This Is AuburnElectronic Theses and Dissertations

An Approach For Creating Low-fidelity Prototypes That Allow for Testing Integrated Digital And Physical Interfaces

Date

2022-12-05

Author

Lin, Yunfan

Type of Degree

Master's Thesis

Department

Industrial and Graphic Design

Abstract

With the development of electronic products and electronic technology, the interaction between the user and the device design ushers in new challenges. Touch operations are gradually replacing traditional physical operations, and in the process of this transformation, problems arise. The advantages and shortcomings of new interactive interfaces have been exposed in terms of safety, ease of use and convenience. How to take advantage of the advantages of new interactive interfaces and optimize or eliminate the shortcomings of new interactive interfaces has become a challenge for today's designers in interaction design. The understanding of usability in design during the product development stage enhances the significance of usability testing of digital devices in early development stage. Therefore, a large number of prototypes are needed for testing. In the development process, various simulation models are produced and applied for usability testing. However, existing models are not sufficient to evaluate the usability of user interfaces (UIs) because they do not allow one to assess usability in both cognitive and physical ways. The challenges of prototyping are also great and involve knowledge of circuitry, programming, and other areas that are often unfamiliar to industrial designers. This study utilizes the tools and techniques that designers are familiar with to enable the creation and testing of prototypes, that can help designers better balance the choice of the implementation medium when designing new interactive interfaces.