Week 9 | What is a Prototype?

What is a Prototype? 


It could be..
-Paper-based outline of a screen/sets of screens
-Electronic 'picture'
-3 dimensional paper/cardboard mockup
-Stack of hyperlinked screen shots


Allows stakeholders to :
i) Interact with an envisioned product
ii) Gain experience in realistic setting
iii) Explore imagined uses


? Prototype


Aid when discussing ideas with stakeholders
Communication device among team members
Effective way to test ideas
Ex: Clarify vague requirements, To do user tetsing & evaluation, 
Check a certain design direction is compatible with the rest of the system development


Types of Prototyping


Low-fidelity Prototyping
Is one that does not look very much like the final product
ex: uses materials that are very different from the intended final version such as paper, cardboard rather than electronic screens & metal
Tend to be simple, cheap and quick to produce -> support the exploration of alternative design & ideas
Important during conceptual design 


storyboard
-consist of a series of skectches showing how a user might progress through a task using the product under development
-ex: screens of a GUI 


sketching
-relies on sketching but often people find it difficult to engage in this activity
-device own symbols and icons you want to sketch


prototyping with index card
-use index cards(small pieces of cardboard about 3x5 inches)
-each card represents one screen or one element of a task


wizard of Oz
-uses a software-based-prototype - user sits at a computer screen and interacts with the software as though interacting the product
-in fact, the computer is connected to another..


High-fidelity Prototyping
Uses materials that you would expect to be in the final product and produces a prototype that looks much more like the final thing.
ex: Prototype of a software system developed in Visual Basic vs paper-based mockup
Common prototyping tools: Flash, Visual Basic and Smalltalk
Issues with High-fidelity prototyping :
-They take too long to build
-Reviewers and testers tend to comment on superficial aspects rather than content
-Developers are reluctant to change something they have crafted for hours
-A software prototype can set expectations to high 
-Just one buck in a high-fidelity prototype can be bring the testing to halt
-Useful for selling ideas and for testing out technical issues


Compromises in Prototyping
-By their very nature, prototypes involve compromises: the intention is to produce something quickly to test an aspect of the product
-Thus, the prototype must be designed and built with the key issues in mind.
-Two common compromises : 
Horizontal Prototyping
Vertical Prototyping

This week video concludes last week lecture ( Requirements) and this week (Prototyping) 


Muhammad Syafiq Bin Ridzuan
1102701969