Usability - Prototype

Prototyping is a way of representing the final website although it is not finished yet. At various stages of designing, a prototype is made and used for testing. That way usability issues are detected early and easily corrected. Prototyping is a major part of User Centered Design. Designs are made, evaluated and refined until the desired standard of usability is reached. It should already be done at an early stage because it is costs less time and money to change a design then the finished product. There are different types of prototypes, which should be used at different stages of the design process:

Low-fidelity Prototypes

Low-fidelity prototyping describes the use of prototypes which are made quickly and changed just as quick. They become interactive through a person acting as the computer and responding to where the user points. All flaws found at this stage can easily be changed. Low-fidelity prototyping allows multiple iterations of design in a short period of time and is therefore very cost-effective. A paper prototype is an example of a low-fidelity prototype.

High-fidelity Prototypes

High-fidelity prototypes resemble the end-product as close as possible in look and feel. They are interactive although not much code might have been written yet. Compared to low-fidelity prototypes, they are more realistic and therefore easier to test with users. They don't require as much imagination because the prototype responds just like the end-product would. High-fidelity prototypes are great for user testing. The design can be evaluated in detail and good results can be achieved. Examples of high-fidelity prototypes are wire frame prototypes or HTML prototypes.

Scenario Based Design

Scenarios can also result in prototypes. The first scenarios create low-fidelity prototypes, later ones create high-fidelity prototypes. But more important are the scenarios themselves. They can be analysed using a claims analysis.