Shredding the Wireframe with Rapid UX Prototyping

Shredding the WireframeIntro to Rapid UX PrototypingKyle Outlaw / Group Experience Director @Razorfish

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To Shred */SHred/*

• Tear or cut into shreds."shredded documents”

• Play a very fast, intricate style of rock lead guitar. ”We want to hear everything from country and western to blisteringly fast guitar shredding"

As defined by Google

Agenda

• Part 1: Intro – the death of wires, the rise of prototyping

• Part 2: Challenge question and sketching

• Short Break

• Part 3: Invision app tutorial

• Part 4: Usability testing

• Part 5: Show and tell, Q&A

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Who the f*&# are we?4

Kyle Outlaw

GXD at RazorfishClients: Mercedes-Benz, Smart Car, Motorola, UNIQLO, AXESpecialties: responsive design, digital commerceTwitter: @koutlaw

Rachel Lovinger*Special Guest/timecop*XD at RazorfishClients: Mercedes, EMC, The Hollywood Reporter, Travel Channel, MetLife, American Red CrossSpecialties: content strategy, content modelingTwitter: @rlovinger

Some Questions for You!

Part 1The Death of Wireframes and the Rise of the Prototype

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We <3 wireframes, but they are quickly becoming obsolete!

But why?

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Wireframes Have Several Limitations• What you see is often not what you get

• Insufficient when describing nuanced interaction

• Approvals can never be final until the result is seen in code

• It’s difficult to test wireframes

• Many clients have difficulty providing feedback on wireframes

• Laborious, time intensive

• Inefficient for detailing responsive design

• Others??

But what will replace them?

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Enter the Prototype.

12What do we mean when we say prototype?

A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process or to act as a thing to be replicated or learned from.

Source: Wikipedia

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Advantages to Prototyping the UX• Get early buy-in from business stakeholders

• Enables testing early and often with users

• Encourages multi-disciplinary collaboration

• Plays well with the agile methodology

• Shows not just what it will look like but how it will work

• Kills fewer trees

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There are several categories

• Proof-of-Concept Prototype

• Form Study Prototype

• User Experience Prototype

• Visual Prototype

• Functional Prototype (a.k.a Working Prototype)

Source: Wikipedia

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Who is the audience?

• Full internal team (UX, visual designers, tech)

• Third party vendors

• The client and other stakeholders

• Real users

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The Spectrum of Fidelity

Medium HighLowSketches on paper. Cool/wow factor is low. Wireframes or sketches, the

prototype is ‘clickable’ but not much more interactivity than that.

Fully functional, but usually a subset of features, the most complex functionality. Also $$$

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Caution: Set Expectations on Fidelity!

Some popular tools

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Low-Fi

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Medium-Fi

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High-Fi

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High-Fi

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AI??

And many more…

How do they stack up?

26Emily Schwartzman’s Awesome Evaluation

kpcb.com/design/prototyping-tools-as-analyzed-by-emily-schwartzman

But there is no substitute for trying these yourselves and

picking the best one for your project.

Anyway, who should own the prototype?

• It's often cost prohibitive to get a technologist just for prototyping

• You don't need to know code to do it!

• It's a better simulation of the end product!

• Clients will get that it's not the final product!*

• UX is the glue for product design – the focal point

• We still need a deliverable!

UX designers should own it!

The prototype shows how it will work.

“Design is not just what it looks like or feels like. Design is how it works.”

–Steve Jobs, Patron Saint of User Experience Practitioners

Any questions so far?

Part 2Okay let’s do this!

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Product Brief and Sketching• In this part of the workshop we're going to solve a quasi-real world

problem. There are two challenges, each table has a product brief A or B).

• Just to keep things simple we're going to pick a single form factor - smart phone. Can be an app or mobile web, up to you.

• Introduce yourselves to your team mates. 

• Take a look at your (intentionally vague) product brief!

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The Teams*• Slayer

• System of a Down

• Anthrax

• Metallica

• Pantera

• Megadeth

* Yes you may change your team name. Just let us know!

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Product Brief 1Create a Smartphone app that does the following: 

We’ve all been on road trips where one individual (often unintentionally) monopolizes the music selection. It can make for a tense ride. This app allows drivers to create a listening room. Each passenger would be able to help build the playlist from their smartphone, with an equal number of picks and vetoes given to each, depending on the length of the drive and number of passengers. Picks would rotate as the ride progresses. Each listener would be able to veto a pick, but the song would only be skipped if over half of the voters gave it a thumbs down. To prevent trolling, any song vetoed by all passengers would not count towards anyone’s veto count. The game would take on a strategic element when conserving your vetoes and picks, ensuring you’ll keep playing over the length of the ride. (Matt Burton via Evolver.fm).

