• Context for use
• Context of use
• Verplank identifies at least eight distinctive phases, as shown below in the diagram:

• Begins with an invention stage, through error, then goes to the idea with a design phase
• Afterwards, scenario development is included, then an engineering phase of task analysis and modelling to a representation phase
• Interactive designers use many tools to generate and identify potential solutions
• They apply skills, tools, and observe problems that need to be solved and solutions. These are then afterwards communication
• Project ideas can begin with pencil and paper, sketch books, sticky notes, note cards and whiteboards
• Early visualisations with diagrams, models and flows help us distinguish potential directions and missing information

• As designs process, designers need to have an advancing level of detail and fidelity, pen and paper and sketches to capture the concept
• Creating interactive prototypes leads to solid ideas
• Precedent research involves studying products, observing people and asking questions based on observations.
• After that is accomplished, the designer tests the prototypes

When designing an interaction:

• What people are trying to do
• How they may try to do it
• What gets in the way or helps
• Where they might be doing it

• Example: a person logging into their bank account on their laptop to check their balance and confirm that a transaction has gone through or logging in while in the waiting line at a supermarket to check if they have enough money. Information is needed for different reasons and different times and locations, by using different devices and with difference urgencies. There is a context for the use and context of use.
• Context scenarios are used to define the situation, people and their needs, so interaction designs can be created for their behaviour

What is the situation?

• What’s the setting or environment in which the interface or the device will be used?
• Is it public or private?
• Is it conducive? Who will be using the device or interface?
• Where they might be doing it

Who will be using the device or interface?

• Will it be used by one person, or multiple people?
• How long will the interface be used?
• Will the person be able focus on their task or will they be interrupted while using it
• What are the person’s needs and goals?

What are the person’s needs and goals?

• What are they trying to accomplish or complete?

Does the experience need to be extremely simple?

• How much complexity can be accepted?

Reflection

During the Lecture Pod of Week 2, the main topics designed process overview and context. One of the main subject matters that were brought to my attention was the explanation behind describing the difference between a context for use and context of use. It was highlighted through the example of an individual checking their balance on their laptop and confirming a transaction has gone through vs checking their balance while waiting in the line at the supermarket, to confirm they have enough money. This differentiation assisted me in understanding context, and what type of context to use in different situations. In addition, the questions that were shown at the end of the lecture pod helped me understand how designers create context scenarios.