Prototyping with Axure RP Pro

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Ritch Macefield (Ritch Mac Efield) Alan Trow-Poole
Prototyping with Axure RP Pro
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What this session covers

• Context for prototyping User Centred Design
• Features
• Benefits
• Issues
• A framework for critically appraising
  prototypingtools and techniques.
• The four generations of prototyping toolsand
  techniques.
• Bit about Axure RP Pro
• Short Axure RP Pro Demo
• Q A

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(No Transcript)
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Prototyping in context
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Prototyping is integral to User Centred Design
(UCD)
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Prototyping in contextIntegral to User Centred
Design (UCD)
The project team is multidisciplinary
Technical Architect
Usability Engineer
Marketing
Business Analyst
User Experience Architect
HRM
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Prototyping in contextIntegral to User Centred
Design (UCD)
UCD involves early and continual user testing and
feedback

• Users requirements capture
• User surveys and interviews
• Focus groups
• Ethnographic research
• Task analysis and job re(design)
• Story boards and prototypes
• Usability testing and acceptability testing

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Prototyping in contextIntegral to User Centred
Design (UCD)

• The UCD process is iterative

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Prototyping in contextIntegral to User Centred
Design (UCD)

• The UCD design process is iterative e.g., ISO
  13407

1. plan the human centred process
2. specify the context of use
Complete
3. specify user and organisational requirements
5. evaluate design against user requirements
4. Produce design solutions
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Issues with UCD and prototyping

• Real UCD people are hard to find!
• Involves multidisciplinary teams actually working
  together.
• Involves a more agile approach.
• Conflicts with more establish, methods and
  practises e.g., SSADM.
• Many companies claim they do UCD - recent
  research suggests only 5 of systems are really
  developed using a true UCD approach.
• Its difficult to do right!
• Its stressful to do right!

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Issues with UCD and prototyping
Looking at your charts, Id say youre
overworked!
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Benefits of UCD and prototyping
Development cost benefits
System efficacy and efficiency benefits
Reduced project costs and timescales. How? - By
spotting (serious) design flaws early!

• Increased revenues
• Greater customer loyalty
• Reduced customer service costs

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A framework for critically appraisingprototyping
tools and techniques
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Prototyping tools and techniquesTheres lots of
them now!
Flash/Flexbuilder
Sketch Flow
Flash Catalyst
Dreamweaver
Photoshop
Axure RP Pro
iRise
Fireworks
iPlotz
Illustrator
Protoshare
LucidSpec
Powerpoint
Visio
inDesign
Wufoo
ComicLife
Twiddla
ProtoNotes
SiteGrinder
Omnigraffle
Morae
Pictive
Tobii
Vmware
ConceptDraw
Inspiration
SmartDraw
Silverback
Parallels
CARD
UserVue
Behance Dot Grid Notebook
SnagIt
96 Grid Templates
Prototype Composer
SnapZ Pro
Skitch
Jing
Camtasia
LittleSnapper
ScreenFlick
Screenium
ScreenFlow
PageSaver
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Prototyping tools and techniquesTime vs Ease of
use
Hard
Ease of use
Easy
Time
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Prototyping tools and techniquesAspects of
Prototyping - Disposability
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Prototyping tools and techniquesAspects of
Prototyping - Activities
Design
Manage
Test
Specify
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The four generations ofprototyping tools and
techniques
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Prototyping tools and techniquesEvolution
1st Generation
Hard
Ease of use
Easy
Time
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Prototyping tools and techniquesPen paper
based techniques
Example Plastic Interface for Collaborative
Technology Initiative through Video Exploration
(PICTIVE) sessions
Design
Manage
Test
Specify
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Prototyping Tools and TechniquesPen paper
based techniques

• Critical appraisal
• Disposable Yes
• Benefits
• Fast and easy to set up
• Highly interactive rapid development and
  feedback cycles
• Allows involvement of stakeholders with poor IT
  skills
• Limitations
• Difficult to model large (complex) systems
• Good contexts of use
• Early stages of prototyping
• Engaging stakeholder with poor IT skills

