Preliminary Sketching and Prototyping: Comparisons in Exploratory Design-and-Build Activities
Name
v007t07a018-detc2014-34928.pdf
Size
2.55 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
9f2e5104b6852f8d0de9b4c7d6bfb06b
Author(s)
Faas, Daniela
Bao, Qifang
Yang, Maria C.
Date Issued
August 2014
Journal
Volume 7: 2nd Biennial International Conference on Dynamics for Design; 26th International Conference on Design Theory and Methodology
Publisher
ASME International
Citation
Faas, Daniela, Qifang Bao, and Maria C. Yang. “Preliminary Sketching and Prototyping: Comparisons in Exploratory Design-and-Build Activities.” Volume 7: 2nd Biennial International Conference on Dynamics for Design; 26th International Conference on Design Theory and Methodology (August 17, 2014).
Version
Final published version
Abstract
This study explores the role of sketching when designers are creating fast, preliminary prototypes during hands on design-and-build activities. Many studies have noted the value of both sketching and the building of preliminary prototypes in the early stages of the design process. In a typical design scenario, exploratory sketches are made before prototypes are fabricated. However, in certain cases, the differences in the design exploration value of a sketch and a simple, preliminary prototype may not always be clear. In this study, three conditions for a design-and-built activity were compared: A control group (allowed to freely sketch throughout), a limited sketch group (only allowed to sketch at the beginning) and a no sketch group. The study was conducted twice, using two different prototyping materials each time. One that is assembly only (an Erector set) and one that requires both part fabrication and assembly (foam core). The performance of the prototypes, the type and quality of the sketches, and the relationship between sketches and prototypes were evaluated. Results for this study suggest that fast, preliminary prototypes are equally as useful for design exploration as sketching in building simple mechanisms, though results would likely be different for more complex design tasks.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Terms of Use
Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use.
Persistent DSpace Link
DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1115/DETC2014-34928
