The document describes a tangible tool called "Flow-Tangible Process" that uses different sized and colored pieces and a writable magnetic board to help teams visualize and discuss project processes. The pieces can be flexibly connected on the board in various configurations to represent different elements of a project process like phases, activities, outcomes, and deadlines. The tool allows for easy reconfiguration of the project flow through hands-on manipulation of the tangible pieces during team discussions.

1. T a n g i b l e P r o c e s s
A tangible tool to help teamworks to build and visualize project processes.
Composed by a set of tools with different sizes and colors, the “Flow-Tangible
IT Product Design 2013
process” intends to provide discussions and thinking by hands.
Behnam Chaboki
Claudiu Serban
Patrícia Lima
With a writeable surface and made out of magnets, all the pieces are flexible Robin Oorschot|
Robb Mitchell (supervisior)
enough to be easily connected to the board, reaching different results.

2. "A design method is
a toothbrush.
likelikes to have one, but no one wants to
Everyone
use somebody else's."
John Zimmerman

3. SAMPLE OF DESIGN
PROCESSES
*The Design Space (PhD dissertation)
Christopher Robert Heape

4. Elements of
a process (guide-lines)
Milestones
Themes
Divergence/Convergence
Outcomes

5. y di scus sions
ke
Tangibility. Flexibility
Design Space + Process
Prescriptive x Descriptive

6. The
developed
Model
board
colorful pieces (with three
different sizes)
transparent connectors
With a writable surface, all the
pieces are flexible enough to contain
different levels of information. Made
with magnets, they are all also easily
connected to the board - which can
be attached to the wall.

7. How it
works
As easy as
it sounds, it
is possible
to unfold the
magnetic
board (from
a A3 format)
up to a A1
size.

8. Throughout
discussions between
the team workers,
the pieces are chosen
accordingly to needs
of the project.
For instance: the
transparent pieces
may represent the
phases of the project
(“Concepting”,
“Prototyping”, etc.) whilst
the red big pieces might
be the activities of the
phases. The yellow ones
might be the outcomes
or deliverables of each
phase while the very
small pieces may contain
the deadlines, and so on.

9. Not necessarily
after labeling colors
and shapes, all the
pieces are connected
between themselves
and the board.
They can be placed
on top of each
other as well as
underneath.
Again, this all
depends on what the
team work decide
that is better to
represent what they
want to.

10. CONTACT INFORMATION:
Mads Clausen Institute, SPIRE
Alsion 2
DK -6400 Sønderborg
+45 52742672
BEHNAM CHABOKI
becha11@student.sdu.dk
CLAUDIU SERBAN
clser11@student.sdu.dk
PATRÍCIA LIMA
palim12@student.sdu.dk
ROBIN OORSCHOT
rovon11@student.sdu.dk