[IxDA Discuss] What tools do you use for prototyping?

[Andrei Herasimchuk]

On Nov 5, 2007, at 7:47 PM, Mike Scarpiello wrote:
> Hmm, this is all very strange. So someone wrote and entire book on  
> it, we did it many times in grad school, buts it's not a  
> prototyping tool?

I'll say it again. Paper is *NOT* a prototyping tool. I don't care  
what you've been taught or who's written a book where their sales  
rely on a title to claim otherwise.

Paper is a design tool.  If you attempt to show others who are not  
designers the "paper prototype," the kind of feedback you will get  
versus showing them a real prototype is vastly inferior to make final  
design decisions. Think of it this way: If you saw a drawing of the  
Volkswagen Beetle back in 1995 you'd think it was pretty cool and  
some opinions. But when you went to the car show and saw a real live  
concept car fully built and can even sit inside it, you can provide  
all sorts of feedback never possible from seeing a simple drawing.

I'm not sure why this point would be particularly controversial.  
Paper is a design tool. I use it all the time... to DESIGN. I find  
showing end users, product managers or CEOs a paper drawing to be of  
nominal value, and only at the up front stages of the design process.  
When the rubber hits the road, you simply have to build a real  
prototype if you want t make good design decisions.

--
Andrei Herasimchuk

Principal, Involution Studios
innovating the digital world

e. andrei at involutionstudios.com
c. +1 408 306 6422