Concepts and Prototypes

CS584

Concepts (Conceptual Model)

• Pre-prototype.

• Explore how to address some aspect, eg:• The interface metaphor (eg, desktop, ...)

• The paradigm or device (eg, WIMP, wearable, ...)

• The interaction type (eg, instructing, conversing, manipulating/demonstrating, or exploring)

• This is a brainstorming-like tool– Consider several concepts.– There should be some bad ideas!– 1. don’t get too attached to a concept and 2. don’t

spend too much time on any of them.

Concepts

• Examples– Example #1: from Mike Madison’s

homelessness project. (He ultimately scrapped all of them.)

• See next slide.

ConceptMike Madison, Jason De Runa, Jordan Fugate, Sakshi Gupta

Inklings of a Design…

Example #2: In-Class Activity

– Sketch >=3 concepts for a programmable refrigerator to order groceries.

Is concept good?

• Questions to try to decide (#2-6 are for metaphor concepts):1. Does it solve the problem/aspect?

2. How much structure does it provide?

3. How much of it relevant to the problem?

4. Is it easy to represent?

5. Will your audience understand the metaphor?

6. How extensible is the metaphor?

Prototypes

• To flesh out a concept with enough detail– to communicate/understand user experience in

detail.– in this class: for our use to understand user

problems with our ideas.– can also be used to communicate with boss, news

media, etc...

• Lo-fi prototypes ideal for some purposes:– cheap– yet force enough attention to detail.

Higher fi prototypes

• Useful:– When: AFTER get through lower-fi ones first.– Why: Get at details of design (layout, icons,

colors etc)– Example: Wizard of oz: on the computer, but

human fakes in the computer logic.

• Front end finished with widgets polished up, but behavior/data is hard-coded (no back end).– For boss, at trade shows, etc.

Lo-fi prototypes (we will start here)

• Just how lo-fi can one go– The lowest-fi: paper

• At first: sketches.• Later can be more polished.

– Static paper vs. “interactive” paper.– There are tool-supported variants of above

concepts.– Details of each next...

Paper prototypes

• Static paper– For communicating among team.– Usually done as a written use case or a

sketched storyboard or sketched “state machine”.

– Example: (next slide).

Low-fidelity prototype

Paper prototypes (cont.)

• Dynamic (interactive) paper– For evaluating with user at a very low-cost.

Dynamic/interactive paper prototypes (cont.)

• Example:– from ML-interaction experiment.

• (Next slide).

Lo-fi prototype set-up with pens, printouts, table

Tool-supported prototypes

• Low-fi with tool support.– CogTool (fig next slide): tools for sketched

storyboards/states.– Can transition these to nicer, more polished

versions.

CogTool Example

Activity

• Choose one concept you did for the programmable refrigerator.

• Consider one specific user task: – your user wants to always keep stocked with

the ingredients for tacos.

• Sketch a static prototype storyboard/states of your programming tool: – that shows how your user will accomplish that

task in your tool.