Prototyping: Overview

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Prototyping Overview

• INFO 360 B
• Spring 2009

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Agenda

• Announcements
• Quiz
• Prototyping Overview
• P3 Handout
• Whats next?

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Announcements

• Your questions, comments, issues, appreciations?
• Upcoming work
• Read Chapter 11 (this week) and Chapter 12 13
  (next week)
• Optional Quiz 6 next week
• P3 Prototype Evaluation Plan Fri., May 15

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What is a prototype?

• In other design fields, a prototype is a
  small-scale model
• a miniature car
• a miniature building or town

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What is a prototype?

• In interaction design it can be
• a series of screen sketches
• a storyboard, i.e. a cartoon-like series of
  scenes
• a PowerPoint slide show
• a video simulating the use of a system
• a lump of wood (e.g. PalmPilot)
• a cardboard mock-up
• a piece of software with limited functionality
  written in the target language or in another
  language

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Why prototype?

• Evaluation and feedback are central to
  interaction design
• Users can see, hold, interact with a prototype
  more easily than a document or a drawing
• Team members can communicate effectively
• You can test out ideas for yourself
• It encourages reflection important aspect of
  design
• Prototypes answer questions, and support
  designers in choosing between alternatives

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What to prototype?

• Technical issues
• Work flow, task design
• Screen layouts and information display
• Difficult, controversial, critical areas

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Low-Fidelity Prototyping (Lo-Fi)

• Very far from the final product, e.g. paper,
  cardboard
• Examplessketches of screens, task sequences,
  etc Post-it notes storyboards Wizard-of-Oz
  

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High-Fidelity Prototyping (Hi-Fi)

• Prototype looks more like the final system than a
  low-fidelity version
• Common hi-fi prototyping tools
• Macromedia Director, Flash, Visual Basic

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Hi-Fi vs. Lo-Fi You Fill it In
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Hi-Fi vs. Lo-Fi Howd we do?
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Dimensions of Prototypes

• Representation
• Scope
• Executability
• Maturation

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Prototype Representation

• How to represent the prototype?
• Mockup
• Storyboard
• Sketches
• Scenarios
• etc.

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Prototype Scope

• How much to represent?
• Deep or vertical prototyping
• provide a lot of detail for only a few functions
• Broad or horizontal prototyping
• provide a wide range of functions, but with
  little detail

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Prototype Executability

• Non-functional prototypes
• Functional prototypes
• Partially functional prototypes

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Prototype Maturation

• High-Fidelity vs. Low-Fidelity
• Level of polish should reflect maturity of the
  prototype
• Why?

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Other Prototyping Issues

• Throw-away or evolutionary?
• Time and planning
• Non-functional features
• Clients contracts
• Design inertia
• Understand reasons behind usability problems

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Prototyping Your Project

• P3 Prototype Informal Text Plan
• Due Thursday, May 14th _at_ 500 P.M.
• Handout

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Whats Next?

• Thursday Lab
• Paper prototyping tutorial and project practice
• Friday Class
• Details on Prototyping Techniques
• Guest Lecturer Dave Hendry
• Next Week
• Evaluation
• Wednesday Guest Lecturer Kim Lucy