How Much Time Should Be Spent on UI Prototyping?

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How Much Time Should Be Spent on UI Prototyping?

Posted On : Jan-21-2012 | seen (511) times | Article Word Count : 634 |

However, the sheer volume of the website does not mean that more UI prototyping is needed. According to estimates, up to 50% of the development time is spent on the pre-development stage, including concept design and UI prototyping.

In recent years more and more companies resort to prototyping as their first step in the creation of a new product. Similarly, UI prototyping is used in web development. UI prototyping has benefits which are no longer questioned. One question that remains, though, is how much time should be spent on UI prototyping? Is there any golden ratio of UI prototyping to development time? Does longer UI prototyping necessarily mean cheaper and faster development?

UI prototyping and the scope of the project

Undoubtedly, the bigger the project is the more time is required for preparatory steps, like UI prototyping. For a website or application that deals with a lot of information careful planning is particularly important because it is very easy to overwhelm a user or even scare him away with too much information or lack of structure. It is natural to assume that small projects require less time for UI prototyping – think about UI prototyping of a homepage of a one-product web shop – while bigger and more complex projects require more time for UI prototyping. However, the sheer volume of the website does not mean that more UI prototyping is needed. It might be wasteful to prototype every single page of the website. However, prototyping pages that involve important processes like sign-up or purchase, is important. Websites like encyclopaedias with a large volume of information rather than a variety of actions that users can do with it, usually do not require as much UI prototyping.

UI prototyping and the size of the team

The team size is tightly linked with the scope of the project. Elaborate projects involving a variety of processes often require a big team of specialists, like web designers, web developers, information architects, usability specialists and project managers. UI prototyping may take longer because it means coordination between all of the team members. Think how hard it is to reach a consensus between just three people – leave alone a team of five or fifty. It is natural that getting everyone's ideas on board takes time, but that is not a bad thing. Creating a solution that suits every team member, and more importantly the users, means that all aspects of your user interface design are covered, which is what you want to achieve. According to estimates, up to 50% of the development time is spent on the pre-development stage, including concept design and UI prototyping. In complex projects, where re-design and re-development costs would be high, it pays to be more detailed during UI prototyping. UI prototyping not only allows teams to reduce usability flaws, but it also makes the development slimmer by eliminating unnecessary parts.

UI prototyping and innovation

UI prototyping is particularly important when it is about a website's re-design and/or implementing an innovative and creative user interface design. You don't want to lose any of your users; rather you want to enhance your strengths by the new user interface design. This is why it is important that the new user interface design is prototyped and tested before any changes are made. Performing re-design or implementing innovative techniques without UI prototyping and testing is dangerous. You might think it is the best design in the world but users might be of a different opinion.

In conclusion, UI prototyping is a process that can help you plan your project better, avoid usability flaws and make your interface design more user friendly. We often hear statements like, “A good prototype is 50% of your work”. In fact, this statement may be statistically true. Just use common sense in determining the amount of time that you can afford to spend on UI prototyping. After all, a prototype is a prototype, and the actual programming is still yet to be done.

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<h1>How Much Time Should Be Spent on UI Prototyping?</h1> Author: <a href='http://www.articleseen.com/profile_Martin Metz.aspx'>Martin Metz</a> In recent years more and more companies resort to prototyping as their first step in the creation of a new product. Similarly, UI prototyping is used in web development. UI prototyping has benefits which are no longer questioned. One question that remains, though, is how much time should be spent on UI prototyping? Is there any golden ratio of UI prototyping to development time? Does longer UI prototyping necessarily mean cheaper and faster development?

UI prototyping and the scope of the project

Undoubtedly, the bigger the project is the more time is required for preparatory steps, like UI prototyping. For a website or application that deals with a lot of information careful planning is particularly important because it is very easy to overwhelm a user or even scare him away with too much information or lack of structure. It is natural to assume that small projects require less time for UI prototyping – think about UI prototyping of a homepage of a one-product web shop – while bigger and more complex projects require more time for UI prototyping. However, the sheer volume of the website does not mean that more UI prototyping is needed. It might be wasteful to prototype every single page of the website. However, prototyping pages that involve important processes like sign-up or purchase, is important. Websites like encyclopaedias with a large volume of information rather than a variety of actions that users can do with it, usually do not require as much UI prototyping.

UI prototyping and the size of the team

The team size is tightly linked with the scope of the project. Elaborate projects involving a variety of processes often require a big team of specialists, like web designers, web developers, information architects, usability specialists and project managers. UI prototyping may take longer because it means coordination between all of the team members. Think how hard it is to reach a consensus between just three people – leave alone a team of five or fifty. It is natural that getting everyone's ideas on board takes time, but that is not a bad thing. Creating a solution that suits every team member, and more importantly the users, means that all aspects of your user interface design are covered, which is what you want to achieve. According to estimates, up to 50% of the development time is spent on the pre-development stage, including concept design and UI prototyping. In complex projects, where re-design and re-development costs would be high, it pays to be more detailed during UI prototyping. UI prototyping not only allows teams to reduce usability flaws, but it also makes the development slimmer by eliminating unnecessary parts.

UI prototyping and innovation

UI prototyping is particularly important when it is about a website's re-design and/or implementing an innovative and creative user interface design. You don't want to lose any of your users; rather you want to enhance your strengths by the new user interface design. This is why it is important that the new user interface design is prototyped and tested before any changes are made. Performing re-design or implementing innovative techniques without UI prototyping and testing is dangerous. You might think it is the best design in the world but users might be of a different opinion.

In conclusion, UI prototyping is a process that can help you plan your project better, avoid usability flaws and make your interface design more user friendly. We often hear statements like, “A good prototype is 50% of your work”. In fact, this statement may be statistically true. Just use common sense in determining the amount of time that you can afford to spend on UI prototyping. After all, a prototype is a prototype, and the actual programming is still yet to be done.About the Author: Pidoco.com – Interface Design, <a rel="nofollow" href="https://pidoco.com/en/features/wireframes" target="_blank" title="Wireframe, Wireframes">Wireframe</a>, Wireframes, Wireframe Software, Interface Design Software, Online Wireframe Tool, Wireframe Tool, <a rel="nofollow" href="https://pidoco.com/en/" target="_blank" title="UI Prototyping, Interface Prototyping">UI Prototyping</a>, Interface Prototyping, Clickable Wireframes, Usability Testing and Digital Paper Prototyping. User centered design for improved UI Design. Article Source: <a href='http://www.articleseen.com/Article_How-Much-Time-Should-Be-Spent-on-UI-Prototyping_137179.aspx'> http://www.articleseen.com/Article_How Much Time Should Be Spent on UI Prototyping?_137179.aspx</a>

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Pidoco.com – Interface Design, Wireframe, Wireframes, Wireframe Software, Interface Design Software, Online Wireframe Tool, Wireframe Tool, UI Prototyping, Interface Prototyping, Clickable Wireframes, Usability Testing and Digital Paper Prototyping. User centered design for improved UI Design.

Keywords : interface design, wireframes, user interface design, UI design, interface design software, interface design tool, wireframe s,

Category : Computers : Software

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