HUMAN COMPUTER INTERACTION: ASSIGNMENT 5 1. What is prototyping?

Answer Prototyping is a way of testing ideas and concepts for new products and services . A prototype is a small scale mock-up of a product, or a test run of a service, created to explore its viability as part of a research and development process. 2. Is prototyping a necessary design tool? Answer The main purpose of prototyping is to involve the users in testing design ideas and get their feedback in the early stage of development, thus to reduce the tim e and cost. It provides an efficient and effective way to refine and optimise in terfaces through discussion, exploration, testing and iterative revision. Early evaluation can be based on faster and cheaper prototypes before the start of a f ull-scale implementation. The prototypes can be changed many times until a bette r understanding of the user interface design has been achieved with the joint ef forts of both the designers and the users. Evaluating and Testing the Design - By creating a prototype it is possible to si t down with a real version of the product and determine which aspects are worthw hile and which parts need to be revised, changed, or discarded. In the process, it may be possible to find glaring omissions that, on paper, weren't noticeable. Additionally, creating a prototype will allow the design team to not only evalua te, but also test the product before going into full production. Clarifying Production Costs and Issues- Once production begins, it is costly and time consuming to change something. By prototyping before production begins, it is possible to take a glimpse at the production process and see if any steps ca n be changed, combined, or even removed, therefore not only streamlining product ion, but keeping costs of the actual production to a minimum. Subsequently, if t here are any difficulties in production or perhaps processes that can create pro blems for the final product, it is much better to see these before production st arts. Improved and increased user involvement- Prototyping requires user involvement a nd allows them to see and interact with a prototype allowing them to provide bet ter and more complete feedback and specifications. The presence of the prototype being examined by the user prevents many misunderstandings and miscommunication s that occur when each side believe the other understands what they said. Since users know the problem domain better than anyone on the development team does, i ncreased interaction can result in final product that has greater tangible and i ntangible quality. The final product is more likely to satisfy the users desire for look, feel and performance. 3. a) b) c) Describe, compare and give advantages and disadvantages of Throwaway Prototyping Cornerstone Prototyping Evolutionary Prototyping

Answer a) In 'throw-away' prototyping a small part of the system is developed and then given to the end user to try out and evaluate. The user provides feedback which can quickly be incorporated into the development of the main system. The prototy pe is then discarded or thrown away. The objective of throw-away prototyping is to ensure that the system requirement s are validated and that they are clearly understood. The throw-away prototype is not considered part of the final system. It is simpl y there to aid understanding and reduce the risk of poorly defined requirements. The full system is being developed alongside the prototypes and incorporates th e changes needed. The advantage of this approach is the speed with which the prototype is put toge

ther. It also focuses the user on only one aspect of the system so keeping their feed back precise. One disadvantage with throw-away prototyping is that developers may be pressuris ed by the users to deliver it as a final system! Another issue is that all the m an-hours of putting together the throw away prototypes are lost unlike the evolu tionary approach. The prototype is only for a limited purpose. b) Cornerstone Prototyping c) Evolutionary Prototyping - The idea behind this is that an initial prototype is presented to the user. They provide feedback and suggestions for improvements . These are auctioned by the developer who then presents a more refined prototyp e. The user once more provides feedback. The process is repeated. The objective of evolutionary prototyping is to deliver a working system to end-users. So at each stage the prototype 'evolves' towards the final system. Hence the ter m 'evolutionary prototyping'. The advantages of evolutionary prototyping are: The delivery of the system is speeded up The user engages with the system The system is more likely to meet the user requirements A problem with evolutionary prototyping is knowing when it is necessary to stop tweaking the system and actually finish the development. Another disadvantage is that Information can be lost through so many improvement changes to the prototy pe.