What is a prototype?
A limited representation of a design.
Can be anything e.g. paper-based storyboarding, or software with limited functionality.
Some compromises are necessary.
Why do we create prototypes? (4)
- Fast and Cheap (compared to the full system)
- Elicit more and better feedback
- Identify design problems early before coding begins
- Encourages Creativity
What are the disadvantages of Prototyping? (3)
- Some view prototypes as a duplication of effort
- Can give the impression that the product is nearly complete
- Not all ideas that can be prototyped are implementable
What is evolutionary prototyping?
An approach to system development where an initial
prototype is produced and refined through a number of
stages to the final system
What is throw-away prototyping?
A prototype which is usually a practical implementation of the system is produced to help discover requirements and problems, then it is discarded. The system is then developed using some other development process.
What are the two broad types of prototypes?
- Low fidelity (lo-fi)
- High fidelity (hi-fi)
What are some of the aspects of low-fidelity prototyping? (5)
- Doesn’t look like the final product
- Useful because simple, quick, cheap and easily produced/changed.
- Important in the early stages of development
- Prototype should be flexible and encourage exploration and modification
- Never intended to be kept or integrated into the final product
What is storyboarding?
A series of sketches showing how the user may progress through a task using the product under development. This is a chance for designers to role-play - use personas created.
What does the process of creating a paper-based storyboarding consist of? (4)
- The development team defines the type of user and the tasks they will perform.
- Hand drawing a paper version (storyboard) of the interface which supports key tasks.
- The user attempts to complete tasks using the prototype.
- The team revises the interface design by identifying aspects with which users have difficulty.
What are the benefits of paper prototyping? (3)
- Facilitates communication within the development team and with customers – they have a shared understanding of the concrete design.
- It doesn’t require any technical skills – all members of the team can contribute
- Encourages the team to be creative
What are the aspects of hi-fi prototyping? (3)
- Uses materials that you would expect to be in the final product
- The prototype looks more like the final system than a low-fidelity version
- High-fidelity prototypes can be developed by integrating existing hardware and software components
What are the disadvantages of Hi-Fi prototypes? (6)
users can often think it’s the real thing
users tend to focus on small details (e.g. font size) rather than the bigger picture
developers get over-attached having done the programming
More resource-intensive to develop
Inefficient for proof-of-concept designs
Not efficient for requirements gathering
What are the 2 common types of prototypes?
horizontal and vertical
What are horizontal prototypes?
provide a wide range of functions, but with little detail.
What are vertical prototypes?
provide a lot of detail for only a few functions
What’s a concrete design?
It’s the final decision-making where the design team decides on the final look of menus, icons, screen, etc.
This can depend on:
User characteristics and context, Accessibility, Cross-cultural design and Cultural guidelines
