Theme 5: Design research (before lecture)

How can media technologies be evaluated?

In total,the paper introduces the kind of streaming media application to combine the traditional media patterns with the interactive media technologies.I think there are many accesses to evaluate the media techniques.In this paper,the authors sets up several experiments in the authentic and systematic ways to conduct the charts and statistics.Through analyzing the results,author gives the objective and critical conclusions.Meanwhile,the research designs a complete and specific part to support the technical application as the crucial element to reveal the usability,efficiency,trainability.

What role will prototypes play in research?
I think the prototype of the research play a key role to make the objects or results we expect more concise and logical.It is like the root of the tree to control and provide the energy to our constant minds.Meantime,it’s generally simple enough so that it can facilitate the divergent thinking though using our experiences which are most familiar and usual surroundings of us.In this research,the author just uses the simple mind that makes the user experience of streaming media more interactive as the prototype to build up the questionaire for developing the possibilities.

Why could it be necessary to develop a proof of concept prototype?
  From the logical aspect,when the author comes up with the concept prototype,usually,it should be assumed or ideal comparing with the practical methods.Hence,I think we need find several methods or specific conditions which design with certain principles to indicate the possibilities we assumed.As I said above,the research should be based on the original prototype.In some way,there is a decisive process to verify the authenticity for the system design.

What are characteristics and limitations of prototypes?
Prototypes is always concise and vivid for the research design to deal with some complexly technical issues.For the reader,It’s easy to make sense either.Meantime,there are more possibilities to connect another knowledge systems related because of its catholicity .It is effective way to grasp the main factors of the theoretical and technical framework.On the other hand,the design process of the prototype should be participated by certain numbers of individuals and dialectic under the objective scientific background.The individual’s experience usually have the potential illusions and even errors of common cognition.

How can design research be communicated/presented?
Initially,the structure of the research should be start at the superficial and common view as the leader to get itself involved in the deep and specific ways to probe.At the same time,some refine graphs and statistics are necessary for demonstrating the conceptions or prototypes.As a whole view,the charts could be a factor of constituting the complete and structured study as the quantitative methods.


What is the 'empirical data' in these two papers?
I think these two papers reveal some common situations and issues for the tangible interfaces and driving range respectively that mentioned in the text.It’ could be a starting point to launch the study in depth and give the feasible solutions.Meantime,because the research pattern is based on the exploration in some way,some ’empirical data’ also is used in the background brief and testing part.

- Can practical design work in itself be considered a 'knowledge contribution'?
I think it should be a kind of achievements from the practical design.Generally,we always set up several patterns to design the structure and explore the possible results in uncertain conditions.That probably is a new trial to conduct the research in different framework.We cannot simply see it as the acquired experiences.In this way.It causes the new technique or framework.

- Are there any differences in design intentions within a research project, compared to design in general?
In the research,we generally have some expectations or predictions with our previous knowledge before we design the structure.In other word,we already stand in the overall situation to plan our minds to indicate our thoughts of specific issues.So,we might pay more attention to the quantities we care and filter other properties so that the authenticity and systematicity of the research can be maintained though the process.However,the designing in general usually is more random and explorative as the current states or the object of short term.
- Is research in tech domains such as these ever replicable? How may we account for aspects such as time/historical setting, skills of the designers, available tools, etc? 
These things are the parts of the whole process as the preconditions to influence the results.I think we could use a brief in the background instruction or a characterizing of experimental platforms to bring out these details.The certain tests or statistics always quote them or have a special requirements for the design process. 

- Are there any important differences with design driven research compared to other research practices?
Maybe the differences appear in the aspect of real-time data and variability.Meantime,probably,we draw the driven research which is more focused the some components of the cars,not a complete object.