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Book Review: Effective Prototyping for Software Makers – Extended Summary

By Gerd Waloszek, SAP User Experience, SAP AG – July 19, 2007

This is an extended summary of the book Effective Prototyping for Software Makers by Jonathan Arnowitz, Michael Arent, and Nevin Berger.

Overview (from Review)

Effective Prototyping for Software Makers consists of four main parts (please note that these parts are not reflected in the book's table of contents. I introduce them here to provide readers with a better overview of the book's content). In the introduction, comprising the first two chapters, the authors provide a rationale for prototyping and outline what they consider to be an "effective" prototyping process. Thus, chapter two can be regarded as an advance organizer for the subsequent and largest part of the book, which covers the prototyping process at length: The recommended process consists of four phases – plan, specification, design, and results – comprising, all in all, eleven steps, which are covered in the following eleven chapters 3 to 13. Part three, consisting of chapters 14-22, describes selected prototyping methods without resorting to specific tools. In short, methods are "what can be used to create a prototype; for example, storyboards, wireframes, paper, etc." The fourth and last part is a hands-on section presenting three software tools – some of which may seem surprising choices in the prototyping context – which can be used even by non-programmers: Microsoft Office applications (Word, PowerPoint and Excel), Microsoft Visio, and Adobe Acrobat.

The book is accompanied by a useful glossary explaining terms that are often encountered in the context of prototyping. Readers who would like to dig deeper into a specific topic will find a collection of references at the end of most chapters.

Part I: Introduction

The first two chapters of the book introduce the prototyping activity and clarify what the authors mean by "effective prototyping."

Why Prototyping? (Chapter 1)

After providing a historical perspective on prototyping – going back to, among others, Leonardo da Vinci – the authors discuss the purpose of prototyping, that is, they make the case for it and set the stage. The authors conclude that prototyping, even though it has a long history, has now "evolved to become a sophisticated activity that is not only for the purpose of product conceptualization and design but for product strategy, definition, specification, and planning as well."

The Effective Prototyping Process (Chapter 2)

The remainder of the book can be seen as an answer to the question: "How do you prototype?" In the second chapter, the authors outline what they regard as an "effective prototyping process" and provide an overview of the following chapters, which describe the process steps in detail. Thus, this chapter provides readers with a quick overview of the prototyping process as proposed by the authors.

Part II: The Process

As already mentioned, the core of this book is the prototyping process, which the authors want to make as effective as possible. According to them, an effective prototyping process consists of four phases: plan, specification, design, and results. Chapters 3 to 13 describe the four phases and the steps they are comprised of in detail. Thus, each step has a dedicated chapter in the book. Typically, the steps also consist of a number of substeps. Where appropriate, the authors provide worksheets or checklists that help readers in making their decisions during the prototyping process transparent.

Phase I: Plan (Chapters 3-5)

The first phase of the prototyping process comprises planning activities, such as

Verifying prototype requirements (chapter 3)
Developing task flows and scenarios (chapter 4)
Specifying prototype content and fidelity (chapter 5)

The first two chapters present well-known activities from the analysis phase of the design process and should be familiar to the professional reader. The third chapter discusses what a prototype should achieve (that is, which application characteristics it should simulate) and how elaborate it needs to be (low fidelity, high fidelity, or better: which aspects at which fidelity?).

Phase II: Specification (Chapters 6-8)

In the specification phase, you

Determine the characteristics of the prototype (chapter 6)
Choose a prototyping method (chapter 7)
Choose a prototyping tool (chapter 8)

The authors provide a set of characteristics that make up the overall shape of a prototype. These are discussed in chapter 6 and are as follows: audience, stage (in the design process), speed, longevity, expression, style, and medium. The authors also provide a step-by-step guide for selecting the right prototype characteristics. These are, among others, used in chapters 14 to 21 for describing and distinguishing the different prototyping methods (see table below).

In chapter 7, Choose a Method, the authors briefly cover a number of prototyping methods, what they mean, and how they work. These methods are described in part III (chapters 14-22) in detail. Chapter 8, Choose a Prototyping Tool, helps readers find the right prototyping tool according to the chosen method. The authors show how to map a method to appropriate tools and, depending on the given constraints, select a tool that fits best.

For more advanced readers, phase II (chapters 6-8) might be the appropriate location for "jumping right into the matter."

Phase III: Design (Chapters 9-10)

For many prototypers, the design phase is probably the most interesting one. It is comprised of the following activities:

Establishing design criteria for the prototype (chapter 9)
Creating the design (chapter 10)

Chapter 9 can be regarded as a refresher course in visual and user interface design. The authors provide seven visual and eleven user interface guidelines that help readers in establishing criteria for the prototype design. Chapter 10 provides a number of heuristics for setting priorities and proceeding with the actual design. It ends with the authors' recommendation to document the design rationale for the prototype. This ensures that the prototype fulfills its objectives. Later design changes can also be checked against the design rationale.

Phase IV: Results (Chapters 11-13)

The fourth and final phase of the prototyping process comprises the validation of the prototype and its handover to the implementers:

Review the design through internal review (chapter 11)
Validate and iterate the prototype (chapter 12)
Deploy the design (chapter 13)

The authors conclude this part of the book with one more recommendation, namely to create a product design guide as a companion to an interactive prototype. This guide is a kind of style guide for the prototype, which captures all aspects of the prototype, including characteristics, such as content, fidelity, and design criteria.

