Context dependency in design research

Abstract

Design research at Stanford’s Center for Design Research (CDR) has always been user-centric. Over time, the focus has been extended beyond user needs and product specifications to include the “human-machine-experience”. A recent wave of research on the autonomous-car/driver experience has focused our attention on the role of “complex adaptive machine systems” in defining the human-experience. The pursuit of a unified model for interaction design has yielded a surprising three-factor concurrent experience framework. Our intention in this article is to give readers insights into context dependency as the defining requirement of the model for autonomous-car/driver experience. As design researchers, we have observed that communication between the autonomous-car and driver takes place through three concurrent dialog channels: information, emotion and learning exchange.