Method Card Design Dimensions: A Survey of Card-Based Design Tools

Abstract

Abstract.There are many examples of cards used to assist or provide structure to the design process, yet there has not been a thorough articulation of the strengths and weaknesses of the various examples. We review eighteen card-based design tools in order to understand how they might benefit designers. The card-based tools are explained in terms of five design dimensions including the intended purpose and scope of use, duration of use, methodology, customization, and formal/material qualities. Our analysis suggests three design patterns or archetypes for existing card-based design method tools and highlights unexplored areas in the design space. The paper concludes with recommendations for the future development of card-based methods for the field of interaction design. Keywords: method cards, creativity cards, design methods, design tools Introduction'Design methods are like toothbrushes. Everyone uses them, but no one likes to use someone else's. ' [13] Physical cards have been popular design tools, perhaps because they are simple, tangible and easy to manipulate. Aside from the well-known Card Sorting method [22], cards have been used widely by designers to make the design process visible and less abstract [3,10] and serve as communication tools between members of the design team and users [9]. There are many examples of unique method card systems, many have similar features and formal qualities, yet it is not easy to get an overview of the available card systems in order to decide which to use, and when. As suggested in the opening quote attributed to John Zimmerman, designers often develop their own methods or appropriate widely known methods to best suit their needs, yet there is a tendency to use methods that are familiar instead of venturing out. Even though these methods are shared with the research community, it is difficult and time consuming for designers to review all available tools to understand their strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, this paper aims at providing an overview of some well-known

Developing Usage Guidelines for a Card-Based Design Tool

“…Card-based tools have been widely used as a means to share research insights (see Wölfel & Merritt, 2013). However, how to develop good card usage has rarely been addressed in the literature on card-based design tools.…”

“…For example, Lockton based tools have generated guidelines for developing effective card tools. Wölfel and Merritt (2013), for instance, analysed several widely used card-based tools and introduced a set of design dimensions, e.g., the scope of use, intended purpose and formal quality. These dimensions can serve as a reference to plan features of a new card tool carefully.…”

Stimulating Stakeholders' Imagination: New Creativity Triggers for Eliciting Novel Requirements

“…It is interesting to note that creativity triggers are prompts, similar to Procedural Prompts [21] or more generally to any prompting technique that can be used during design process [22], [23], [24]. Beside their innovative properties, creativity triggers have -as any prompt -a series of advantages, including the facts that:…”

Imagining Artificial Intelligence Applications with People with Visual Disabilities using Tactile Ideation

“…While there is a growing literature on what people find challenging now (e.g., [35], [51]), we wanted to prompt those with visual disabilities to imagine what artificial intelligence might offer in the future. Such a future may address practical problems that users face now, or it might include a set of new abilities that we have not yet considered.…”