Artigo:

The present research has focus on the development of new composite materials and aims to propose a methodological protocol for the creation, evaluation, and application of new materials, based on empirical experiments that consider the design process as a central element of creation and comprehends DIY Materials methods (ROGNOLI et al., 2015) and Material Driven Design (KARANA et al., 2015). As the central question we ask: what characteristics can a methodological protocol present, considering experiments with composite materials, in order to guide the process of material development and the evaluation of users' perceptions, including empirical experiments involving materials and users, in accordance with Rognoli et al. (2015) and Karana et al. (2015). As delimitations we selected composite materials of epoxy vinyl ester resin, mamona-based polyurethane, and tururi (Manicaria saccifera Gaertn.); The applied techniques include bibliographic survey and semi-structured interviews during workshops (GIL, 2002). Currently the research is in the experimental study phase, whose objective is to develop the aforementioned composites, generating alternatives regarding the technology used and new visual configurations. Data is being analyzed considering two aspects: related to the physical properties of the materials and considering methodologies of materials engineering (CALLISTER, 2005); and one related to design, considering the user experience analysis tools proposed by Camera & Karana (2018). Regarding data collection, it was necessary to modify the design of composites and to adapt the user experience analysis tools. Thus, a virtual version of the experiments is being developed, which solves the previously mentioned problems and other questions that emerged during previous stages of the research.