Effective Prototyping for Software Makers

625 Pages·2007·48.49 MB·English

by  Jonathan Arnowitz

Critical Acclaim for Effective Prototyping for Software Makers!
Effective Prototyping for Software Makers is the first book in our field that covers the
breadth and depth of prototyping methods. Other books and articles focus on a particular
prototyping method, but in this book you learn about wireframes, card sorting, storyboard
prototyping, Wizard of Oz prototypes, and more! Renown HCI experts Arnowitz, Arent,
and Berger have written a comprehensive book that is filled with practical knowledge,
passion for prototyping, savvy insights, and clear examples. Effective Prototyping for
Software Makers is the sine qua non resource for prototyping and should be required
reading for students, HCI practitioners, software developers, and product managers.
Thisbook is, quite simply, the best resource on prototyping that you can buy.
Chauncey Wilson, Usability Manager, The MathWorks
Artists sketch before they paint; writers produce outlines and drafts; architects make
drawings and models; aircraft designers take models to their windtunnels-all these
activities are forms of prototyping. Designing and building effective software requires
deep understanding, and this requires effective prototyping, but most software designers
and developers don’t seem to know the full range of available tools, techniques, and
processes. Effective Prototyping is written by steadfast and reliable guides who cover
prototyping techniques in remarkable depth. This book is a thorough guide to
prototyping for both newcomers and the experienced. It will take you step by step
aswellas explain the purpose of each step.
This is the essential handbook of prototyping.
Richard P. Gabriel, author of Innovation Happens Elsewhere
There are many steps in the development of successful software projects, but one major
key is prototyping: rapid, effective methods for testing and refining designs. Effective
prototyping can be remarkably simple, yet provide powerful results without delaying the
project. Indeed, effective prototyping is often the key to faster development. Up to now,
there has been no single source for how it is done. But here, in this comprehensive book,
Jonathan Arnowitz, Michael Arent, and Nevin Berger explain all in this essential guide to
software prototyping.
Everything you ever wanted to know, but had no idea who to ask.
Don Norman, Nielsen Norman Group & Northwestern University, author of
Emotional Design
Anyone involved in design and development of software products, whether for desktop
computers, the web, handheld devices, or any other platform, will want to read Effective
Prototyping for Software Makers. This book provides a persuasive business case for
prototyping as a way to reduce risk and increase the likelihood of customer adoption and
loyalty. It shows how prototypes not only improve product quality, but also support
collaborative work, help build product strategy, and create a shared sense of purpose
among development team members.
The book presents a comprehensive survey of tools and techniques and provides practical,
detailed explanations, with illustrations, of how to plan and build prototypes.
The authors draw on their deep professional experience to recommend appropriate
prototyping techniques for various stages of product development. This important advice
will undoubtedly save many readers from choosing the wrong method at the wrong time.
Whether you are the manager of a development team or a developer or designer working
on a user interface product, this book will expand your appreciation of prototyping and
give you countless ways of doing your work better. Whether you read it cover-to-cover or
just dip in for some just-in-time assistance, this book gives you a practical and theoretical
foundation for making your own effective prototypes.
This is an ideal text for professional software engineers and designers who are new to
prototyping as well as students in engineering, design, and human factors. The concepts
and techniques presented in this volume should be considered part of the foundational
knowledge for anyone in the software development field. I recommend this book to any
software company that wants to improve their capability to build great products.
Jim Faris, The Management Innovation Group LLC
EFFECTIVE PROTOTYPING
FOR SOFTWARE MAKERS
The Morgan Kaufmann Series in Interactive Technologies
Series Editors:
• Stuart Card, PARC
• Jonathan Grudin, Microsoft
• Jakob Nielsen, Nielsen Norman Group
Effective Prototyping for Software Makers Persuasive Technology: Using Computers to Change What We Think
Jonathan Arnowitz, Michael Arent, Nevin Berger and Do
B. J. Fogg
