How do Tangible Mock-U Support Design Collaboration?

This paper is a contribution to a more conscious use of tangible mock-ups in collaborative design processes. It describes a design team's use of mock-ups in a series of workshops involving potential customers and users. Focus in primarely on the use of three-dimentional design mock-ups and how differences in these affected the dialogue. Reflective conversations were established by using tangible mock-ups as "things-to-think with". They served as boundary objects that spanned the gab between the different competencies and interests of participants in design. The design mock-ups evoked different things from different participants whereas the challenge for the design team was to find boundaries upon which everybody could agree. The level of details represented in a mock-up affected the communication so that a mock-up with few details evoked different issues whereas a very detailed mock-up evoked a smaller variation of issues resulting in a more focused communication.