Utility belt for an Agricultural Robot: Reflections on Performing Design Research in the Field

By performing design research in the field, designers can better understand the target context, needs, values, and concerns of their users, and iterate on potential solutions. This, in turn, helps designers apply their work to unexplored territories. We illustrate the opportunities and requirements of this method through a case study of the development of a multi-purpose utility belt for an agriculture robot. We benefited from being able to observe current practices, collaborating to test prototypes with on-site roboticists and farmers, and sharing documentation in the moment. On the other hand, it could be challenging to improvise space for the design work or to find the right times to interrupt locals, and to negotiate the documentation activity with people who have concerns about being recorded.