the power of prototypes - chicago ideas week '13

@ManifestDigital @chicagoideas

“A prototype, regardless of its fidelity, functionality, or how it is made, captures the intent of a design and simulates multiple states of that design.”

-  Todd Zaki Warfel

Prototyping – A Practitioner’s Guide

Prototyping allows you to...

•  Show, not just describe •  Test multiple concepts •  Respond quickly to feedback

and adapt the design •  Catch mistakes early

Prototyping reduces risk, which ultimately saves time, effort, and money.

5 Tips for Prototyping

1. Understand the audience and what you’re trying to achieve.

2. Set expectations – prime the audience.

3. Don’t try to prototype everything, just build what you need.

4. Prototypes are meant to be disposable (aka – it’s not a masterpiece).

5. If you can’t make it, fake it.

Before you pick a method, consider: •  The needs of your audience

•  What you’re trying to achieve

•  Familiarity with the tool

•  Cost (license fees, as well as time to learn the tool)

•  Whether or not collaboration is important

•  Distribution (to participants, clients, developers, etc)

Common Tools Matrix

©  Gail  Swanson  Interactive Fidelity

Vis

ual

Fid

eli

ty

Concept Usability

Experience Brand/Concept

• Screen Comps

• Linked Screen Comps (inVision, Prototypr)

HTML/CSS & Javascript

• 

•  POP, paper prototypes

• Linked Wireframes

• Balsamiq

•  Axure, Omnigraffle

•  InDesign

• Visio

• DivShot

©  Gail  Swanson  

Meet the Manifest Team Jason Ulaszek (@webbit)

Patrick DiMichele (@theparanoids)

Stacey Harbin (@harbinowitz)

EVP, Customer Experience Slideshare: http://www.slideshare.net/webbit Jason is a crazed evangelist for user experience design, accosting strangers with sermons on its value in solving business and social problems. He's a leader in the experience design practice at Manifest Digital, Co-Founder of UX for Good, and serves as an adjunct faculty member in the HCI Masters program at DePaul University.

Director, User Experience Patrick  has  spent  his  career  connec4ng  organiza4ons  and  audiences  by  uncovering  organiza4onal  goals,  priori4es  and  constraints;  by  understanding  customer  desires,  mo4va4ons  and  barriers  to  engagement;  by  cra?ing  solu4ons  that  address  the  needs  and  facilitate  the  key  ac4vi4es  of  both  groups.    He  loves  his  job.  

Senior Manager, User Experience Stacey believes technology should make your life better, not more frustrating. To that end, she spends an average of 8 hours a day helping companies create memorable interactions with the outside world. The other 16 hours are spent keeping up with industry trends, experimenting with new taco permutations, or defending her furniture from her pit bull puppy, Evelyn.

Meet the Manifest Team Brittany Travitz (@brittanytravitz) Senior Manager, User Experience

Zeke Binion (@ebinion) Manager, User Experience

Kate Fitzgibbon (@kulturshok) Senior Associate, User Experience

David Rossman (LinkedIn) Senior Manager, Visual Design

Jared Palay (@jlpalay) Senior Manager, User Experience

Amy Gurka (@gurkagurka) Senior Associate, Content Strategy

Krystin McDermott (LinkedIn) Recruiting Associate

Ethan Danstrom (@atimefordesign) Senior Manager, User Experience

References and Resources: •  Prototyping: A Practitioner’s Guide, Todd Zaki Warfel

•  Axure RP 6 Prototyping Essentials, Ezra Schwartz

•  A Project Guide to UX Design, Russ Unger & Carolyn

Chandler

•  About Face 3: The Essentials of Interaction Design, Alan

Cooper

•  Designing Interfaces, Jenifer Tidwell