On Nov 12, 2007, at 1:21 PM, Andrei Herasimchuk wrote: > Of course you build a number of prototypes that eventually lead to a > prototype that is the final design. And of course along the way you > start lower and get higher fidelity. For software products, there's > absolutely no reason to build towards a final prototype that is > pixel-perfect. > > Again, this is how most other design fields behave. I have no idea > why my position on this is such a controversial topic in this list.
Because your statement that prototypes are pixel-perfect is silly and by your description above, you don't even agree with it. You're saying above that in software there's no reason to build towards a prototype that is pixel-perfect, but you say that they have to be pixel perfect, and if I recall correctly, you're in the business of designing software. So, your views seem to be at odds with themselves. It's not that your view is so controversial, but rather that you're contracting yourself, but refuse to either admit that you are, or admit that prototypes don't need to be pixel-perfect, or that pixel- perfection isn't a necessary requirement. BTW, rendering pixels on a screen doesn't constitute pixel-perfect. Rendering pixels on a screen is just that. Pixel-perfect is pixel- perfect—an exact duplicate in every single way. And prototypes are not an exact duplicate in every single way. They are a simulation of the vision for the final product and should mimic it, but are rarely, if ever, an exact duplicate in every single way—especially in software. Prototypes are meant to communicate the original intent, the concept, the vision of a design or interaction. They're for simulation and communication. They're for working through a design. And as such, they are typically not going to be a pixel-perfect production, but rather a representation of what you're trying to accomplish in the final product. Additionally, it's very common to prototype pieces of the product as you're working your way through the design. Can they be pixel perfect? Absolutely. Are they? Not very often. Think about all the prototypes that have been made over the years in industrial design and architecture. Most of them were not pixel perfect prototypes—especially in architecture, they're scale models. In architecture, they build from drawings. In software, we often build from either drawings, a written documents, prototypes, or a combination. So, we have overlap with other industries and some uniqueness to our own situation. But prototypes it's very easy to see that prototypes do not have to be and rarely are pixel-perfect. Cheers! Todd Zaki Warfel President, Design Researcher Messagefirst | Designing Information. Beautifully. ---------------------------------- Contact Info Voice: (215) 825-7423 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] AIM: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Blog: http://toddwarfel.com ---------------------------------- In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice, they are not. ________________________________________________________________ *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ ________________________________________________________________ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ....... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help
