The benefits of interactive prototypes

A while back I wrote about prototyping while searching for the best prototyping tool.

As a freelancer the most prototyping I ever did was on paper, and it was usually for the benefit of me. What I’d end up with was a well designed UI, but that hadn’t been tested.

Then I joined Kareo and started putting together interactive prototypes. As part of our development cycle we design and iterate on prototypes on a daily basis.

Benefits of prototyping

Experience the full flow

Instead of thinking about the design as individual screens, you get a better idea of the full experience and flow including pages or states you might otherwise overlook.

Get early feedback

Put it in front of users and start testing for early feedback.

Better than specs

Nobody wants to read through a 20-page spec document. By prototyping you can pass the prototype around developers and executives instead.

Low or high fidelity

I typically start off fairly low, doing just a rough prototype to help flush out some requirements and ideas. Then gradually move onto higher fidelity, incorporating validation, graphics etc. The more tests and iterations the more detailed the prototype gets.

Less time and resources spent

Before the engineering team start work, you’re able to experiment and go through many rounds of testing. Of course you can continue to iterate during and after development, but the aim is to make sure as little time is wasted as possible while getting the best possible outcome.

Collaboration with team members

It’s easier to show team members something that is interactive than to try and tell them about it.

Rapid and quick iterations

As it’s a prototype you don’t have to worry about clean markup or pixel perfection at this stage.

Conclusion

Before you start any project or feature, put together a prototype. It costs a lot less and you can learn a lot by putting something clickable together.

Axure is my tool of choice at the minute but there are a number of great prototyping tools available.