Designing, prototyping and construction
Designing activities in projects starts immediately once some information has been acquired by the design team. It is an iterative process which involves constructing, evaluation and reconstructing the design ideas of the designers to match the requirements of the users. This process of creating interactive versions of ideas either through the use of cardboards, paper illustrations or software programs to model them until such time the whole project is constructed is called prototyping and construction. Designing can mean starting from scratch or modification of an existing design to improve its functionality. (Sharp, Rogers & Preece, 2007)
Prototyping is the process of creating a model or a simulation of a project to let the users view what they expect. It is like building a miniature of a building or something. Prototyping is an important tool because sometime users does not have an idea or cannot relay what they want until they are able to see it. This will give the users a feel of how they are going to use the envisioned product in the real setting. It is also a way of creating good communication with the users to lessen major revisions when the product has been finished. (Sharp, Rogers & Preece, 2007) For example, a company wants to create a website that would be used as an advertising medium and an ordering tool. The company is one of the old companies who don’t have an idea how these works. The designer can start by creating a mock website where possible links and functionalities can be discussed and show them to the company for further comments. If it has been corrected, the corrections will now be checked and another level of design (like how customers makes an order) can be created and checked or evaluated by the user until such time the website will be functional and adheres to the requirements of the users.
There are two types of prototyping: low-fidelity and high fidelity. Low fidelity prototyping is usually done in the early stages of the product and uses materials that are very different from the actual materials to be used in the project such as papers or cardboards instead of the real building materials. They are usually cheap, simple and easy to do because they should be easily modified. Its main purpose is for exploration of ideas and is not intended to be kept for incorporation in the end product. (Sharp, Rogers & Preece, 2007) A quick feedback can also be generated from this type of prototype. There are several ways to do low fidelity prototyping. Sketches, storyboards, interactive flowcharts and use of index cards are just some of the methods that can be used. Usually, it addresses screen layout issues limiting its error checking capability and can’t be use for usability testing in the later stages of the development. For example, when creating an ordering system, a story board of the steps a client or the user does when accessing the system can be done. A flowchart of the steps can also be made for checking by the users and clients. Necessary adjustments can be easily made since the actual systems haven’t been made yet. Another way to use low fidelity prototype is to produce two design models for the product. This is applicable if you already have an idea of how the product will look like. Then conduct a comparative low-fidelity prototyping by letting the users evaluate both models. Since real clickable buttons do not yet exist, let the users do tasks that are present on each model using paper. Ask them to imitate pushing a button, and the resulting page (through another sheet of paper) will be produced containing the projected contents. If a button or a feature is missing, users can write them together with their suggestions on a post it notes. They can also re-organize the layouts if they want it.
High fidelity prototyping on the other hand, takes longer time to build and costs more because it uses the actual materials in the final product. Usually a prototype made has complete functionalities, fully interactive which demonstrates the final look and feel of the product. It is both used for exploration and usability testing. However, this is not good for the early stages of development like user requirements and can set higher user expectations. (Sharp, Rogers & Preece, 2007) For example, if the developer of an ordering system prefers to use a high-fidelity prototype for the company, he has to do a functional ordering system in a specific language (Visual Basic, Java, Php or whatever language is preferred) and present it to the users. This means that the GUIs, buttons, forms and other functionalities must be working. Usually, the language to be used for the prototype will be the same for the final product. It must mimic the true experience the users will have when the system will be actually used. If there are errors, or designs that the user wants to change, then they can be jotted down in a note pad for adjustments. If the user approves everything, then he just has to do some polishing before coming up with the final product. Now, if the users or company does not want the design or the language the developer uses, he has to start all over again. The advantage on the other hand would be that the usability of the software can already be tested.
References:
Sharp, Helen, Rogers, Yvonne & Preece, Jenny (2007). Interaction Design: Beyond Human-Computer Interaction 2nd Edition. Retrieved from http://books.google.com.ph/books?id=xEiz4PhwE9gC&dq=interaction+design+beyond&hl=tl&sa=X&ei=UydpT_eAIo2ZiQfMhYy8Cg&ved=0CDUQ6AEwAQ
