Design studio¶
Roles of prototyping¶
This week we went in-depth in different ways to prototype. This was eye opening for me since my previous definition of prototyping used to be more linked to experimentation at the service of improving goods and services. Now I realize the power a more exploratory and open-ended approach to prototyping can have in the design process and the richness that can emerge out of this mindset.
This is some of my previous experience prototyping:
The prototype as an experimental concept.¶
Previously, I have done this type of prototyping by executing A/B tests to determine the best variables for the value proposition of a new service that offered couples counseling for men to reduce conflict. We wanted to learn which type of copy in a Facebook ad generated the highest conversion. We quickly learned that men joining the program were motivated to do so to reduce the number of fights and have happier relationships as opposed to directions that were more vague, offering a new journey or a new challenge. It was important to hit the right tone of voice and communicate the most appealing value proposition since we only had two months to recruit 1,500 men for our pilot service of the program. Without quick prototyping it would’ve been impossible to achieve this ambitious objective.
In 2017 me and my team had to define the value proposition and brand for a new education start-up focused on teaching digital skills to Latin American professionals. We quickly designed 3 different websites with opposing look and feels and showed the prototypes to real users. We gathered their reactions and went with the most liked visual direction that was more modern yet bold. The prototype allowed us to have a stronger point of view as to which was the communication path we had to follow. This was a starting point to creating the brand of Colectivo23, an edtech startup for Latin American professionals that now has over 5,000 alumni.
The prototype as a means of inquiry.¶
In 2015 I worked with a group of space and interaction designers from La Victoria Lab and IDEO. We had to test on a 1:1 scale the service design of a new network of low cost high quality healthcare clinics in Peru. We used foam and cheap materials to simulate the different areas. We tested with real users (pregnant women) and helped them navigate the space while gathering their reactions. This prototype allowed us to test with real dimensions while still being low fidelity, cheap and quick to produce. We allowed users to walk freely around the space, move things around and quickly iterated our setup until we were more confident with our design direction.
The prototype as a research archetype.¶
I was involved in the creation of a book designed to celebrate and honor a district in Lima called La Victoria. The concept of the book revolved around the past, present and future of the district and in the “future” section we built upon the district’s most pressing problems and imagined hypothetical scenarios where these problems are solved through innovation. We worked with an illustrator to define how these could look like.
A medium article we wrote about the creative process behind
Some questions we explored:
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What if Gamarra (the textile hub) provided last-mile delivery through accessible technology and created a textile fab lab to collaborate with manufacturers, innovators and fashion stylists?
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What if we transformed the very dangerous area around the Matute stadium (football stadium) into an active and family-friendly sports hub?
Some early experiments I can think of are:¶
The prototype as a means of inquiry. I am interested in probing - more exploratory and open ended approach to prototyping and letting who I am testing the prototype with explore rather than follow instructions. In my past experiences I have always used rather rigid question and interview guides with very specific research objectives. It would be curious to learn what happens when you go into a research with less clarity about end results.
The process of prototyping as a vehicle for inquiry I would love to integrate first person perspective and journal / document the whole process with a storytelling angle. I also wonder what experiments or prototypes can I try from my home and not from a screen.
Some of my open-ended design research questions moving forward are:¶
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What hyperlocal communities in Barcelona are “gendered” (i.e. all male, all female, queer/only) and what are their primary unattended needs?
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How do caregiving roles relate to Intimate Partner Violence? Building on that - how does caregiving relate to domestic tasks and how can we redefine who is in charge of what in a household of the future?
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How is masculinity defined in queer spaces? What aspects are those qualified as “toxic” and which of those in turn lead to increased or potential IPV?
My design space¶
This is an early draft of what my design spaces looks like in October 2022.
