Prototyping for Reality

Introduction

  • Linda, a design manager at Lyft and former designer for Apple's prototyping team, discusses the importance of prototyping in real-world conditions.

Apple CarPlay Example

  • CarPlay is designed to integrate iPhone functionality into a car's console for hands-free use.

  • Features include directions, calls, messaging, and music.

  • A real-world road trip revealed flaws in CarPlay's design:

    • Poor performance in areas with limited cell service.

    • Inability to handle unconventional song titles when using voice commands.

    • Overemphasis on Siri animations rather than map visibility.

  • The experience highlighted the need for stress-testing designs in realistic scenarios.

The Challenge of Realistic Design

  • Creating products that work in diverse scenarios and environments is difficult.

  • Most designers lack extensive user research groups or A/B testing resources.

  • The focus should be on adopting processes that vet work against real-life stresses.

Lyft's Approach to Design

  • The Core Design team at Lyft maintains high standards for usability and inclusivity.

  • Designs must consider ergonomics, focus, accessibility, and safety for both passengers and drivers.

The Importance of Prototyping

  • Prototypes, especially "ugly" or quick ones, are valuable for understanding real-world design performance.

Fidelity and Context

  • Prototypes exist on a spectrum of fidelity (Lo-fi to Hi-fi) and context awareness.

  • The goal is to create lo-fi prototypes and test them in real-world contexts to iterate before moving to high-fidelity prototypes.

  • Testing an interface on a wrist is crucial for digital watch design.

Strategies for Adding Context to Early Designs

Taking Designs off the Computer

  • Using a selfie stick to simulate viewing distances for drivers and passengers.

  • Testing button colors on actual Android devices to account for screen calibration differences.

  • Biasing UI elements to the bottom of the screen for one-handed use while walking or carrying items.

  • Creating a foam core model of a self-driving car interior to assess screen visibility and reachability.

Acting It Out

  • Simulating passenger-driver interactions on a busy street to understand real-world conditions.

  • Using saran-wrapped iPads to mimic in-car screens in a fake autonomous vehicle to study user reactions.

Using Realistic Data

  • Capturing sensor data by driving around San Francisco to understand objects a self-driving car would encounter.

  • Using basic rectangles in Unity prototypes to denote objects and iterate towards higher-fidelity designs.

Creating Design Tools for Context

  • Developing tools to programmatically generate accessible colors for web use.

  • Creating tools to determine optimal font sizes for different typefaces, considering passenger and driver needs.

  • Building prototyping tools to interact with design system components on iPads, simulating keyboard interactions and loading states.

Call to Action

  • Share early, "ugly" prototypes and tools to benefit the design community.

  • Open-sourcing tools can help others learn from experiments and low-fidelity prototypes.