Prototyping
Design for people, create great products
The user knows best
Prototypes range from static paper sketches to interactive digital simulations that look and function like the final system. In the context of UX, prototypes are used to pinpoint issues in an interactive system and validate the user experience as a whole — how it’s received by the user groups. But that is not all, there are other notable advantages to prototyping:
- Tests and validates proposed functionality and design prior to development
- Helps the entire team experiment with multiple approaches and ideas
- Facilitates discussion through visual representations and UI interactions
- Decreases risk and avoids missed requirements
- Speeds up overall system implementation
- Encourages higher user satisfaction
- Exposes the design and development team to potential future system enhancements
Prototyping steps: This will often make or break a project
1. Prototype — A visual representation of an interactive system designed with UX best practices and standards.
2. Review — The prototype is reviewed by users and then their feedback is evaluated by both the internal and external team.
3. Refine — Dependent on review findings, the areas that require revision or our attention are refined, further defined or elucidated on.
Here at CURTIS Digital, we generally rely on either wireframes or html prototypes to breathe life into our projects. This of course also depends on the needs, schedule and scope of the project. Based on the project and client needs, we may recommend to prototype pertinent sections. A good rule of thumb is to prototype approximately 20% of the most pertinent functionality.