I'd like to offer an alternate perspective here (and not just because it's fun to argue with Alan).
At the outset, I should say that here at Cooper, 2 of our current major projects involve the creation of clickable, semi-functional prototypes. (I hate to sound defensive, but in the aftermath of Alan's comments, I also don't want to spend the next five years explaining to people that I actually find prototyping valuable.) To me, "to prototype" is to create some representation of the thing you are designing. Webster's offers a similar definition: "An original model on which something is patterned." In this spirit, whiteboard sketches, blocks of wood, wireframes, foam-core models, pixel-perfect state renderings, clickable demos and functioning proof-of-concept code are all prototypes. So we always always always prototype. The real question then seems to be "how interactive or accurately representative should the prototypes be." It seems like this is what the debate is all about. From the postings I've read, it seems there are several reasons to build a more interactive prototype: - To explore solutions - To evaluate solutions - To communicate solutions It's absolutely true that interactive prototypes can provide a lot to each of these aspects of the design process, AND that it is possible to do each without an interactive prototype (I've seen it happen). It often comes down to a cost/value calculation, and the sweet spot falls somewhere on an continuum. The reason we're building prototypes on two projects right now is explicitly for evaluation and communication. For me as a designer, interactive prototyping is never part of the ideation phase-- it's just not fast and fluid enough. I can get the ideas out in sketches (and I can write code). But it sounds like there are folks here who feel like it is part of their process. Great. (I don't know what everyone is using for rendering, but I have to put a plug in for Fireworks. I feel like the reason some designers resort to interactive prototypes is that their tools don't handle state very well. Between Frames and Pages, Fireworks helps do this quickly and fluidly.) ________________________________________________________________ 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