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Product Brief 2Create a Smartphone app that does the following: 

This quick image-to-sound generator would use pictures from your smartphone’s camera. Take a picture, and the image’s properties would be converted into control data for a sound generator. Say, for example, the amount of blue in a picture would determine the frequency of a particular oscillator. The synth could also “play back” the pictures from top to bottom or left to right so that the sound evolves over time. If you had a picture of a blue sky over green grass, you’d get a clip that starts with a lot of high frequency sound that moves lower over time. Every kind of data about the picture could also be translated into sound in this same manner for nice, complex results. This would just be a quick, fun way to create sounds. There could also be a social aspect, with an Instagram-style feed of all of your friends pictures and sounds. (Andy Cush via Evolver.fm)

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Product Brief and Sketching (cont.)• Spend 15 minutes discussing how to approach this request.

• Sketch out some key screens (15 min).

• We’re shooting for low fidelity prototypes here.

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Remember: it’s not an art contest!

Any questions before we start?

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Clock’s ticking…

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Time’s up!

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Now…• Designate one person on your team (whoever has the best

smartphone camera!) to take a picture of your sketches.

• Designate someone from your team to be the prototype owner. Email the photo to them so that they can have it on their desktop.

• If you need help taking pictures of your sketches we can help you during break.

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Now…• Designate one person on your team (whoever has the best smartphone

camera!) to take a picture of your sketches. If you need help taking pictures of your sketches we can help you during break.

• Designate someone from your team to be the prototype owner. Email the photo to them so that they can have it on their desktop.

• If you need help taking pictures of your sketches we can help you during break.

Break Time

Part 3Quick prototyping tutorial using Invision App

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Why Invision App?• Easy to learn (not just UX, creative, client)

• Well designed! (Great UX)

• Using it currently for various Razorfish clients

• Again, encourage testing other tools first, depends on the project

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Getting Started• Go to invisionapp.com

• Username: kyle.outlaw [at] razorfish.com

• Password: SXSW2015

• Or give us your email and we will add you to the project!*

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Step 2: Find Your Project Folder (A-E)

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Step 3: Upload a picture of your sketch

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Step 4: Check Resolutions

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Step 5: Arrange your screens

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Step 5: Set hotspots

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Step 5: Set hotspots

Test the flow with your team, make any revisions

Other cool stuff you can do

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Step 5: Set hotspots

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Step 5: Set hotspots

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Step 5: Set hotspots

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Step 5: Set hotspots

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Step 5: Set hotspots

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Step 5: Set hotspots

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Step 5: Set hotspots

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Step 5: Set hotspots

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Step 5: Set hotspots

Part 4Guerrilla-style Usability Testing

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Prototyping on the fly

From formal and guerilla usability testing

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Goals for usability testing• Evaluate your product (easy, fast, satisfying?)

• See how real people use it, in their environment

• Test any assumptions or hypotheses you have about the design

Designate one person from your table to go to another table

(different challenge) and take them through your app.

Document the feedback. Bonus points, add comments to the

project. 

Part 5Show and tell

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Call for volunteers!• What was your challenge?

• How did you solve it?

• How was your overall experience?

• Is this something you could see using in your design process?

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Q+A

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Epilogue: Some House-cleaning • Please take our survey!

• If you have questions after this class, contact me at kyle.outlaw [at] razorfish.com

Official Playlist for this Workshop73

http://spoti.fi/1GOKavN

Thanks!!

Appendectomy

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Product Brief for Team Pantera

Create a Smartphone app that does the following: 

Democratize Playlists for Long Car Rides with Friends: We’ve all been on road trips where one individual (often unintentionally) monopolizes the music selection. It can make for a tense ride. The Echo Nest Q/A intern Matt Burton conceived of an app that allows drivers to create a listening room. Each passenger would be able to help build the playlist from their smartphone, with an equal number of picks and vetoes given to each, depending on the length of the drive and number of passengers. Picks would rotate as the ride progresses. Each listener would be able to veto a pick, but the song would only be skipped if over half of the voters gave it a thumbs down. To prevent trolling, any song vetoed by all passengers would not count towards anyone’s veto count. The game would take on a strategic element when conserving your vetoes and picks, ensuring you’ll keep playing over the length of the ride. (Matt Burton via Evolver.fm).

