Prototyping for UX

Name: Prototyping for UX
Author: Anne Ross

Learn what prototyping is, why it’s important, and how to test a protype for positive user experience.

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Course: On-Demand

Hello, welcome to this lesson on prototyping. Prototype is a mock-up or sample version of a final product, which UX teams use for testing before launch. The goal of a prototype is to test and validate ideas before sharing them with stakeholders and eventually passing the final designs to engineering teams for the development process. Prototype is created during the design process, and the goal of the prototype is to test the flow of a design solution and gather feedback on it from both internal and external parties before constructing the final product. Prototyping is an integral part of the design process for two key reasons. First, visualization. This is where prototypes help UX designers show stakeholders how the final product would look and function. And second is feedback. This is where prototypes generate feedback from team members as well as test groups of users. Potential customers can interact with a near final product and highlight areas that are less than user-friendly. The design team can then iterate the design before the product team rolls out the final product, thus saving the company both time and money. There is no single right way to construct a prototype. The type and fidelity of each prototype are at the discretion of the UX designer. Typically, a designer determines the fidelity of a prototype depending on the stage of the design process, the available resources, and the goals for the prototype. Fidelity refers to how close a prototype is to the final product. A sketched prototype is a low-fidelity prototype, while a coded HTML and CSS prototype has very high fidelity. Low-fidelity prototyping is a quick, simple way of evolving a design idea into a somewhat more tangible representation of a software product. The goal of a low-fidelity prototype is to outline a product's flow and test the usefulness and usability of its function. Thus, Low-fidelity prototypes are not as visually refined as high-fidelity prototypes. Examples of low-fidelity prototypes include sketches, paper prototypes, and even click-through prototypes. High-fidelity prototypes are more advanced than their low-fidelity counterparts. They're more aesthetically pleasing and their function is closer to that of the final product. You'll typically create high-fidelity prototypes further along in the design process, once the team has a firm grasp of what they want the finished product to embody. High-fidelity prototypes are sometimes better for usability testing than low-fidelity prototypes. Examples of high-fidelity prototypes include interactive prototypes, digital prototypes, and coded prototypes. You'll typically create interactive prototypes later in the design process once a product's design and functionality is fairly well established. Because interactive prototypes are more realistic than low-fidelity prototypes, they're better for soliciting feedback and doing usability testing. The most common type of high-fidelity prototype is a digital prototype that is developed using prototyping software that lets UX designers create aesthetically rich, interactive, and even animated product prototypes of a user interface that is almost ready for implementation. We discussed some common tools for UX design earlier in this course. Adobe XD is a great prototyping tool since many UX designers are already familiar with Adobe software. So the learning curve for XD would be much less than tackling one of the other applications like Figma or Envision if you've never used them. At the beginning of the design process, product teams form ideas that revolve around solving a user's problems. Sometimes product teams skip right into developing a product without doing adequate user testing. When this happens, a waterfall design process is often followed, and all significant resources go into developing the actual product. Sadly, when this process is followed, shortly after product release, many teams realize that their designs have no traction with real users. Prototypes are essential for identifying and solving user pain points with participants during usability testing. Testing prototypes with end users enables UX teams to visualize and optimize the user experience during the design process. Engineering is expensive, and making changes to a final product is often not as straightforward as teams anticipate. So, finding and fixing errors during the design process is critical. Prototypes have four main qualities. First is representation. The prototype itself, whether it be paper or mobile or HTML, and desktop. Second is precision. This is the fidelity of the prototype, meaning its level of detail, low fidelity or high fidelity. Third is interactivity. This is the functionality is open to the user. It's fully functional, partially functional or view only. And fourth is evolution. The lifecycle of the prototype. Some are built quickly, tested, thrown away, and then replaced with an improved version, known as rapid prototyping. Others may be created and improved upon, ultimately evolving into the final product. Remember, while there are best practices for prototyping, the type and fidelity of the prototype you should create ultimately depends on product specifics and the UX designer's preferences. In the next lesson, we'll talk about the benefits of prototyping. So stay tuned! Thank you for watching this lesson on prototyping.

Beginner Provider : Anne Ross 4 Lessons · 23m in Arabic, German, English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Chinese

Course Description

Now that you have a design concept in mind, it’s important to put it into a functioning visual form for clients, team members, and supervisors to interact with and gauge effectiveness. This involves creating a prototype. Prototyping is an integral part of the design process for two key reasons: visualization and feedback. Sometimes designers, wishing to get a design in production quickly, overlook the planning phases of the design process. As a result, they, their business, and their clients miss the many benefits inherent in prototyping prior to launching a final product.

In these lessons, you’ll explore prototyping and why it’s important, and you’ll be introduced to prototyping benefits and processes. You’ll also explore the various prototype forms, and how and when to use each. Finally, you’ll learn how to test the effectiveness of your prototype and why testing your prototype is key to a positive user experience.

What You'll Learn

Explore what prototyping is and why it matters in the design process
Identify the benefits of prototyping before launching a final product
Examine the different types of prototype forms and when to use each
Apply the prototyping process to turn a design concept into a functioning visual form
Test the effectiveness of a prototype for a positive user experience

Key Takeaways

Prototyping turns a design concept into a functioning visual form that clients, team members, and supervisors can interact with to gauge effectiveness.
Prototyping is integral to the design process for two key reasons: visualization and feedback.
Skipping the planning phases of design causes designers, their business, and their clients to miss the many benefits of prototyping.
There are various prototype forms, and the course covers how and when to use each.
Testing a prototype is key to ensuring a positive user experience.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does this course cover?

It covers what prototyping is and why it's important, the benefits and processes of prototyping, the various prototype forms and how and when to use each, and how to test the effectiveness of your prototype for a positive user experience.

Who is this course for?

It is for designers who have a design concept in mind and want to put it into a functioning visual form for clients, team members, and supervisors to interact with and evaluate.

What skills will I gain from this course?

You'll build skills in digital prototyping, software prototyping, user interface prototyping, and user experience (UX) and UX design.

What lessons are included?

The lessons are: What is Prototyping and Why is it Important?; Benefits of Prototyping; Process of Prototyping; and Testing for UX.

Why is testing a prototype important?

Testing your prototype is key to a positive user experience, helping you gauge the effectiveness of your design before launching a final product.