[IxDA Discuss] "web 2.0" prototyping

[Björn Simonson]

Hi

You're right in that many functions have no place in a prototype. But you nevertheless what the user to have a good idea of how elements will behave. 

I'm thinking that some kind of "interaction mood-board" would be in place. An interaction mood-board would show the user what she could expect from different elements in the prototype and aid in making the prototype seem more alive?

Has anyone tried an approach similar to this?

Cheers!

Björn Simonson


-----Original Message-----
From: Kurt Morris [mailto:KMorris at fool.com] 
Sent: den 21 maj 2007 16:48
To: Ari Feldman; Björn Simonson
Cc: discuss at lists.interactiondesigners.com
Subject: RE: [SPAM] Re: [IxDA Discuss] "web 2.0" prototyping

>>  Just looking at Gmail for example, the show/hide details option seems tricky to accomplish in Axure because of the moving of other elements. That specific function might not be very important to show in a prototype for Gmail but you can use show/hide in other contexts where it could be critical for the understanding/evaluation of the prototype.

This sort of hide/show functionality is actually pretty easy to accomplish in Visio, Omnigraffle, or PDF for that matter: Clicking a "hotspot" on, say, an expanded module links to another page where the same basic wireframe/prototype displays a collapsed module.

>> Axure can simulate the kind of functionality you describe via its dynamic panel feature but there are many Web 2.0/AJAX feature it can't do out-of-the-box such as drag and drop, etc.

There's certain functionality that, IMO, has no place in a prototype. Drag-and-Drop is a perfect example. Indicating which parts can be moved and which can't should be enough. At the point that one is prototyping that sort of functionality, one might as well be coding the site, and that misses the point. Business owners/customers, at some point, need to be able to envision what the designer is trying to convey without explicit interactivity.

A some point, it's akin to building a full-size replica of a house that someone can walk through before building the real one <g>. It's not just about the pictures, but about the words that describe them. Good verbal communication is critical, irrespective of the prototype fidelity or method used to produce them.

My .02,

Kurt

-----Original Message-----
From: discuss-bounces at lists.interactiondesigners.com [mailto:discuss-bounces at lists.interactiondesigners.com] On Behalf Of Ari Feldman
Sent: Monday, May 21, 2007 10:16 AM
To: Björn Simonson
Cc: discuss at lists.interactiondesigners.com
Subject: [SPAM] Re: [IxDA Discuss] "web 2.0" prototyping
Importance: Low

Axure can simulate the kind of functionality you describe via its dynamic panel feature but there are many Web 2.0/AJAX feature it can't do out-of-the-box such as drag and drop, etc.



Björn Simonson wrote:
> Hi,
>
>  
>
> To be honest I haven't done any serious work on 2.0 functions in Axure yet but I know that our customers ask for 2.0 functionality and I'd like to be prepared.
>
>  
>
> Just looking at Gmail for example, the show/hide details option seems tricky to accomplish in Axure because of the moving of other elements. That specific function might not be very important to show in a prototype for Gmail but you can use show/hide in other contexts where it could be critical for the understanding/evaluation of the prototype.
>
>  
>
> Also, even though lots of web 2.0 stuff can be done in different programs (OmniGiraffe, Flash, powerpoint, Axure), is it worth the effort? The point of prototypes is that they are easier, faster and cheaper to make than the real deal. But with web 2.0 the prototypes seem to become ever more complex and time-consuming to make. How can we show the user what were trying to accomplish without doing hours and hours of semi-programming?
>
>  
>
> Cheers!
>
>  
>
> Björn Simonson
>
>
>
> ________________________________
>
> From: Vishal Iyer [mailto:vishaliyer1 at gmail.com]
> Sent: den 21 maj 2007 15:32
> To: Björn Simonson; discuss at lists.interactiondesigners.com
> Subject: Re: [IxDA Discuss] "web 2.0" prototyping
>
>  
>
> Bjorn,
>
> What specific problems are you facing with Axure? I use it often and have encountered very few things (tying data to the prototype being the biggest...if I'm not mistaken, they are working on that feature for a future release) I can't do with it. 
>
>   

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