From Digital to Analogue: An Interdisciplinary Case Study to Enhance the Communication of Design Products Through Physical Constraints

Abstract

Emerging technologies have the potential to make everyday life easier with an increasing number of benefits. However, it is argued that digital products are developed from a techno-centric perspective rather than being human-centered. With the complicated structures they have, they may also cause dissatisfaction and difficulty in their use, due to the unfamiliarity to the mental models of the users. In the area of human-computer interaction, many learning and outcomes have been achieved. This research aims to explore how this knowledge can be benefited for the design of products that are controlled by analogue means. Within the scope of the research, 5-week workshop was planned and applied to Communication Design senior students, who had many design experience with digital media. The outcomes revealed that, when user-centered design method and metaphorical thinking are integrated in the design process, the products’ cognitive, physical, sensory and functional affordance improved.