Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
These efforts led me through a similar process to the one I'd followed with First Rate.
Though the products had almost no relationship to one another, the basic design-and-test-
ing sequences were about the same. The primary difference with Act It! was the branding.
Rather than shaping my work to an existing brand, here I was creating it. Thinking about
usability, flow and similar issues is one thing; defining the brand is another. As I noted in
an earlier chapter, the brand is the driver for everything else: tone, voice, interaction—all of
it. Interaction speaks as much as text. As a unique form of communication, their influence
extends to the aesthetics of product and brand. Interaction is the product's way of talking
back to the user. Those responses require the right language, and that language must be
consistent with all that the brand conveys.
Experiences like these have taught me the value of creating physical and visual rendi-
tions throughout the design process. The sketches and prototypes allow the designer to see
what he or she is creating. They encourage users to test the product in ways that reveal pain
points that could cause misery, but also high points that bring delight. When clients see
how much time is saved, and how this form of testing creates a better product, they come
to appreciate the method, and are more willing to pay. As Warfel writes in
A Practioner's
Guide
: “Prototypes go beyond the power of show and tell—they let you experience the
design.”
