Optimering av Designprocesser : En Kvalitativ Fallstudie av MMI verktyg i Produktutveckling

In product development, early evaluation of user interaction and usability is necessary to ensure that design decisions align with user needs. High-fidelity prototypes enable for realistic simulations of user interaction, despite typically being time- and resource-intensive to construct. This qualitative case study explores the integration of a custom-built Human-Machine Interaction (HMI) tool through semi-structured interviews and observations of user testing. The findings suggest that designers prefer tools that are easy to use yet flexible enough to support creativity. The HMI tool enabled more efficient user testing and reduced reliance on hardware and software engineers, though certain barriers remained. This study identifies five key factors for HMI tools: ease of use, time efficiency, modularity, contextual fit, and collaboration. These results indicate that the success of HMI tools depends not only on technical capabilities, but also how well it fits into the broader context of collaborative and iterative design practice. Collaboration is a critical factor as the tool’s effectiveness is closely tied to the collaborative structures and expertise available. Furthermore, optimizing a design process requires balancing these factors, and aligning them to the prototyping goals for a successful integration of an HMI tool.