Our design culture influences our thinking culture and vice versa. Design prototypes have a process character; whereas, technological prototypes are the results of R&D work. How does the process and result change when one thinks of prototyping together? The "Rethinking Prototyping" project focuses precisely on this question.
The "Rethinking Prototyping" project is organized into three research groups composed of interdisciplinary partners.
The subproject "Hybrid Prototyping" focuses on the combined development of products and services, the so-called product-service systems (PSS).
The researchers in the subproject "Blended Prototyping" are from the fields of design research and usability research. They link low and high fidelity prototyping methods in the development of mobile interfaces.
The third research group "Beyond Prototyping" uses rapid manufacturing technologies to produce one-off pieces, which previously had been created in serial production facilities.

Foto: © Stephanie Neumann

RETHINKING PROTOTYPING

The goal of UseTree, the “Berlin Competence Center for Usability Measures”, is to spread the idea of usability among medium-sized companies. The center focuses on mobile and Internet-based commercial applications. The initiative seeks to achieve scientifically grounded, practical knowledge transfer at the intersection of software developers and users: it seeks to make small and medium-sized companies – the suppliers and users of software – more sensitive to the theme of usability and advises them to consider usability criteria in the development and decision-making processes. To that end “UseTree” is starting pilot projects employing models for systematic and sustainable integration of usability measures as well as evaluating and optimizing them along the way. The competence center’s portfolio of offers is modular in construction so that the companies can use measures as they need them and as resources permit.

Fotos: © Sebastian Pfütze

USETREE

n the project “Design, Development and Dissemination of New Musical Instruments” (3DMIN), the conditions for the artistic success of musical instruments will be investigated. In parallel, the interdisciplinary research team will collaborate with musicians and performers on designs for various prototypes of new musical interfaces that allow musicians to realize their artistic visions for music. These prototype instruments will be explored in an artistic context, i.e., in the projects of the musicians involved, and are to be evaluated by qualitative and quantitative methods. All of the hybrid instruments’ features – from physical design, interface design, mapping, to the sound synthesis software – will be published open-source for the scientific and artistic communities.

Fotos: © Bredahl & Hildebrand

3DMIN

The project partakes in the Solar Decathlon 2014 – Green Liver for the City and is among the final 20 participants of the contest. In July 2014 the team will build the developed concept of the solar house in Versailles, France. For this cause more than 40 students have come together from different courses of study from TU Berlin and UdK Berlin. Until the present time, the following courses of study are represented: building technology, architecture, construction engineering, industrial engineering, energy and process technology and mechanical engineering. Team rooftop is supported by various national and international sponsors.

Fotos: © Team Rooftop

Add

Hybrid Plattform

Opportunities

For Artists

ArtConnect

Support