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“How the fuck does it work?” is probably one of the questions designers ask themself a lot during this stage. And to ask yourself “How“ is not bad. We should ask it a lot more. Derived from the “5 Why” method, a typical design-thinking method used to understand a problem in-depth, we can use the 5 How method to learn everything about the specifics of a particular technology. You can use the method during expert interviews or to research a specific aspect of the technology.(13)
Step 1: Describe what you already know and evaluate your knowledge level.
Step 2: Start to ask “How …” Questions and deepen your level of understanding with each round. Use notes and sketches to validate what you learned. Only continue as long as your questions make sense. If you struggle to answer questions research them to find answers.
Tipp: You do not have to start with the technology itself. Use aspects of the technology derived from your literature research or other expert interviews such as: “How do you assemble your laboratory setups of the technology?”
| How... | do dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) work ? | Light comes in through the conductive glass, the anode of the solar cell. The light then creates electricity when it hits the next layer, triggering s sort of artificial photosynthesis. The last layer is the cathode, where the energy is collected. | | --- | --- | --- | | How… | do they use artificial photosynthesis? | The second layer consists of Titanium oxide that gets covered with a photosensitizer or dye, and that is where the name is from. | | How… | are photosensitizer made? | They can be made from organic material. In the experiments in the video, you can see them use blackberries. |
| How... | can they work in low light conditions? | Other than normal solar cells, they are not as dependent on a specific angle of incident. Their angle is 60 degrees. | | --- | --- | --- | | How… | can they archive the angle? | Because the glass film is thinner than standard solar cells. |
13 Lewrick, M., Link, P. and Leifer, L., 2020. The design thinking toolbox. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, pp.67-69.