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Many people are skeptical about UI prototyping, perhaps because they have not seen the true benefits of UI prototyping in their corporation. All too often UI prototyping isn’t carried out as effectively as it could be. The truth is that UI prototyping can be an effective process if you follow these steps. Use UI prototyping to generate ideas One of the main functions of UI prototyping is to help you to be creative. Whether you decide to sketch out paper wireframes or use a UI prototyping tool, remember that this is the first stage in development. This means that there is less pressure and you can be more experimental. This means you can create different options and come up with new concepts that are riskier than those you normally create. Remember, there is no programming involved in UI prototyping, especially with the tools available online, which can save you time and money. Also the pre-defined widgets that there are available, you can simply drag and drop text elements, buttons and pictures into your page, which is simple. Use UI prototyping for communication Many teams successfully use UI prototyping to show in pictures what they would like to achieve from a project. If you are working with stakeholders with limited technical knowledge, showing them a prototype will help them visualize the final idea you have in mind. I often give my clients two wireframes to choose from. This is great for communication, because they can say what they like and dislike about a wireframe without worrying about being too critical. With UI prototyping, it is paramount that you make it clear to your clients and other stakeholders that this process should be scrutinized, so that they are as critical as possible. After all, it’s best that these ideas come out at the beginning of a project rather than the end. Think of the next step With UI prototyping, you must think about what your prototypes will be used for. Will they be sent to a graphic designer, UX expert, or programmer? Will you be working on completing the project? If not, you will have to document you work clearly so that they understand exactly how to use your prototypes as a guide. If you don’t have programming knowledge, talk to the programmers who will be working on your project and get their input before you finish your prototypes. Otherwise you may have underestimated how much your prototypes will cost to implement, which could result in you going over budget. Keep your prototypes UI prototyping is often seen as a draft stage in a project, but it can provide important documentation for the future. Whenever a client demands extra features, I often fall back on the prototypes I have and remind them that they have approved these documents. This makes them much more willing to work out costs of extra features. Having the UI prototyping documentation can also make them more trusting of you, as they also have a document to fall back on. ================= About the Author: ================= Pidoco.com–Interface Design, Wireframe, Wireframes, Wireframe Software, UI Prototyping, Interface Design Software, Online Wireframe Tool, Wireframe Tool, GUI Prototyping, Clickable Wireframes, Usability Testing and Digital Paper Prototyping.
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