Of all the ways to prototype a website, sometimes nothing beats the good old fashioned pen and paper. While not exactly eco-friendly, it’s quick and dirty and helps to get ideas down without missing a creative beat. Not accustomed to prototyping? Next time you’re about to start a new site, consider sitting down and planning your UI, information architecture and workflow before jumping into PSDs. It’ll go a long way in helping you build the ultimate web experience.
For inspiration, check out the prototypes of your favourite websites.
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Source: Paper prototyping (leemcivor.co.uk)
It’d be interesting to know how often people user test their paper prototypes in the process of refinement. If so, how are they doing it?
This is one of the problems we’ve set out to address recently – to make user testing of paper prototypes as easy as paper prototyping itself.
You pose a great question that I think a lot of people would love to get insight on. Would love to hear some industry experts chime in!
I’d also be interested to hear some of your findings/discoveries, Sam. What are some of your best practices?
I almost always prototype on paper. Usually saves time in the long run. Then there are those days when I just can’t translate it.
I have just gone back to pen and paper, and while i think it has helped, get a few more ideas down, i am having trouble translating it to PSD!!
As far as user testing with paper prototypes, I have always had a piece of paper for each page. Then use little yellow sticky notes for buttons and have users push the sticky note and show them what piece of paper would then become the new page. And ask if they were expecting that page to show up. Lastly I would sit back and watch them try to navigate by themselves and then give them a short order list of instructions to accomplish, ie….which page to arrive to.
Its clunky, but it works.
[...] Paper prototyping is a method used by many web designers (including myself) to help plan and conceptualize new site designs or features. Simply put, it’s creating website prototypes on paper. By removing distractions like code and syntax and any technical elements, the designer can focus in isolation on the form, structure and design of the piece he’s working on. [...]
[...] 7, 2009 at 8:12 PM · Filed under Uncategorized Paper prototyping is a method used by many web designers (including myself) to help plan and conceptualize new site [...]
[...] paper to Photoshop In 1, Graphics Design / Web Interface Design on April 23, 2009 at 1:01 PM Paper prototyping is a method used by many web designers (including myself) to help plan and conceptualize new site [...]