Pivots and Structured Play: Stimulating creative user input in Concept Development

The first 200 words of this essay...

Pivots and Structured Play: Stimulating Creative User Input in Concept Development

Tore Urnes, Åsmund Weltzien and Anne Zannussi

Telenor Research and Development

Snarøyveien 30

N-1331 Fornebu, Norway

{tore.urnes|asmund.weltzien|anne.zannussi}@telenor.com

Solveig Engbakk¹ and Julie Kleppen Rafn²

¹Department of Computer Science

²Department of Product Design

Norwegian University of Technology and Science

N-7034 Trondheim, Norway

{solveien|julier}@stud.ntnu.no

ABSTRACT

Design methods based on participatory design need to stimulate creativity in potential users. We propose the pivot method to address this need during the concept development stage of the broader interactive system development process. Pivots are symbolic, yet physical, representations that allow a person to move back and forth between a figured (imagined) world and the real world. This movement generates experiences that can be exchanged and that stimulate creativity. We offer insights into the theoretical foundations of pivots and the pivot method. We also report on our experience from employing the pivot method during the development of a "universal remote controller" concept for a smart home.

Keywords

Participatory design, creativity, pivot, play, design method, smart home, universal remote controller.

INTRODUCTION

Constant progress in hardware and software technologies helps bring