Lecture 3b - Design Methods + Prototyping

Describe → Interactive System Development Process

What is the Interactive System Development Process?

• problem solving procedure, driven by user requirements and intended use of product + defined by the application area, materials, cost, technical feasibility studies
• about technical steps + creativity + decision-making on trade-offs + compromising
• representation of how concrete + precise system will be built + what alternatives will be followed + at what sequence

What is a Human Centric Design?

User responses can be registered and analyzed through
• Co-creation activities + System simulation
• Usability analysis activities on advanced prototypes
• Such procedures must be repetitive + should allow for gradual improvement of system features

Prototyping

• gathering info

• we need them to test user reactions, propositions, and then organise revision plans

  • good basis for testing, if seen as intermediary products, aim is to have something be test by users

• prototyping can be embedded in a system’s development lifecycle or can be performed independently as an alternative

Cost of prototyping

Cheaper than not doing it, usability work (including prototyping) should amount to 5-10% of budget

testing early + iterating often makes the product cheaper, prototyping is a cheap way to test a product early in its lifecycle

Horizontal Prototyping

✔ Shows the entire interface (broad but shallow)
❌ Limited real functionality
✔ Helps visualize the full system + shows top-level functionality

Vertical Prototyping

✔ Focuses on a small part but in-depth
✔ Helps test real user tasks
❌ Users can’t navigate freely + limited # of functionalities

What is fidelity in prototyping?

Fidelity = How realistic a prototype is, judged by how it appears to the person viewing it

High Fidelity – Looks like the final product, uses similar media
Low Fidelity – Basic sketches or paper models, proof of concept, low-cost; produces prototype early during requirements specification phase

High fidelity prototyping: WOz

User thinks they are interacting with a device, but a human is responding to output rather than the system; often done early in design to understand users’ expectations

Low fidelity prototyping methods

Storyboards – Step-by-step sketches of user interaction
Sketching – Simple drawings of the interface
Videos – Animated/narrated walkthroughs
Index Cards – Each card represents a screen in the system (used slightly later in design process when content + functionalities have been defined)

Why is prototyping important?

Saves money – Fixing mistakes early is cheaper
Tests usability – Helps create a better user experience
Guides development – Ensures final product meets needs
Encourages iteration – Continuous improvements make it better