Method card design dimensions: a survey of card-based design tools

There are many examples of cards used to assist or provide structure to the design process, yet there hasn’t been a thorough articulation of the strengths and weaknesses of the various examples. We review various card-based design tools in order to understand how they might benefit designers. The card-based tools are explained in terms of five design dimensions including the intended purpose and scope of use, duration of use, methodology, customization, and formal/material qualities. Our analysis suggests three design patterns for existing card-based design method tools and highlights unexplored areas in the design space. The paper concludes with recommendations for the future development of card-based methods for the field of interaction design.