Designing a visual programming toolkit for prototyping electronics with mobile devices

近年互動設計、產品設計、設計思考等學門，無不重視原型設計，透過使用者快速的測試回饋，反覆修正，使產品更符合使用者的需求。如今科技產品不斷推陳出新，與無所不在運算的普及，科技產品以及感知互動的服務與日俱增；設計團隊須了解電子電機相關技術，以完成各種測試原型。但對於一般的設計師而言，必須額外費時學習電路設計、焊接與程式設計等專業技術，已成為原型製作的一項門檻。 許多研究學者注意到這樣的需求，針對不同的使用族群發展各種電子電路創作工具，希望降低互動產品的創作門檻，舉凡Arduino、Phidgets與Gadgeteer等，但使用者仍須具備基本電路知識或參與訓練課程；近兩年推出的Littlebits與Atoms選擇捨去電路設計、焊接與程式設計的過程，讓沒有電子電路經驗的使用者也可輕易使用，卻降低了創作時的彈性，侷限了原型製作的變化性。 本研究將針對非電子相關背景的設計師，設計一套電子電路創作工具 「Rapid Prototype」，藉由分析過去電子電路創作工具的使用族群與設計思維，結合電子電路物件與智慧型載具，設計一套圖型化編輯器，透過物件順序的編排，及物件行為的選擇，快速製作出原型產品，降低設計師學習門檻及提昇創作自由度。 本研究原型設計工具，有以下功能： • 增加智慧型載具的支援：智慧型載具提供圖型化的編輯器與電子電路互動模組結合增加製作彈性。 • 降低學習門檻：降低電子電路相關知識需求，且透過圖形化編輯比傳統程式語言更容易學習。 • 擴展創作空間：核心物件與行動載具無線溝通，減少距離限制。 • 分析使用經驗：分析使用者在電子電路互動模組的使用經驗與操作，作為未來電子電路原型製作工具的參考。As the demands for interaction design with electronics increase, it is necessary for design groups to understand the technology related to electronic and electrical engineering in order to produce different kinds of prototypes. However, there is a large gap between concept design and prototyping. Designers have to spend a lot of time to learn electrical circuit design, welding, programming, and other professional skills. More researchers have noticed the aforementioned demands and have thus developed various creative tools for use by different groups working in this field in the hopes of lowering the degree of creativity required for interactive products. This has already been seen in Arduino, Phidgets, Gadgeteer products and so on. These toolkits are target on developers that have basic knowledge on electronics and programming. In the last two years, meanwhile, Littlebits and Atoms have decided to abandon the need for designing electrical circuits, welding, programming, and other sophisticated processes. Instead, they have opened the way for young people to be able to use their tools easily, despite the fact that doing so has also limited flexibility in terms of the creativity and variability of prototypes. In this thesis, we present RapidPrototype: a tool for designers without electronic engineering backgrounds and programming skill. By using RapidPrototype, users can transform their creative ideas into a workable prototype easily and quickly. In addition, the study sought to determine how RapidPrototype combines with electronic and electrical circuit objects, visual programming toolkit, and tools that practically meet designers’ demands to enhance the degree of freedom in terms of creativity and lowering the basic skills demanded