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Paper / Interactive Prototypes

Paper prototyping is the best tool we have to design great user experiences. It allows involvement of users early in the design process. It will tell you how users use your product before you spend any money or development time. It supports iterative design.

How To Create Paper Prototypes

Sketch your user interface designs on multiple pieces of paper. Use whatever materials you like, but paper is ideal because you can throw it away.

Concentrate on the user journey rather than the design.

• Think about the purpose
• Make your prototype pages
• Validate your prototype with yourself and others

Does it work and feel as the design intended?

Paper Prototype Myths

• It looks unprofessional
• I can't draw
• Whiteboarding is just as good
• Users behave differently with a paper
• It's just not real
• I can do that with software
• They are just wireframes
• You can't prototype interactions

Paper prototypes are just as good as high-fidelity prototypes at detecting usability problems.