Part III: Selected Prototyping Methods

Part III of the book can be regarded as a reference for prototyping methods but without referring to specific tools. Here you will find the following techniques: card sorting, wireframes, storyboards, paper prototyping, digital interactive prototyping, blank models, video prototyping, wizard-of-oz prototyping, and coded prototyping. All the chapters follow a similar pattern, though with variations: The authors explain the purposes for which a method is most appropriate, name its characteristics, demonstrate what a prototyping session using it or its variants looks like, provide step-by-step procedures for the method, and propose how to proceed afterwards. For an easier overview, I have provided a table that lists the methods presented in the book:

Prototyping Method	Chapter	Description	Most appropriate for ...	Typical Stage	Primary Audience
Card Sorting	14	Test participants sort index cards according to some given criteria; typically paper-based	Defining the information architecture Defining navigation models for Websites or applications Defining menu structures Validating the terminology Validating conceptual/mental models	Early prototype	End users / design team
Wireframe	15	Rough sketches of the layout; narrative, not interactive; can be physical or electronic	Understanding requirements Quick visualization of page structure, content placement and page sequencing (task flow) Playing around with ideas Communicating and documenting designs	Early prototype	Internal stakeholders
Storyboard	16	Typically, like a film storyboard telling a user's story in a given scenario – but many different types possible; narrative, not interactive; can be physical or electronic	Understanding the domain Checking use cases for plausibility and completeness Demonstrating how a software can achieve a user's goals	Early to midterm prototype	Internal stakeholders
Paper *	17	One or more screens sketched on paper and/or created from different pieces of paper (techniques vary widely); interactive (a member of the design team plays the "computer"); typically paper-based but might also be used in an electronic version	Getting feedback early in the development process Easy communication with other teams and customers – good for people with minimal technical skills Stimulating experimentation – users may modify the design Rapid prototyping	Midterm prototype	End users
Digital Interactive	18	Typically, a digital wireframe prototype, in many respects similar in purpose to a paper prototype (see the book for a comparison); interactive; digital but not coded	Providing feedback early in the development process Facilitating communication among stakeholders Promoting exploration through use in rapid prototyping Including visual, information, and interaction design	Midterm prototype	End users (but also stakeholders, developers)
Blank Model	19	Having users design everyday devices (remote controls, etc.): Physical model of devices that may be "designed" by users; mix of interactive and narrative; physical	Understanding users' desires and perceptions about scenarios that portray tasks and activities in new and inventive ways Understanding design criteria and requirements that impact business decisions	Early prototype	End users
Video	20	Videos can be used to sell visionary technology concepts (visionary video prototyping) or as part of the participatory design process (holistic video prototyping); narrative	Vision: Providing a "high fidelity" technology vision (but can be mistaken for reality) Holistic: Use as input for further design activities	Early Prototype	Internal design team
Wizard-of-Oz Prototyping	21	Prototypes simulate a certain technology but are fakes, that is, the technology is mimicked by humans	Exploring innovation with technologies that do not exist or are commercially not feasible	Midterm prototype	Internal design team
Coded	22	Prototypes that are coded in a programming, scripting, or markup language; interactive	Extensive usability testing Use as demonstration tool for sales and marketing	Late prototype	Internal and external audience

*) For paper prototypes, readers might also want to consult the book Paper Prototyping by Carolyn Snyder, which is exclusively dedicated to this method (read the review).

Part IV: Hands-On with "Unusual" Prototyping Tools

In the final part of the book, the authors join with guest authors to present several prototyping tools that can be used with none or minimal coding. These are indeed "prototyping tools for everyone." Some of the tools may "surprise" readers in the context of prototyping...

Prototyping with Office Suite Applications (Chapter 23)

First, the authors demonstrate how Office applications, such as MS PowerPoint, MS Word, and MS Excel (or similar applications) can be "re-used" as prototyping tools. These applications offer the additional advantage that nearly everyone has them installed on their computer. Examples of a wirefame design in MS Word, a storyboard design in MS PowerPoint, and a simple dialog in MS Excel are demonstrated step by step. Probably nobody, including me, would seriously consider MS Excel as a prototyping tool. Nonetheless, co-author Nevin Berger contributes a success story showing Excel's potential in this domain, particularly with respect to development speed.

Prototyping with Visio (Chapter 24)

Ji Kim illustrates how MS Visio can be used as a prototyping tool by presenting a simple step-by-step example. This example is based on Windows screen controls, which are already available in Visio as an object library. At SAP, Visio has become the prototyping tool of choice for user interface designers. For ease of use, designers can build on a predefined library of screen elements that conform to SAP's UI standards and guidelines. So they need not start prototyping with Visio from scratch.

Prototyping with Acrobat (Chapter 25)

Admittedly, I had never thought of Adobe Acrobat as having the potential as a prototyping tool. In the final chapter of the book, Dave Rogers demonstrates that it does indeed have this potential, and provides an illustrative, step-by-step example. He also discusses the pros and cons of Acrobat as a prototyping tool. Probably the biggest advantage of this tool is that the prototype is encapsulated in a read-only PDF document that can be easily distributed. Note that the full version of Adobe Acrobat is required for using Acrobat as a prototyping tool. However, the Acrobat Reader software suffices for running PDF prototypes.

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