Dolls as props representing users in design: physical qualities and their application

  • Authors:
  • Christina Jakobsen

  • Affiliations:
  • University of Aarhus, Aarhus, Denmark

  • Venue:
  • Proceedings of the 24th Australian Computer-Human Interaction Conference
  • Year:
  • 2012

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Abstract

Doll based design constitutes an emerging design approach where users and use is represented via props in the form of dolls and doll play in design sessions. This paper contributes to the development of Doll based design by presenting five central physical qualities of dolls which support the representation of users via dolls in design sessions: manageability, appropriation, human appearance, placeholder and accessories. The aspects have emerged through a grounded theory approach where two workshops have been analysed with respect to how the physicality of dolls supported the representation of users through Doll based design: one workshop utilised ludo pieces to represent users and the other used paper silhouettes of human bodies. Based on the identified physical qualities of dolls, the paper offers practitioners' a guide of how to take the physicality of dolls into consideration during the planning and conduct of Doll based design, in order to support the representation of users via dolls in design sessions.