[IxDA Discuss] True or False: In a perfect world we'd all create html clickable wireframes after the static ones have been done

[pauric]

Elizabeth wrote: "do people here find it hard to convince development
to keep the prototype a prototype when you're starting to use code
that's theoretically shippable?"

Let me answer your question with how I've been working for the last
5 years.  Back in '02 we went through a redesign, created a
traditional wireframe to annotated webspec deliverable. The engineers
in turn gave me back the presentation layer -without- the underlying
db hooks.

Since then I have kept all major releases, product variants and
individual features in a shelf library.

When I have to design a new feature I wireframe the design and place
those screens in to the latest code.  Engineers render that in to
code.  I put it back on the shelf.

For new products I do the IA and edit the menu system to reflect the
design, then pull code off the shelf along with wireframe images  
for new aspects.  It gets rendered and goes back on the shelf.

This is all copy and paste, I cant code for crap.

I cant describe how much easier my job is when I have 360 degree
control of presentation layer. First I can fully mandate designs
through to release, secondly I can slice lead times to a fraction of
what they were when I did not own the presentation layer code.

Dan Saffer wrote: "I do know that there are some people who do
hybrids%u2014mixing a prototype with annotations. That is kind of
cool."

About a year ago I started combining flow diagrams with wireframes in
clickable pdfs, in omni of course.  The flow diagram essentially
becomes a table of contents for mockup and explains the design in
more detail that annotations.  There are simple annotations on
individual pages.  All comments are on a separate layer which can be
switched off before export to pdf.
Here's a really simple/basic example, note that I dont need to try
to animate the map blind up/down, there's a link to the
http://wiki.script.aculo.us/scriptaculous/show/CombinationEffectsDemo
effects embedded in the pdf.

http://web.mac.com/pauric_ocallaghan/clickable_annotated_wireframe.pdf
For user testing, this isnt cool, for developers - no need to do
more.


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Posted from the improved ixda.org
http://beta.ixda.org/discuss?post=19952