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Prototyping tools and techniquesEvolution
2nd Generation
1st Generation
Hard
Ease of use
Easy
Time
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Prototyping tools and techniquesSlicing Dicing
S/W

• Example Photoshop and DreamWeaver

Design
Manage
Test
Specify
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Prototyping tools and techniquesSlicing Dicing
S/W

• Critical appraisal
• Disposable Partly/varies
• Benefits
• Leverages existing skills (graphic designers and
  coders)
• Uses S/W often already purchased
• Established approach
• Limitations
• Depends on slicing and dicing can be OK for
  old school web design (based on tables), but
  maybe issues for other types of system including
  new web design based on CSS2 - Any reuse of
  prototype imposes severe limitations on the
  implementation
• Process relies on, and is driven, by graphic
  designers - who are not necessarily (fully)
  competent UXD/IA/IDs, even if you have graphic
  designers!
• Poor for specification.
• Good contexts of use
• Its old hat now!

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Prototyping tools and techniquesEvolution
2nd Generation
3rd Generation
1st Generation
Hard
Ease of use
Easy
Time
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Prototyping tools and techniquesAdapted
diagramming S/W

• Example PowerPoint

Design
Manage
Test
Specify
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Prototyping tools and techniquesAdapted
diagramming S/W

• Example Visio with GUUUI Add-in

Design
Manage
Test
Specify
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Prototyping tools and techniquesAdapted
diagramming S/W

• Critical appraisal
• Disposable Yes/mainly
• Benefits
• Easy to learn most/many professionals already
  have e.g. PowerPoint and Visio skills
• Uses S/W often already purchased
• Established approach
• Easy to share work
• Good contexts of use
• Its old hat now!

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Prototyping tools and techniquesEvolution
2nd Generation
3rd Generation
4th Generation
1st Generation
Hard
Platform specific prototyping S/W eg, Sketch
Flow, Flex
Dedicated prototyping S/W eg, Axure, iRise
Ease of use
Easy
Time
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Prototyping tools and techniquesPlatform
specific prototyping S/W

• Example SketchFlow

Design
Manage
Test
Specify
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Prototyping tools and techniquesPlatform
specific prototyping S/W

• Critical appraisal
• Disposable No
• Benefits
• Integration with development process
• Limitations
• Skills rare and difficult to learn
• Specific to a single platform e.g. Flash, Windows
  Presentation Foundation (WPF)!
• Good contexts of use
• Possibly when developing in particular
  environments

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Prototyping tools and techniquesDedicated
prototyping S/W

• Example Axure RP Pro

Design
Manage
Test
Specify
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Prototyping tools and techniquesDedicated
prototyping S/W

• Critical appraisal
• Disposable Yes/mainly
• Benefits
• Dedicated to the job
• Platform independent
• Mostly easy to use
• Limitations
• Skills relatively rare
• Good contexts of use
• Any prototyping project!

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Prototyping tools and techniquesEvolution summary
2nd Generation
3rd Generation
4th Generation
1st Generation
Hard
Ease of use
Easy
Time
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Axure RP Pro
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Dedicated prototyping toolsAxure RP Pro
Design
Manage
Test
Specify
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Prototyping tools and techniquesAxure RP Pro

• Critical appraisal
• Benefits
• Comprehensive solution
• Low cost
• Limitations
• Presently no integration of client feedback or
  on-line collaboration (future features planned to
  address these)

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Axure RP Pro Demo
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What this session covered

• Context for prototyping User Centred Design
• Features
• Benefits
• Issues
• A framework for critically appraising prototyping
  tools and techniques.
• The four generations of prototyping tools and
  techniques.
• Bit about Axure RP Pro
• Short Axure RP Pro Demo

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WARNING! Man eating alligators Do not cross river
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Bit about AXtrainers
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AXtrainers learning frameworksThe project grid
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Next AXTrainers course
Course Axure RP Pro Essentials Location Edinbu
rgh Date 28 July 2009 Details
at www.axtrainers.com
Any questions?