Design in Action - From Prototyping by Demonstration to Cooperative Prototyping
Summary
Bødker and Grønbæk argue for prototyping as an active, cooperative design practice in which users and designers learn by trying, modifying, and discussing working representations of future systems. The chapter uses examples such as a dental clinic case record prototype to show how use reveals breakdowns that designers could not fully anticipate. Rather than treating prototypes only as specifications, the authors emphasize prototypes as shared design artifacts that support user participation, situated critique, and iterative change.
Important Keywords
- Cooperative prototyping: prototyping in which users and designers jointly try, discuss, and modify a working representation of a future system.
- Prototyping by demonstration: shaping a prototype through visible, concrete changes that users can inspect and respond to during design.
- Participatory design: a design approach where users actively influence the system being designed rather than only evaluate it afterward.
- Breakdown: a moment in use where assumptions fail and a mismatch between the prototype and work practice becomes visible.
- User involvement: direct participation by intended users in formulating requirements and evaluating design changes through use.
- Iterative design: cycling between design, experience, critique, and redesign as understanding develops.
- Executable specification: a working specification used to explore what parts of a future system should do.
Important Concepts
- Real use of a prototype can surface requirements that interviews or abstract specifications miss.
- Users should be active participants in shaping prototypes, not only evaluators of finished designs.
- Breakdowns during prototype use are valuable because they expose mismatches between a designer's assumptions and users' work practices.
- Fast modification supports dialogue because users can see their feedback become part of the artifact.
Examples
- Dental assistants noticed that a tooth diagram was oriented incorrectly for their work practice; the designer changed the prototype immediately, making the issue visible and negotiable.
- Cooperative prototyping lets users explore how a proposed system fits into everyday routines before the final system is built.