Transcript

Welcome to the next part of prototyping and lecture. So in this lecture we will see different types of prototyping. It will be very interesting to know that is something called as low fidelity and high fidelity. So, let us start looking into what is low fertility, what are the functions of a low fertility, how is it going to make an impact towards the end product? And then we will see about that high fidelity prototype. So, when you look at prototyping, there are two types of prototypes. One is called as low fidelity, the one is called us high fidelity. Low fidelity prototype is a prototype that is sketchy, and incomplete, that has some characteristics of the target product in order to quickly produce the prototype and test broad concepts. So for example, low fidelity, there are several ways. So in low fidelity we make a half scale model, we make a sketch, we make a simulation, we use miscellaneous material, not the original material required. We use some other material and see putting these materials still. Are we able to get the function and demonstrate our idea to the customers? So simulated materials you make lot of mock up here and we are trying to move from some functionality, like form is also given importance to final usability, we tried to look. So, here we use story broadening, paper prototype, paper prototype is also used to so many at times in the festival season you can see lots of prototypes of characters are made out of cardboard. So why they use cardboard and wood is because it is easy for carving and it is available. It is an economical material. It gives you the flexibility of shaping to whatever form you need. So paper prototyping is nowadays exhaustively used to express your ideas.

Then wire frame, wire frame is you make a sketch, you put some nails and pass a wire through all these nails, try to give a form like whatever it is. So wire frame, sketch models, creative toolkits, generating the researches. So, then you also have mockups, body storming. Then you have role playing business origami and then you have cognitive walk-through. So, these are some of the low fidelity prototypes which are made when we were working on Amla deseeding or amla grating machine the first a few prototypes what we made was out of cardboard. We also made the mechanism in cardboard. We used a low stiffness spring, attached it to it and then started demonstrating it to say what motions it will do and what amount of forces it will try to exert and where we’ll be the exerting point. How are we going to feed the amla and then how is it going to get grated or deseeded.

So, when we made through a low fidelity prototype, we also changed our mechanism several times. So first we thought of rack and pinion, then we thought of, we went into scotch mechanism. So these are some of the mechanisms which are commonly available and which is bookishly available. So we started moving from mechanism to mechanism to make sure that we get the proper force at regular intervals of time at that location of the amla. So, this is very important. For example, we made prototypes and at the end of the course there’ll be a few demonstrations which we will show to you what we developed in the low fidelity prototype for various agricultural applications. So, when we did this low fidelity prototype, we understood, okay, the stiffness of the spring is very important. This shape is not handy for the customers, the material, what we used, these are the places where there has to be given more functionalization or selective reinforcement in the product has to be given to get a better performance. Then we also looked into the form, how the form should be improved and then we also start off, okay, if there is a hopper to be attached, how should be the hopper. When we are trying to look about a grass cutter, which is to be converted into a sugar cane cutter. So, we were trying to look at a model, and then we were trying to make a small pipe and do the demonstration and see with paper of equal and stiffness what sugar cane gives we realize that where exactly the load will be, how, what will be the difficulty faced by the agriculturist while cutting. So these are all the informations we get when we do your low fidelity prototype. Low fidelity prototype is failing quick and failing economical.

Once the low fidelity prototype is done, customer feedback is received. Then, the maybe from the first step it starts, from the empathy study, we start reiterating everything, and then we come back to the prototyping with the next revised Prototype and once the revised prototype to a some extent is accepted, then we move towards the high fidelity type. High fidelity type is basically having all the basic functions. It will be a full scale model. We will try to use real materials so we will try to give importance to aesthetics. We will also look forward for interaction between one system with the other system. So this one is called us high fidelity prototype. In high fidelity prototype it is almost the final version of the product made here. So high fidelity prototype is a product in its closest to some resemblance to the final design in terms of details and functionality. Low fidelity, low fidelity leading to high fidelity, high fidelity will be also tested with the customer we get a feel for it and then we try to freeze our product. So we have tried to cover low fidelity, high fidelity in this discussion.