http://evolver.fm/2012/10/18/the-most-wanted-untapped-music-apps-round-three/

Product Brief for Team Slayer

Create a Smartphone app that does the following: 

Democratize Playlists for Long Car Rides with Friends: We’ve all been on road trips where one individual (often unintentionally) monopolizes the music selection. It can make for a tense ride. The Echo Nest Q/A intern Matt Burton conceived of an app that allows drivers to create a listening room. Each passenger would be able to help build the playlist from their smartphone, with an equal number of picks and vetoes given to each, depending on the length of the drive and number of passengers. Picks would rotate as the ride progresses. Each listener would be able to veto a pick, but the song would only be skipped if over half of the voters gave it a thumbs down. To prevent trolling, any song vetoed by all passengers would not count towards anyone’s veto count. The game would take on a strategic element when conserving your vetoes and picks, ensuring you’ll keep playing over the length of the ride. (Matt Burton via Evolver.fm).

http://evolver.fm/2012/10/18/the-most-wanted-untapped-music-apps-round-three/

Product Brief for Team System of a DownCreate a Smartphone app that does the following: 

Democratize Playlists for Long Car Rides with Friends: We’ve all been on road trips where one individual (often unintentionally) monopolizes the music selection. It can make for a tense ride. The Echo Nest Q/A intern Matt Burton conceived of an app that allows drivers to create a listening room. Each passenger would be able to help build the playlist from their smartphone, with an equal number of picks and vetoes given to each, depending on the length of the drive and number of passengers. Picks would rotate as the ride progresses. Each listener would be able to veto a pick, but the song would only be skipped if over half of the voters gave it a thumbs down. To prevent trolling, any song vetoed by all passengers would not count towards anyone’s veto count. The game would take on a strategic element when conserving your vetoes and picks, ensuring you’ll keep playing over the length of the ride. (Matt Burton via Evolver.fm).

http://evolver.fm/2012/10/18/the-most-wanted-untapped-music-apps-round-three/

Product Brief for Team Metallica

Create a Smartphone app that does the following: 

Spectrum: This quick image-to-sound generator would use pictures from your smartphone’s camera. Take a picture, and the image’s properties would be converted into control data for a sound generator. Say, for example, the amount of blue in a picture would determine the frequency of a particular oscillator. The synth could also “play back” the pictures from top to bottom or left to right so that the sound evolves over time. If you had a picture of a blue sky over green grass, you’d get a clip that starts with a lot of high frequency sound that moves lower over time. Every kind of data about the picture could also be translated into sound in this same manner for nice, complex results. This would just be a quick, fun way to create sounds. There could also be a social aspect, with an Instagram-style feed of all of your friends pictures and sounds. (Andy Cush)

http://evolver.fm/2012/10/18/the-most-wanted-untapped-music-apps-round-three/

Product Brief for Team Anthrax

Create a Smartphone app that does the following: 

Spectrum: This quick image-to-sound generator would use pictures from your smartphone’s camera. Take a picture, and the image’s properties would be converted into control data for a sound generator. Say, for example, the amount of blue in a picture would determine the frequency of a particular oscillator. The synth could also “play back” the pictures from top to bottom or left to right so that the sound evolves over time. If you had a picture of a blue sky over green grass, you’d get a clip that starts with a lot of high frequency sound that moves lower over time. Every kind of data about the picture could also be translated into sound in this same manner for nice, complex results. This would just be a quick, fun way to create sounds. There could also be a social aspect, with an Instagram-style feed of all of your friends pictures and sounds. (Andy Cush)

http://evolver.fm/2012/10/18/the-most-wanted-untapped-music-apps-round-three/

Product Brief for Team Megadeth

Create a Smartphone app that does the following: 

Spectrum: This quick image-to-sound generator would use pictures from your smartphone’s camera. Take a picture, and the image’s properties would be converted into control data for a sound generator. Say, for example, the amount of blue in a picture would determine the frequency of a particular oscillator. The synth could also “play back” the pictures from top to bottom or left to right so that the sound evolves over time. If you had a picture of a blue sky over green grass, you’d get a clip that starts with a lot of high frequency sound that moves lower over time. Every kind of data about the picture could also be translated into sound in this same manner for nice, complex results. This would just be a quick, fun way to create sounds. There could also be a social aspect, with an Instagram-style feed of all of your friends pictures and sounds. (Andy Cush)

http://evolver.fm/2012/10/18/the-most-wanted-untapped-music-apps-round-three/