Course content

The development and testing of prototypes is a central theme within interaction design and in this course, the students will get to know the role of the prototype in a design process.

In this course, the students will be working with a project that leads them through the development of several concepts that is turned into sketches, low-fi paper prototypes and medium fidelity prototypes using wood and electronics.The work is done using a formative-iterative teaching model where the students turn up to be tutored and develop their projects through iterations.

Students will be tutored in groups throughout the project, but will do their work mainly individually. The students will be divided into small groups that meets for tutoring, but that will be encouraged to help and support each other during this course.

This course takes place in several physical design workshop environments and will require a safety course in the beginning. Students will also be given training in several methods, tools and materials used for creating rapid prototypes.

Learning outcome

After a completed course, the students should have developed:

Fundamental knowledge about...

• ...health and safety in a workshop environment
• ...simple user testing methods
• ...the role of the prototype in a design process
• ...sustainability issues that relates to creating physical prototypes
• ...iterative development of a physical prototype
• ...different forms of manufacturing
• ...electronics used in a prototyping context

Fundamental skills

• produce parts for the prototype using two different fundamental methods of manufacturing
• combine simple electronic components and other manufactured parts to create a physical prototype
• use different kinds of machines, materials and simple electronics to create components for a physical prototype
• work in a safe and secure way in a workshop environment

Fundamental general competence

• have the ability to work, partly together with other people, with quality improvements by collecting, organizing and using feedback from other people

Learning methods and activities

See the section on "Faglig innhold"

Compulsory assignments

• Document reviewed theory and health, environment and safety (HSE)
• Document participation in a practical HSE review in the workshop
• Create process report and write a draft introduction
• Document the start of the insight work
• Document the initial problem definition and the start of the idea development work
• Document completed training in additive and subtractive production
• Document a started prototype in the first iteration

Further on evaluation

The students document and reflect about their process and product continuously, written and digital throughout the course. Students give the course responsible access to their written documentation to open up for online tutoring. The work is documented ina process report that the student upload to the exam system for grading at the end. The work is given a grade between A-F.

The students complete an online health and safety course for workshop environments. They also have to complete digital learning resources for some of the machines and equipment, and both have to be completed before students can start to use the workshop.

Specific conditions

Recommended previous knowledge

This course requires no previous special skills.

Required previous knowledge

The course is limited to students in the program Bachelor in Interaction Design.

Course materials

The students will be given digital content to read but will have to purchase their own physical course materials in the shape of a simple electronic kit for up to 1100 NOK at the beginning of the course.