Based on the article, I believe there are three important things to be considered in the design process:
First of all as mentioned by the author, the new technologies in prototype making have become a new revolutionary method for designers to approach to an efficient and securer design process. I agree with Eisemberg when he states that, for the user to be able to have the whole experience, a 2D sketch is not enough, because, even if while using CAD you can show textures, mechanisms, materials or even scaling (using a virtual human scale) the final user is not able to throw an experience based judgment, a 3D prototype provides further tools required for a realistic product understanding.
Second, this realistic product understanding takes a whole new level when the designer becomes familiarized with the prototype. As the author states, the designer must embrace his work by becoming his own end-user, this way, he will be able to really understand the product, the way it works and the way it will be used by consumers. By using the 3D prototyping tools, designers get to know the failures of the design and are able to change them before the product is released, getting involved in this trial-error phase that enriches the overall design process.
Finally, I believe efficiency is the far most essential part of the product’s nature. Every day, new technology is being developed, technology that improves the designer’s understanding of the process and supplies new scopes for finding mistakes that may not seem evident on the beginning, but, they do become so after being manipulated in a three-dimensional environment or intentionally used. Designers ought to use these new technologies in a responsible and humble way. I state this, because our profession has a lack of humility, and sometimes it is hard for designers to accept our own errors. New technologies in prototyping provide their users with a deeper conscience about what is being made. Each prototype should be analyzed with a special focus, in order to take real advantage of these tools.
I believe that this subject is really important for us, students, because we can approach to the technologies that design firms use nowadays. At the end this will be important, because we will be soaked and familiarized with these concepts, promoting good competitiveness and stating bases for our future development.
- Lorena
