Simulation in user-centred design: helping designers to empathise with atypical users

• Carlos Cardoso ^[1] ; P. John Clarkson ^[2]
  1. [1] Delft University of Technology

     Delft University of Technology

     Países Bajos

     
  2. [2] University of Cambridge

     University of Cambridge

     Cambridge District, Reino Unido

     
• Localización: Journal of Engineering Design, ISSN 0954-4828, Vol. 23, Nº. 1, 2012, págs. 1-22
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • Time and budget constraints frequently prevent designers from consulting with end-users while assessing the ease of use of the products they create. This has resulted in solutions that are difficult to use by a wide range of users, especially the growing older adult population and people with different types of impairments. To help designers with this problem, capability-loss simulators have been developed with the aim of temporarily representing users who are otherwise difficult to access. This paper questions the reliability of existing tools in providing designers with meaningful information about the users’ capabilities. Consequently, a new capability-loss simulation toolkit is presented, followed by its empirical evaluation. The new toolkit proved to be significantly helpful for a group of designers identifying real usability problems with everyday devices.