February 22, 2011
Balsamiq Prototype Assignment
Due: Thursday, March 10th, 2011 at Noon
Objective: In this assignment, you will test your low-fidelity prototype(s) and use the results to inform the design of the first interactive prototype for your final project.
What to do:
- Select the low-fidelity prototype(s) that you would like to start with. The prototype(s) should support walking through at least three of the tasks described in your scenarios.
- Each member of the design team should evaluate the low-fidelity interface with regard to the design heuristics (both Neilsen’s and Norman’s) we have learned in class. These evaluations should be done independently of one another, making sure to take detailed notes of your observations.
- Select one other person to “test” your low-fidelity prototype. Ideally this would be someone from your proposed user group, or at least someone not from the design team (for example, another member of the class).
- Ask the test user to step through at least three of the tasks outlined in your scenarios using the low-fidelity prototype. Utilize the “Think-Aloud” protocol described in class. Once again, take detailed notes of the pilot user’s observations.
- Schedule a design team meeting to integrate your observations and the observations from your initial user study. The output of this should be a set of revisions / suggestions / design directions to be implemented in your first interactive prototype. Make sure to note the source of each of these revisions / suggestions / directions, whether they came from one or several of the heuristic evaluations conducted by the design team members, from your initial user study, or emerged during the brainstorming.
- Design the prototype using Balsamiq Mockups. (This software has a 7-day free license. You can ask the professor for a key if you need it for longer then that.) You are free to use another tool (Powerpoint, Flash, HTML, etc.) if thats easier for you. Once again, the prototype should be sufficient to at least “walk through” three of the tasks that you have included in your final project proposal. Utilizing wizard-of-oz techniques is fine, and recommended when you have not implemented some of the underlying functionality.
- In class on March 10th, be ready for your interactive prototype to be tested. This includes providing enough guidance, documentation and/or supporting material so that the user can understand the intent and operation of the prototype.
What to turn in:
The preferred method of turn-in is a PDF document, including each of the following components. To avoid a late penalty, e-mail a link to your group’s submission to the professor and TA before 12:00 PM (Noon) on Thursday, March 10th:
- Cover sheet including yourself and your partners’ names, and your chosen focus. Note the time, duration and attendance of each brainstorming session. Include a paragraph about what each person contributed to the assignment [1/2 page].
- If your revised and/or developed new lo-fi prototypes, please provide new pictures. These pictures should include enough detail and supporting text so that we can understand how the eventual system is intended to work [2-3 pages].
- The final integrated list of your revisions / suggestions / design directions. Make sure to indicate the original source of each of them, whether they came from one or several of the heuristic evaluations conducted by the design team members, from your initial user study, or emerged during the brainstorming [1-3 pages].
- Provide a link to your Balsamiq prototype. Include directions of how to install and/or run it if it is not done using Balsamiq. Supplement with screen shots if helpful [1-2 pages].
- Describe the tools you used to develop your prototype, how they helped and/or created additional obstacles [1/2 page].
- Be ready with supporting material and your interactive prototype to be tested in class on March 10th.
The total length of your report should be less than 6 pages (not including any revised lo-fi prototype pictures). Brevity, clarity and focus on the goals of the assignment will be rewarded.
Please contact the professor or the class TA if you have any questions with this assignment.