Cultures of Prototyping

By Michael Schragepresented by Roy Campbell

The Author, Michael Schrage

Co-director of the MIT Media Lab'sE-Markets Initiative.Senior adviser toMIT¹s Security Studies Program.Advises organizations onthe economics of innovation through rapid experimentation, simulation and digital design.

Introductionby Terry Winograd

Schrage describes the role and conduct of prototyping in industries such as autos and consumer electronics. In order to gather information, he interviewed design-firm managers.

Background of Paper

Paper is partly based upon IDEO which is a firm built around a prototyping philosophy. IDEO is a design consultancy doing industrial design and engineering based in Palo Alto.

Prototyping Cycle

Build prototype.Test prototype.Scrutinize prototype. Redesign prototype.

Claims

Winograd claims that the culture fosters creativity and innovative design.Prototypes serve as “backtalk” to designers.

Aspects of Prototyping Cultures

Specifications MediaStylesOrganizational structures.Tacit understanding and practices.

Prototypes and Specifications

Prototypes reveal good or bad design.Specs & prototypes can concur or be enemies.Some cultures spec driven. Some are prototype driven.Small companies prototype driven.Big companies spec driven.

Move to Prototype-driven Specs

Quotes David Kelley as arguing that organizations intending to be innovative need to movefrom specification-driven prototypesto prototype-driven specifications.

The Prototyping Media

Gave example ofDetroit clay models vs.Toyota CAD models.

Questions that aPrototype Can Answer

Different questions require different media.In software, different questions may lead to the use of different representations or even different languages.Prototyping may generate new vocabulary such as “suckback” for toothpaste tubes.

Prototyping Cycle

Rapid prototyping has come to the forefront due to management wisdom that insists that speed to market is the key ingredient for competitiveness.In some companies, prototype isend product of thought, as opposed to development simultaneous with functional specification.

Players in thePrototyping Culture

Some hesitant to show prototypes to executives.How long does it take from initial development of a prototype until first shown to upper management.

Ownership of the Prototype

Should be community property.There sometimes is an internal politics of prototypes.In software industry, successful PC software is tested with alpha and beta version prototypes, or so the author says. For example, Intuit’s Quicken had

extensive customer feedback from prototypes.

Changing a Company’s Prototyping Culture

Stuctured innovation process drives prototype developmentSequences of prototypes drive the innovation process.Innovative teams generate innovative prototypesinnovative prototypes are the focus for generating innovative teams.

The innovation process

Periodic PrototypingScheduled Prototyping

The innovating team

Physical objects that help to bridge disciplinary and functional boundaries become more important.Prototyping affects organization Prototyping innovation changes

org charts. Avoid departmental turf wars that

cripple prototypes.

Conclusions: organizations

Revise dialog between specs and prototypes.Pick prototyping media with desirable characteristics.Manage scheduling of prototypes.Change prototyping culture.

Conclusions: How to Prototype

No right answer.Strategies are varied.Develop a mix that serves company’s markets and its products.

Profiles by Terry Winograd

HyperCardDirectorVisual Basic

HyperCard

Bill Atkinson and his team developed HyperCard at Apple Computer in 1987. Scriptable interface builderDirect manipulation set up of interfaces based upon standard graphical user interface elementsHyperTalk uses Englishlike constructions.

Macromedia Director Sophisticated multimedia developers Animations Metaphor is that of a score and a cast of characters.Language is called Lingo.Usage examples: Kiosk Polished appearance prototype of an

application

Visual Basic

Competent programmers but not user interface wizardsBasic language with a directly manipulatable interface builderLess a prototyping language and more a development language

Choosing a Prototyping Medium

System For whom? HyperCard amateurs Director artist-designers Visual Basic software engineers

The End of Prototypes