3.3: Physical Modelling

a 3 dimensional, tangible representation of a design or system

1. Ergonomics and fit: how design will fit to user’s body

2. Relationships between the internal and external structure: e.g how electrical components can influence button placements

3. Aesthetic considerations: form, shape, texture…

a model that is either a smaller or larger physical copy of an object

Scaled down: architecture buildings- to communicate form of building/ visualise it to make changes

Scaled up: screws, mechanisms- to understand how parts lock/fit together

a model developed to look and feel like the final product

can be used to evaluate properties of a material;

1. weight and balance: using materials in similar weight/density to see how heavy it is

2. texture and surface qualities: paint finishes/textures shows how surface reflects light

3. ergonomic testing, evaluating visual appeal: see and feel how real product will be, allows production engineers to collect data to assess the feasibility for matching manufacturing systems

• Expensive but cheaper than creating real steel thing

• Allows designers to see how product looks and reflects light, allows them to easily manipulate the form and make small changes

• Visually helpful

a scale or full-size representation of a product used to gain feedback from users

• can be functional- usually a prototype

a sample or model built to test a CONCEPT or a PROCESS

• Can be developed at a range of fidelity and for different contexts

• Tests if an idea will work, or refining it

• Usually created towards end stages of design process

A mockup is a high-fidelity render of the design, focusing on form and aesthetics- showcasing what the finished product will look like WHEREAS a prototype is an early model of the finished product that focuses on the functionality of it, or of a particular concept.

the degree to which a prototype is exactly like the final product

• to gain feedback from the user (qualitative data)

• to gain results + a better understanding of the product’s functionality to make small changes (qualitative data)

prototypes that are equipped with the ability to take measurements to provide accurate quantitative feedback for analysis

• crash test dummies can be used to examine how well the car contains features that protect the passengers in a car crash + what needs to be added

• instrumented model of a keyboard can record user’s actions and provide data on how often keys are used and the number of errors a user makes

• explore and test new ideas

• easily understandable

• communication (with user, engineers)

• tangible (easily to visualise)

• user testing (gain qualitative data)

• some models (instrumented) provide accurate quantitative feedback for analysis

• designers can mistakenly assume that the model accurately represents the reality of the design context

• time consuming (e.g crash test dummies can take 5+ months to make)

• expensive

• materials (may not be able to use same material- can impact results)

• environmental cost (may create waste that impacts environment)

• skill (high level of skill required to make them)