Glossaries
Paper Prototyping
What is Paper Prototyping?
Paper prototyping is a low-fidelity design technique used in user research and user experience design where designers create rough, hand-drawn sketches of user interfaces on paper to quickly test and iterate on design ideas with users.
Synonyms: Low-fidelity prototyping, Sketch prototyping, Hand-drawn UI mockups, Quick prototyping
Why Paper Prototyping is Important
Paper prototyping is a crucial tool in the early stages of user research and design. It allows designers to quickly visualize and test ideas without investing time and resources into digital prototypes. This method encourages creativity, facilitates rapid iteration, and helps identify usability issues early in the design process.
How Paper Prototyping is Used
Designers use paper prototyping to create simple, interactive mockups of user interfaces. These prototypes are then presented to users who can "interact" with them while researchers observe and gather feedback. The process typically involves:
- Sketching UI elements on paper
- Creating movable pieces for interactive components
- Simulating user interactions by manually manipulating the paper elements
- Collecting user feedback and observations
Examples of Paper Prototyping
Paper prototyping can be applied to various digital products:
- Mobile app interfaces: Sketching screens on paper to represent different app views
- Website layouts: Creating paper versions of web pages to test navigation and content placement
- Software interfaces: Mocking up complex dashboards or control panels on paper to evaluate user understanding
Frequently Asked Questions
- What are the benefits of paper prototyping?: Paper prototyping is cost-effective, encourages creativity, allows for quick iterations, and helps identify usability issues early in the design process.
- When should paper prototyping be used?: It's most effective in the early stages of design, during ideation and concept development, before investing in higher-fidelity digital prototypes.
- Can paper prototyping replace digital prototyping?: While paper prototyping is valuable, it complements rather than replaces digital prototyping. It's often used as a precursor to more refined digital prototypes.
- How do users interact with paper prototypes?: Users "interact" by pointing or touching paper elements, while a facilitator manually changes the prototype to simulate the interface's response.