Design probes for handheld and ubiquitous computing

Abstract

In developing electronic gadgets, meters and oscilloscopes are used to probe into their workings, so that engineers can understand how they are behaving and how they can be improved. Analogously, this paper suggests a variety of conceptual probes that can be used to explore the process of design. The probes focus designers' attention onto successfully managing complexity and in coping with socio-economic influences on design practice in the real world.