UX METHODS

PROTOTYPING

Prototyping serves in the conceptual phase to early visualize ideas, allowing them to be reviewed and tested before the actual technical implementation takes place.

WHY IS PROTOTYPING NEEDED?

Prototyping is part of the Design Thinking process and an essential component of User Experience Design. Goals and target audiences are defined, and the initial solution ideas are in place – then prototyping can begin. The earlier in the project, the better.

And that’s why prototyping is needed:

All stakeholders get a vision of the new solution long before technical development begins (a great tool for internal project communication!)
The product solution can be tested with potential users. Optimizations can be made more easily and quickly before technical implementation
As soon as the first visualizations are available, new ideas emerge
Requirements can be more easily reviewed, supplemented, and prioritized using a prototype

THERE ARE DIFFERENT TYPES OF PROTOTYPING

How exact the prototype is designed depends on the project phase and requirements. This includes Low-Fidelity Prototypes (simple sketches on paper), Mid-Fidelity Prototypes (wireframes), and High-Fidelity Prototypes (interactive, partially functional, and fully visualized prototypes, mock-ups).

PAPER PROTOTYPING

Initial ideas and different views of a website or application are sketched on paper or directly on the whiteboard. Ideas can be developed and discarded quickly.

Paper Prototyping can be conducted in a team during a Paper Prototyping workshop to quickly generate as many solution approaches as possible.

The advantage of this method is that the sketches are still so abstract that there is no temptation to discuss design. Instead, the focus remains on exchanging ideas, concepts, and features.

WIREFRAME PROTOTYPING

Wireframe prototypes are more concrete than sketches. They still do not contain visual design but show where there are contents, features, and functions. Image elements, for example, are represented only by linear boxes. They can be static or interactive.

I no longer use this type of prototyping, but start with an initial mock-up that then evolves over the course of the project.

MOCK-UP (HIGH-FIDELITY) PROTOTYPING

High-Fidelity Prototypes, also known as mock-ups, are prototypes of an application or website that are already very well developed visually and/or functionally. They are used at the end of the conceptual phase, in the visual design phase, or when the design is already established and it is about extending a website or conceptualizing new functionalities.

Example: The prototype for a life insurance premium calculator, where calculations could already be performed.

The type of prototyping used depends on the individual project goals and requirements.