week 9 - By Leng Cheok Kuan

What is a prototype? A prototype is:
-Paper- based outline of a screen / sets of screens
-Electronic 'picture'
-3 dimensional paper / cardboard mockup
-Stack of hyperlinked screen shots

Allows stakeholders to:
- Interact with an envisioned product
-Gain experience in realistic setting
-Explore imagines uses

Prototype aids when discussing ideas with stakeholders, communication device among team members and consists of effective way to test ideas. For example, clarify vague requirements, to do user testing and evaluation and check the design capability.
There are two types of prototype which is low- fidelity and high fidelity.

Low- fidelity Prototyping does not look very much like the final product. For example, uses materials that are very different from the intended final version such as paper, cardboard rather than electronic screen and metal. Besides, it tends to be simple, cheap and quick to produce to support the exploration of alternative designs and ideas. The important during conceptual design and are never intended to be kept and integrated into the final product.They are for exploration only.
Storyboard- consists of a series of sketches showing how a user might progress through a task using the product under development.

Advantages:
-Lower development cost
-Evaluate multiple design concepts
-Useful communication device
-Address screen layout issues
-Useful for identifying market requirement
-Proof-of-concept

Disadvantages:
-Limited error checking
-Poor detailed specification to code to
-Facilitator-driven
-Limited utility after requirement established
-Limited usefulness for usability tests
-Navigational and flow limitation



High Fidelity Prototype means uses material that you expect to be in the final product and produces a prototype that look more like to final outcome. For example, prototype of software system developed in Visual Basic VS paper- based mock-up. There are some issue with high-fidelity prototyping which they take too long to build, reviewers and testers tend to comment on superficial aspects rather than content, developers are reluctant to change something they have crafted for hours

Advantages:
-Complete functionality
-Fully interactive
-User Driven
-Clearly defines navigational scheme
-Use for exploration and test
-Look and feel of final product
-Serves as a living specification
-Marketing and sales tool
Disadvantages:
-More expensive to develop
-Time-consuming to create
-Inefficient for proof-of-concept designs
-Not effective for requirements gathering