A Review of Prototyping Process and Content

Sometimes a team needs an independent, external review of prototypes, and designs, and progress. And sometimes they just need an external voice to talk things over with. What purpose do prototypes serve in your UX and UI design process and are they aligned with strategic goals? Are these prototypes being developed rough, rapid and right?

Experience prototyping and early concept research

Prototyping is often misunderstood as an early development activity, with the goal if de-risking various engineering paths. Often, the most valuable prototypes are experience prototypes that communicate the idea of a concept experience before significant engineering effort has been invested. These experience prototypes serve to enable colleagues, customers and users to better imagine the ideas you are exploring and, thereby, to engage in discussion and idea generation about what exactly they should be.

Designing the UX team experience

Do you have a highly experienced and skilled UX team? And are they changing the user experience for your users and customers as effectively as they might? UX teams almost always suffer from a tension between the need to understand the bigger picture and the urgency of generating collateral and resources for a looming product release – we need to find ways to use that tension creatively and positively, instead of allowing it to create stress and paralysis.