A CASE STUDY OF DESIGN FOR AFFORDANCE: AFFORDANCE FEATURES OF A SIMPLE MEDICAL DEVICE
Year: 2011
Editor: Culley, S.J.; Hicks, B.J.; McAloone, T.C.; Howard, T.J. & Malmqvist, J.
Author: Kim, Yong Se; Cho, Young Chan; Kim, Sun Ran
Series: ICED
Section: Design for X, Design to X
Page(s): 282-292
Abstract
People interact with artifacts, either products or services, in their lives. These interactions are based on two-way communication between people and artifacts. The characteristics of artifacts that induce natural activities of people, affordances, play critical roles in making interactions successful and meaningful. Affordance features are the structural elements of artifacts that provide affordances. In this paper, affordance features of a simple medical device are thoroughly studied. A task model has been developed based on the usage of a medical expert, and observation of activities of normal users has been conducted. Based on the structural elements of the device identified by state changes in user activity observation, affordance features have been identified. Then these features have been compared with functional features designed to provide the functions of the device. In this way, affordance features particularly designed to provide information- centered affordances were identified together with corresponding functional features.
Keywords: DESIGN FOR AFFORDANCE; CONTEXT-BASED ACTIVITY MODELLING; AFFORDANCE FEATURES; AFFORDANCE