Boxes And Arrows : The Design Behind the Design

Article Idea:

Comment on Integrating Prototyping Into Your Design Process (suggested by Austin Govella)

suggested by Richard Warzecha on 2009/09/23

Fred, great article. I really like how you emphasize finding the appropriate level of prototype fidelity for the goal or, as you say early in the article, “how you can use them to choose the most effective prototyping method for the questions you need answered.” That’s perfect.

You had me all geared up, then, to see you match up sample questions that need to be answered with the appropriate level of prototype fidelity. You started that with the Low Visual and Low Functional Fidelity prototype which you mentioned should help with questions like: “Does the system have all the features required to support the user’s goals?” or “Does the workflow make sense at a high level?”

Why not carry that same matching of questions to the other prototype levels? For instance, the Low Visual and High Functional Fidelity prototype level should be matched with questions like: “How do I get stakeholder buy-in to proposed UX design direction?” or “How do I include a functional example to the pile of spec docs I’m handing over to the development team?”

I think that’s all coherent, and helpful.

I also wonder at times how much your audience often dictates what kind of prototype you are best using, particularly when using it within internal settings. Some people just can deal with or accept some types of prototypes over others. This is neither good or bad, just the way it is sometimes.