UIEtips: Exploring the Problem Space Through Prototyping

In today’s UIEtips, I discuss the difference between mockups and prototypes and how the four stages of a prototype helps you understand a design problem. Here’s an excerpt from the article.

A mockup shows us a possible solution. It asks the question, “What do you think of this direction for our design?” Whether the mockup is a sketch or a fully-rendered interactive experience, it’s looking at whether the ideas contained would be a good solution.

Prototypes are different from mockups. They don’t focus on the solution, but on understanding the problem. They ask the question, “What happens when we try this?” Maybe we learn it’s the right idea, but more likely we learn something about the problem we didn’t know before.

Read the full article, Exploring the Problem Space Through Prototyping

Learn to prototype in HTML and CSS
Excite your team and clients by demonstrating your ideas through interactive designs. At Nathan Curtis’s daylong workshop at the User Interface 17 Conference in Boston, November 7, he’ll show you sketching techniques and HTML and CSS coding tips you can start using today.

What process do you go through with your prototypes? Share your thoughts below.