Some learning designers rave aboutthe benefits of prototyping. Prototyping can communicate design ideas that wouldbe difficult or impossible to communicate with words alone. It can givestakeholders glimpses into the decisions they are making. It can simply helpthe designer work out ideas early in the design process. Dr. Michael Allen has longrecommended a process of rapid and iterative prototyping to help the designerhone in on successful learning designs. But when I talk with learning designerswho don’t prototype, I typically hear the protest that there’s no time or moneyto add additional tasks to already-tight development cycles.
In Prototyping, Todd Zaki Warfel puts forth a compelling argument forprototyping, including case studies showing how it can dramatically shorten thedevelopment cycle and improve the overall quality of the final product. Andwhile the book is written from the point of view of a software and Web designer,it’s no leap at all to translate these ideas to the point of view of a learningdesigner – particularly one who is venturing off the read-and-click path.
Here are a few of the gems that Warfel unearths:
Audience and Intent
Audience and intent are crucialelements in determining how functional and visually faithful your prototypesshould be. I confess that I’ve gotten caught up in interaction designs and createdprototypes that sought to communicate that interactivity, but which left myaudiences cold because of their sketch-like appearance. In truth, understanding your audience for aprototype is as important as understanding your final audience, the learner.
Though the section on audience isonly part of a chapter, it provides some key insights into how creating aprototype for a fellow developer or designer to communicate an idea isdifferent from creating a prototype for an executive or a client to sell a design.
Sketching, presentation, and critique
Again, while not a large part ofthe book, this section gives us a glimpse into the studio processes that areoften lacking in software design – and learning design, too. Warfel expands thedefinition of sketching to include any medium in which you’re comfortableexpressing ideas … including sketching in code! This helps drive home the ideathat sketching is not about knowing how to draw, but about generating ideas.Presentation and critique is a process straight out of more traditional designstudios, whereby one person presents the strengths of a design and otherscritique it. Sketching, presentation, and critique all take place on extremelyshort timelines – mere minutes for each – and are generally collaborativeprocesses.
While I’ve participated in some of these activities in designing eLearning,I can’t say I’ve done all of them together in this way, and I don’t think it’smuch of a stretch to say they’re not a learning industry norm. I can see where theywould have a lot to offer in terms of promoting creativity and refining ideas.
Tools
Chapters 6-11 of the book take someof the most frequently used and capable tools and methods for prototyping (paper,PowerPoint and Keynote, Visio, Fireworks, Axure RP Pro, and HTML) and stepthrough how to use them, specifically for prototyping. So if you’re not surethat a particular piece of software that you have is up to the task, thesechapters will help you evaluate it. Or if you don’t know where to start withsoftware and you’re daunted by the learning curve of trying new tools andprototyping all at the same time, these chapters will give you a greatshortcut.
Usability testing
In the final chapter, Warfel covershow prototypes can contribute to another software development process that isgaining popularity in learning design: usability testing. While I initially didn’tget the connection between usability testing and prototyping, it quickly madeperfect sense and was a huge eye-opener. People often shove usability testing tothe end of the development process … frankly, at a stage when it’s too late tomake major changes. Testing functional prototypes for usability in the earlystages allows for more major changes – even complete redesigns if they’re needed.And this chapter gives some excellent on-the-ground advice for usabilitytesting, even right down to the habits of a skillful test moderator.
Conclusion
In Prototyping, Warfel writes, “Prototyping is commonplace in otherdesign fields like architecture and industrial design. In fact, it’s not justaccepted, but expected. Why isn’t it as expected in software development?” Iwould argue that in this area, learning design and development share a greatdeal with software design and development. Our industries didn’t grow up in thedesign studio, but learning its processes can be a tremendous benefit.
Bibliographic information
Warfel, ToddZaki. (2011) Prototyping. New York: RosenfeldMedia. 197 pages. ISBN-13: 978-1933820217.
Publisher’s List price: $39.00
Amazon: Paperback $39.00, Kindle $13.20
Barnes & Noble: NOOK $13.20
