Prototypes are complex and dynamic artifacts that shape social situations during product development. A ten-month applied ethnographic study of a footwear company recounts prototypes' evolving role in communication between three stakeholder groups. In this case study, we use Mol's “bodies multiple” theory to describe prototypes enactment as communication tools across contexts. This study finds that prototypes become encoded with information that is translated, decoded, and re-encoded by stakeholder groups. Prototypes remain the same across contexts, yet the spokesperson guiding the prototype may change. Raising awareness of prototypes role in communication, such as their ability to build confidence through socialization, can allow design teams to better plan for how information is encoded into the prototyped artifact and the messaging surrounding it.

原型是复杂且动态的工件，可在产品开发过程中塑造社交环境。对一家鞋类公司进行的为期10个月的应用人种志研究表明，原型在三个利益相关者群体之间的交流中发挥着不断变化的作用。在本案例研究中，我们使用Mol的“实体多重”理论将原型制定描述为跨上下文的交流工具。这项研究发现，原型被利益相关者团体翻译，解码和重新编码的信息编码。原型在上下文中保持不变，但是指导原型的发言人可能会发生变化。提高对原型在交流中的作用的认识，例如通过社交化建立信任的能力，