So, now let us see what are all the advantages and disadvantages of making proto-type. Let us see that one day this proto typing brings the user into the process early of final development. Next is prototyping generates practical experience equal to limited risk. So practical experience. Many things we are learning when we tried to make this prototype. The errors are detected at a very early stage. Our advantage of prototype, more human centric approach games more important within the organization. When we talk about disadvantages, development process can slow down considerably when we start making prototypes to some extent, I’m not saying to a large extent but to some extent. Additional costs because prototyping only represents your model, not the final prototype.

So, that means to say you are not making the final product, you are making one more version of the final product and you should invest money in it. So, generally what we do is we start first prototype to make out of wood, cardboard, a small sheet metal which is available in the market or maybe it is available, in your garage. So please pick those things, try to assemble those things. So, but for that also you should invest money that’s what we are trying to discuss here. Though it is very small, but still there is a cost invest. Users maybe unfamiliar with a technique or idea behind proto-typing and hence error deduction, maybe unlikely. So if a person does not know to make any prototype, then it becomes very difficult. And, if at all he makes prototype leaving certain things and he explains those things by words, then again, this prototyping business is lost it’s important. Prototyping can lead to remaining in a permanent optimization loop and not taking decisions possible. So, sometimes we always fall in a in a loop and we always say I would like to do the best out of it. So, you spend a lot of time in making the best prototype. Then you will spend a lot of time in making prototype and you will not go towards the final prototype. So, need for minimal viable product should be there. So, in numbers we are talking such that when we try to choose processes, or machines we can try to optimize that cost.

So prototype is, is all about end user. So here till now what we saw is a prototype which was physically made and it had, when we are talking about mechanical functionality only, we were talking. Now that is also prototypes, which you can make with electronics parts. So prototyping with electronic gadgets are listed here. So you can see here people have made a smartwatch, something like a smartwatch. So here all the functionality was assembled using a printed circuit board and a display device. So this used them a quick understanding and basic functions they know to make. So we also try to do electronic prototyping, which will be attached to our product to meet auto customers demand. So here is a display of a low fidelity prototype, can be just some combination of lego and sticking notes. So Lego sticking notes. That means to say, I did not have a display here, but I said that in the display I will show you these, these, these, these words. So this is also a low fidelity prototype. It’s not only mechanical, it is also integrating electronics to it, automation to it. So above example is a user experience prototype for blood pressure monitoring device, which is been demonstrated. So take the end user through the prototype and let him her experience it completely. You should give you enough time, you should give them enough space so that they experience your product. Though it will be very crude. It might be sometimes harsh, it might be sometimes misleading, but still show them the prototype. Ask them to enjoy the experience of it. Make a note of whatever they say and make a note of that emotions also, make the user speak about it’s moment by moment experience. That means that, Oh, it is scary when I looked at this watch, when I started tying the watch, I was not pretty sure whether this watch will work so, every moment you start recording it. So this will help you as a design thinker to capture the minute details of this experience. Try to actively observe an enthusiastically engaged with the user during this experience. Don’t try to make fun, try to enjoy whatever he says, whatever his criticize is, please make a note of it and then you start noting it down, okay. Once the experience is over, follow up the user who had the experience with a set of questions. So, first you give him the prototype, ask him to experience the prototype. You keep recording minute by minute and you keep engaging during the experience, some conversation, or giving him some tips or giving him some incentives or cracking some jokes try to evolve because it should not be monotonous and it should not be monologue. He keeps on complaining or he keeps on saying, wow, it is very good, no, you have to also give them a feel that you are also part of it, you’re also trying test along with him. You should not give any of your explanations. Why is this like that? Why is this like that? You should never say. At this point try to record and then what you do is after everything is over you try to ask him some questions so, these questions can be a repeat of whatever he has said or it can be a new question which comes to your mind where in which please make a note of it. Don’t try to interpret that data in your own way. Record it and write down what all he has told. This might give you a lead to get towards a better product.

To summarize, in prototyping we first saw why prototyping? Then we saw what is prototyping, then we saw different levels of prototyping, low fidelity, high fidelity, and then we finally saw what are the advantage and disadvantages of proto-typing. Proto typing does not mean only making mechanical. It is also integrating electronics to it and electronics sometimes might need software so, making that is also part of proto-typing when we tried to develop a product towards the end user.

Thank You.