Planning a Usability Study with a Paper Prototype - Paper Prototyping: The Fast and Easy Way to Define and Refine User Interfaces - page 81

need, and you really want to get those insights before development is in full swing. The ideas that
come from nontechnical people aren't always useful or workable, but the paper prototype will sort
the wheat from the chaff. Be open to prototyping something even if you're not sure how to make it
work—maybe you'll be able to use the idea in another form if it works well for users.
If you're not technical, remember that interface design is a skill as well as an art. You have a lot to
contribute, but not all of your ideas will be practical within the constraints of your development
process. Sometimes you'll have to defer to the techie types when they say, "The architecture
doesn't support it" or "That goes against our style guide." But don't be afraid to pick up a pen and
scribble a screen if inspiration strikes.
It's important to have at least one person on the core team who has the technical perspective—knows
the system architecture, the limits of the technology, what is easy, and what is hard. This will prevent
the team from developing a prototype that is impossible to implement. This person(s) should have the
final word on whether and how something is included in the prototype.
The Rest of the Team
Paper prototyping is a multidisciplinary activity and should include people in addition to those who are
directly responsible for the interface design/development. In particular, seek out those who have direct
contact with users: sales, marketing, tech support, trainers. These people often have valuable insights
about what users want and what confuses them. So do writers and QA/QE/test engineers because
they are often among the first people to use the interface, albeit in a lab setting.
A Note about the Graphic Designer
If there's a graphic/visual designer assigned to the project, it's great to have that person involved,
possibly as part of the core team. But the rest of the team shouldn't be intimidated by the presence of
someone whose doodles could be framed and sold as art. When a team member has artistic ability,
others may be tempted to let that person do all the prototyping work "because it will look nicer." Remind
everyone that it's fine if the prototype looks like it was drawn by a 10-year-old because the point is not
to spend time making things look pretty when you'll want to change them tomorrow anyway. The
graphic designer shouldn't have to do more of the work than anyone else.
[ 1 ] There are two types of people in the world: those who believe you can divide the world into two types
of people and those who don't.