The Politics of Paper Prototyping - Paper Prototyping: The Fast and Easy Way to Define and Refine User Interfaces - page 216

Chapter 13: The Politics of Paper Prototyping

Overview

Paper prototyping is not a difficult technique. The real challenge often lies in convincing others to try it.
It isn't too hard for most people to grasp the benefits of testing a design without having to code it first.
But even people who recognize that paper prototyping is useful often have concerns about it. When I
teach classes about paper prototyping, I ask participants to write on index cards all the questions that
they or their colleagues have about the technique. Then we create an affinity diagram using the method
described in Chapter 11 . The results come out looking something like this, in order of importance:

1. Validity. Does paper prototyping find real problems? Does it find the same problems as testing

the real interface?

2. Bias. Does paper prototyping introduce false problems? Does it change users' behavior or

feedback in such a way that we can't trust the results?

3. Professionalism. What will others think of this technique (and us for using it)? Will the

prototype be perceived as sloppy or amateurish?

4. Resources. Do we have time for this? Is there a payoff here, or is this just extra work? Why not

just wait until the real thing is ready?

Some of these fears, especially in regard to validity and professionalism, tend to diminish once people
have additional information. Other issues have more depth to them and merit a closer look. The
material in this chapter provides a framework for discussing these questions with your team. I end this
chapter with some tips for dealing with those who remain skeptical.