What is a prototype?
A prototype is a model of a product or service that helps a team explore ideas, communicate them, and learn before building the full version.
Study 5 Prototyping and Design Iteration with 12 free online flashcards. Review key terms, definitions, and concepts with this interactive flashcard deck.
What is a prototype?
A prototype is a model of a product or service that helps a team explore ideas, communicate them, and learn before building the full version.
How should a team choose a prototype?
Choose the simplest prototype that can answer the question being investigated. Add complexity only when it helps test something important.
What are sketches useful for in design?
Sketches are quick drawings of possible screens or flows. They help generate and compare ideas without spending time on visual details.
What does a wireframe clarify?
Wireframes show the deliberate placement of content, controls, and navigation. They help clarify screen hierarchy and how users might move through a task.
What can someone test with an interactive prototype?
Interactive prototypes let people try simulated flows, such as selecting a button to move to another screen. They can range from linked wireframes to coded models.
What does prototype fidelity describe?
Fidelity describes how closely a prototype represents the intended product. It concerns more than visual polish.
When is a low-fidelity prototype useful?
Low-fidelity prototypes, such as sketches or paper screens, are quick to make and change. They suit exploring concepts, comparing layouts, or checking a basic task flow.
What can higher-fidelity prototypes help reveal?
Higher-fidelity prototypes take more effort but can reveal issues involving realistic content, interactions, screen sizes, or implementation.
Why is visual polish not the same as fidelity?
Visual realism and interaction fidelity are not the same: a prototype may look realistic but simulate few interactions, or look rough while representing a complex flow accurately.
Does a prototype commit a team to building its design?
A prototype is a means of learning, not a promise to build what it depicts. Teams can revise or discard an idea after testing it.
How should a team create alternatives?
Create materially different solutions rather than polishing the first idea. Comparing alternatives makes exploration more useful.
What can a paper booking prototype help compare?
A paper prototype can help compare whether users understand the overall flow of alternatives, such as one long booking form versus a sequence of short steps.