Rockin' Around the Prototype: An Educational Experiment of Collaborating With a User Innovation Collective

Abstract

The paper discusses the importance of real-life context in design education and presents a case study on the coordination of stakeholders' interests around a prototype through the lens of design research and teaching. Collaboration with user innovators exposed design students to real-world challenges and constraints that they would not have encountered in the classroom. The study highlights how experiential knowledge is generated through collaboration between academics, practitioners, and specialists from various domains. The paper describes the study context, the primary human and technological actors, and the knowledge domains involved. It concludes by discussing the results and addressing strategies for future research and implementation, including educating individuals to recognise and respect professional boundaries.