Work

Evaluation of Prototypes and the Problem of Possible Futures

Year: 2017

Type: conference-paper

Abstract: There is a blind spot in HCI's evaluation methodology: we rarely consider the implications of the fact that a prototype can never be fully evaluated in a study. A prototype under study exists firmly in the present world, in the circumstances created in the study, but its real context of use is a partially unknown future state of affairs. This present-future gap is implicit in any evaluation of prototypes, be they usability tests, controlled experiments, or field trials. A carelessly designed evaluation may inadvertently evaluate the wrong futures, contexts, or user groups, thereby leading to false conclusions and expensive design failures. The essay analyses evaluation methodology from this perspective, illuminating how to mitigate the present-future gap.

Source: CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

DOI: 10.1145/3025453.3025658

Authors: Antti Salovaara, Antti Oulasvirta, Giulio Jacucci

Institutions: University of Helsinki, Aalto University

Language: English

Topic: Usability and User Interface Design

Subfield: Human-Computer Interaction

Field: Computer Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: bronze

Funders: European Commission, Academy of Finland, H2020 European Research Council