Paper prototype (from @harryharrold)
Following on from our initial workshops, we recently held some more sessions for people to test and feedback on the paper prototypes that the team at Neontribe have started to build. These were a great success – here are the words from Jake from CluedUpInHull to explain all:
User-centred design has the potential to give great insight into something that hasn’t even been created yet. The experience of user-centred design (or a ‘paper prototype’) is very useful because it enables the user to have a free reign over what they would consider the best way to see the administrative side and also the user’s perspective.
Firstly the way that the paper prototype was presented by Neon Tribe was essential to the overall experience because it kept the process flowing and gives you guidance as to what you are actually trying to achieve.
It can help because it is all in black and white but with the same structure of what you’re used to – in this case Facebook – and doing this changes the way in which you would often focus on the way a tool or webpage is designed as opposed to the actual functionality of the tool.
You are able to freely arrange or re-arrange many functions of a proposed tool at will as opposed to it being a case of having to take it away and completely re-code the tool which would take time and inevitably become a great encumbrance.
Overall, I think the way that it helped me see how I would use something focusing purely on the functionality and the way in which it was presented and kept flowing by Neon Tribe was very good. I strongly recommend that this type of design is used elsewhere because it was very useful indeed.
Both workshops – in Manchester and Nottingham – were a great success and insight into both the process of plingback, but also how using paper prototypes can act as a low barrier to quality feedback and engagement.
We look forward to the next stage – I *think* someone may be touching a computer next!
