Unfolding the Notion of Experience (Virtual) Prototyping: A Framework for Prototyping in an Experience-Driven Design Process

Along with the rise of Experience Design, the term Experience Prototyping was coined to describe the practice of prototyping for an experience-driven design approach. However, limited resources are available to define what Experience Prototyping is, which approaches it entails, and its scopes within the product development process. To answer these questions, we first discuss the fundamental definition of Prototyping itself, proposing a model that can describe Experience Prototyping too. The model details the possible focuses that Experience Prototyping can take, aiming at fostering greater awareness on how to prototype for future experiences. Furthermore, we discuss the role of new emerging technologies in shaping the practices related to prototyping. As an example, we report one case in which we used virtual technologies to perform an Experience Prototyping activity at the early phases of design process. The aim of this paper is to contribute to both design research and design practice by providing significant knowledge to shed light on the multifaceted practice of Experience Prototyping and thus tackle the prototyping decisions with greater awareness.