22.02.22 - Prototyping
What are prototypes
Specifications are:
- Good for a checklist of things to achieve
- Hard to understand the overall idea
- Often full of conflicting specificaitons
- Bad for conveying the overall idea
Prototypes are:
- Way of envisioning how all your specifications work together
- A way of testing the consistency of your specifications
- Easy to show people and talk about
A concrete but partial representation of a system or partial implementation of a system Prototyping are using extensively in most design and construction domains
Low vs High Fidelity
| Low | High |
|---|---|
| Sketches/ 'paper' prototypes | Built in software for automation |
| produced quickly, thrown away | Finalises chose ideas, still thrown away |
| Generates many possible ideas, helps clients acceptance | Realistic studies, helps client acceptance |
Low-fidelity - Captures the point, the functions. Helps envisage the idea High-fidelity - Represents part of the reality, to agree on the final designs.
What are you prototyping?
3 types of prototyping
- Role of technology
- Look and Feel
- Implementation guide
UI designers do #2 PowerPoint/paper do more #1
Prototypes help everyone to imagine whats being built, still need to be able to tell the developer. Sometimes code them up, but partial implementations
Prototyping Risks
- Investing too much on high-fidelity
- Adhoc prototyping code is re-use in the real system
- Prototyping is used instead of, rather than alongside, documentation
- Prototypes might be approved by the wrong stakeholders