The Persona Lifecycle: Keeping People in Mind Throughout Product
Design Coordinating User Interfaces for Consistency
Jonathan Pruitt and Tamara Adlin Edited by Jakob Nielsen
Cost-Justifying Usability Usability for the Web: Designing Web Sites that Work
Edited by Randolph Bias and Deborah Mayhew Tom Brinck, Darren Gergle, and Scott D.Wood
User Interface Design and Evaluation Usability Engineering: Scenario-Based Development of
Debbie Stone, Caroline Jarrett, Mark Woodroffe, Shailey Minocha Human-Computer Interaction
Mary Beth Rosson and John M. Carroll
Rapid Contextual Design
Karen Holtzblatt, Jessamyn Burns Wendell and Shelley Wood Your Wish is My Command: Programming by Example
Edited by Henry Lieberman
Voice Interaction Design: Crafting the New Conversational Speech
Systems GUI Bloopers: Don’ts and Dos for Software Developers and Web
Randy Allen Harris Designers
Jeff Johnson
Understanding Users: A Practical Guide to User Requirements
Methods, Tools, and Techniques Information Visualization: Perception for Design
Catherine Courage and Kathy Baxter Colin Ware
The Web Application Design Handbook: Best Practices for Robots for Kids: Exploring New Technologies for Learning
Web-Based Software Edited by Allison Druin and James Hendler
Susan Fowler and Victor Stanwick
Information Appliances and Beyond: Interaction Design for
The Mobile Connection: The Cell Phone’s Impact on Society Consumer Products
Richard Ling Edited by Eric Bergman
Information Visualization: Perception for Design, 2ndEdition Readings in Information Visualization: Using Vision to Think
Colin Ware Written and edited by Stuart K. Card, Jock D. Mackinlay, and
Ben Shneiderman
Interaction Design for Complex Problem Solving: Developing Useful
and Usable Software The Design of Children’s Technology
Barbara Mirel Edited by Allison Druin
The Craft of Information Visualization: Readings and Reflections Web Site Usability: A Designer’s Guide
Written and edited by Ben Bederson and Ben Shneiderman Jared M. Spool, Tara Scanlon, Will Schroeder, Carolyn Snyder,
and Terri DeAngelo
HCI Models, Theories, and Frameworks: Towards a Multidisciplinary
Science The Usability Engineering Lifecycle: A Practitioner’s Handbook for
Edited by John M. Carroll User Interface Design
Deborah J. Mayhew
Web Bloopers: 60 Common Web Design Mistakes, and How to
Avoid Them Contextual Design: Defining Customer-Centered Systems
Jeff Johnson Hugh Beyer and Karen Holtzblatt
Observing the User Experience: A Practitioner’s Guide to User Human-Computer Interface Design: Success Stories, Emerging
Research Methods, and Real World Context
Mike Kuniavsky Edited by Marianne Rudisill, Clayton Lewis, Peter P. Polson, and
Timothy D. McKay
Paper Prototyping: The Fast and Easy Way to Design and Refine
User Interfaces
Carolyn Snyder
EFFECTIVE PROTOTYPING
FOR SOFTWARE MAKERS
Jonathan Arnowitz
Michael Arent
Nevin Berger
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© 2007, Michael Arent, Jonathan Arnowitz, and Nevin Berger. Published by Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Arnowitz, Jonathan.
Effective prototyping for software makers/Jonathan Arnowitz, Michael Arent, Nevin Berger. – 1st ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-12-088568-9 (alk. paper)
1. Computer software–Development. I. Arent, Michael. II. Berger, Nevin. III. Title.
QA76.76.D47A762 2006
005.1–dc22
2006019373
ISBN 13: 978-0-12-088568-8
ISBN 10: 0-12-088568-9
For information on all Morgan Kaufmann publications,
visit our Web site at www.mkp.comor www.books.elsevier.com
Printed in Canada.
06 07 08 09 10 5 4 3 2 1
DEDICATIONS
To Morris Arnowitz and in memory of Harriet Welton Arnowitz.
—Jonathan Arnowitz
In memory of Jack and Dodie Arent.
—Michael Arent
In memory of Gene Berger and Sam Norman.
—Nevin Berger
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CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEGEMENTS xxvii
PREFACE xxix
CHAPTER 1 WHY PROTOTYPING? 3
What Is a Prototype? 3
An Historical Perspective of Prototyping 4
Leonardo da Vinci: The Thinking Man’s Inventor 5
Thomas Alva Edison: Inventor Prototyper 6
Henry Dreyfuss: Designer Prototyper 8
The Purpose of Prototyping Software 9
Will the Design Work Properly? 10
Can the Design Be Produced Economically? 11
How Will Users and Other Stakeholders Respond to the Design? 12
Which Approach Can Be Taken to Get From Concept to Product? 14
How Can Prototyping Support Product Design Specification? 15
How Can Prototyping Contribute to Better Product Scheduling
and Budget Planning? 15
Summary 16
References 18
CHAPTER 2 THE EFFECTIVE PROTOTYPING PROCESS 21
Phase I: Plan (Chapters 3–5) 21
Step 1: Verify the Requirements (Chapter 3) 22
Step 2: Create a Task/Screen Flow (Chapter 4) 22
Step 3: Specifying Content and Fidelity (Chapter 5) 22