Chapter 7 - Digital Interactive Prototypes

Abstract

This chapter discusses using digital interactive prototypes and how to go about creating them. A digital interactive prototype is an interactive wireframe that is quickly created and iterated using low-tech tools such as Excel, PowerPoint, or Visio. This chapter does not cover the form of digital interactive prototype that is coded or scripted and fully interactive, such as those created in Director and Flash. Digital interactive prototypes share a good deal in common with paper prototypes in that they can be very rapidly generated, allowing them to be used early in the software creation process. Like paper prototypes, interactive prototypes can be employed for early formative usability testing and stakeholder evaluations. Unlike paper prototypes, these interactive prototypes can range from a series of low-fidelity click-through screens for quick visualization of a design concept to a high-fidelity interactive prototype. Paper prototypes, in contrast, are generally lower fidelity.