What Paper is (and Isn't) Good For - Paper Prototyping: The Fast and Easy Way to Define and Refine User Interfaces - page 201

Which Dimensions Matter?

As discussed in Chapter 5 , when planning a usability test, you should always begin by asking what
things you're most interested in learning. Table 12.2 shows some categories of questions (applicable to
most software and Web sites) and which of the four prototyping dimensions are most important in
answering them. Of course, you will have plenty of questions that don't appear in this table, especially if
you are testing a different kind of interface—the strategy here is to think about which dimensions you
need get the answers to your questions.

Table 12.2: Categories of Interface Questions and Paper Prototype Dimensions

Dimensions Needed

Category of
Questions Breadth Depth Look Interaction Examples

ü ü

Concepts and
terminology

Do users
understand the
terms used in
the interface?

Are there
concepts they
gloss over or
misconstrue?

For new
concepts, is the
user able to
figure them out?

Navigation, work
flow, task flow

ü ü

Are users able
to find their way
around?

Will they search,
use links, or
both?

If there's a work
flow or sequence
of steps, does it
match what
users expect?

Do you have the
fields in the
order that users
expect?

Do they have to
keep flipping
back and forth
between
screens?

Does the
interface ask for