This week, our class got informed about Evaluation in the design process.
Evaluation is (at least for me) one of the key-parts of any design process. A process without evaluation makes the possibility that a product or outcome could become completely useless pretty high. As the epimology of the word evaluation explains (french: evaluer, ex: out, from, valuer: be good, be of value) it is about capturing the positive side of sth. It is very important to recognise a products weakness and strengths by testing it and thinking about actions and their reactions.
Where and when to evaluate?
Of course it is important to do evaluation at several steps all over the design process. The outcomes of the evaluation deliver us different information and insights depending on what phase we look for it. This could for example happen in early ideas, prototypes an of course in existing/finished designs. To crystallise the value out of something we are targeting, we can use a lot of different methods and tools:
- interviews
- photography
- surveys
- cultural probes
- prototypes
- decision matrix
- desirability testing
- body storming
- think-aloud testing
- storytelling
- related works
- expertise/mentorin
- and many more
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