seguros de que hemos llegado a un buen resultado ya se trabaje en el prototipo final o estar muy cerca de el.
Once you have chosen your methods, you need to prepare your materials for testing. This may involve creating sketches, drawings, mock-ups, or prototypes of your concept, using different materials, techniques, and tools. Additionally, you should develop a test plan that outlines the purpose, objectives, methods, procedures, and schedule of your testing. Furthermore, it is essential to recruit participants who match your target user profile and are willing to provide honest and constructive feedback. It is also important to prepare a test environment which mimics the real or intended context of use for your concept and ensures the safety and comfort of the participants. Moreover, you should create a test script that guides the participants through the testing process and explains the tasks, questions, and instructions they need to follow. Finally, you should prepare a data collection method which records the results and outcomes of your testing using different formats such as notes, photos, videos, audio or sensors.
Como mencione en el punto anterior, a mi me funciona ir de menos a más. Pues en el camino se pueden ir descubriendo mejoras y todo con el fin de llegar siempre a la mejor solución, pero también de eficientar tiempo y recursos.
Now you are ready to conduct your testing, following your test plan and test script. It is important to be objective and open-minded during the testing process, avoiding any bias or influence on the participants or results. Paying attention to the verbal and non-verbal cues of the participants, such as their expressions, gestures, comments, and emotions is essential. Additionally, you should remain flexible and adaptable throughout testing, being prepared to adjust or modify the process based on feedback or situations that arise. Lastly, it is important to be respectful and ethical when conducting testing, respecting the privacy, consent, and rights of the participants and following the ethical guidelines and standards of your field.
Recuerda que las pruebas pueden ser muy variadas y dependen de tu objetivo. Desde pruebas mecánicas, hasta pruebas de visualización frente a usuarios o pruebas de funcionalidad con usuarios. Entre muchas otras opciones. Pero es una etapa super importante, pues en ella podrás descubrir todo lonque te puede llevar a un mejor resultado. Y hay una frase que me encanta que es 'fallar rápido es mejor y más barato' para eso existen estas pruebas. Y no esperarnos a fallar cuando el producto ya está en el mercado.
After you have conducted your testing, it is important to analyze your results and draw conclusions from your data. Different methods and tools can be used to analyze your results, such as quantitative analysis which uses numerical data and statistics to measure and compare the performance of your concept, or qualitative analysis which uses descriptive data and narratives to understand the experiences with your concept. Visual analysis is another method which uses graphical data and representations to illustrate the patterns and trends of your concept. By analyzing your results, you can identify the strengths and weaknesses of your concept, as well as potential opportunities or threats for your design.
Recapitular los objetivos, nos hará ser muy objetivos con los resultados y darnos cuenta de elementos en donde debemos mejorar, aumentar, disminuir o lo que sea que los resultados nos arrojen y ser muy objetivos y críticos con ello. Pues muchas veces existen elementos no negociables pero estar abiertos a que nos pueden salir nuevos y mejores resultados.
The final step of testing industrial design concepts is to iterate your design, based on your results and conclusions. Iteration is the process of refining and improving your design, by making changes, modifications, or additions to your concept, and testing it again. This process allows you to validate your assumptions and hypotheses, as well as solve the problems that emerged during testing and address the feedback from participants. Additionally, iteration helps you enhance the features and benefits of your concept, increase its feasibility, usability, and desirability, as well as innovate and differentiate it. All in all, testing industrial design concepts is a continuous and iterative process that helps you create better designs.
Improving product design fundamentally hinges on effectively conducting Design of Experiments (DOE) and deriving accurate solutions. Additionally, addressing and resolving any interference issues is crucial for ensuring customer success. While forming hypotheses is valuable, designers and engineers need to possess a thorough understanding of both the application and the mechanics of the design. Additionally, recognizing the limitations of materials is essential, as mainstream choices may not always be reliable, cost-effective, or efficient for the current design. A deep understanding of physics concepts and fundamentals is vital in building customer trust. Simultaneously, employing creativity to enhance user experience is equally important.