3 reasons to use paper-prototyping in your UX research
Paper-prototyping is a technique many are familiar with, but few get the chance to use. I first tried this technique in a training course 8 years ago and only recently did I get to use it in the real world.
Why has it taken me so long to use this method?
Apart from a 2 year global pandemic severely restricting in-person research, digital prototyping tools are everywhere. They make our lives easy and they’re perfect if you want to quickly visualise an idea and get feedback on it. It’s so easy to create realistic and interactive prototypes that a lot of UX designers will overlook the earlier, more primitive stage of prototyping and go straight into creating something that resembles a clean, finished product.
Why use paper-prototyping in your user research?
1. Anyone can do it (you don’t need to be Michelangelo)
If you’ve ever looked up paper-prototyping online, the chances are you’ll have seen photos of beautifully illustrated and detailed screens or even functioning sliding elements which have been painstakingly crafted. This really isn’t necessary in the beginning unless you’re testing visual concepts or refining existing designs. Once the participant understands you’re still in the early stages and are exploring some basic visual ideas, they won’t be paying much attention to your drawing of craft skills. If you want to improve the legibility of your prototype, try using gridded paper to keep your drawing straight and use conventional UI design patterns for common elements such as input fields and buttons to aid recognition and improve usability.
https://www.sitepoint.com/how-to-make-paper-prototypes/
https://gfycat.com/gargantuansofthornet
Physically putting pen to paper can be daunting. Good user interfaces are made up of neatly arranged elements and straight lines. As someone who can barely write in a straight line or read my own handwriting, the prospect of making something meaningful and readable for someone else felt like a big undertaking, but it’s not as hard as you think.
2. You already have everything you need to get started
Early stage prototyping should be low-fidelity and experimental by nature. It’s about keeping an open mind and using materials that can easily be changed on the fly. Working with materials like paper or card means you can cut, stick and rearrange things easily and with greater freedom than you would if you were using a conventional prototype.
Just because you’re working with paper doesn’t mean you have to sketch the whole thing by hand, or even sketch anything for that matter. You could print off a predesigned set of UI components or use a tool like Balsamiq to put together some wireframes. If you already have some existing screens then use them - even if it’s just the parts which are unlikely to change (such as the header or navigation).
3. It’s a quick way to test (and identify) new functionality
Digital prototypes which have been designed with prototyping tools are more visually advanced and polished. They already look like the real thing and that’s exactly how your test participants will perceive and use them.
If you’re already on this path, you may already have passed the window of innovation. That simple act of framing your interface in a digital browser window has already added narrowed perception for how you and your participants will approach the test. The design will feel fixed and you’ll be less likely to make any drastic changes. However, it’s never too late to change things around. You could print off existing screens as a basis and use sticky notes, pens and scissors to adapt your designs accordingly.
By switching the focus from a screen-based prototype to a desk-based paper-prototype, you’ll find you’re less constrained and by inviting creativity into the session, you’ll be more open to changing things around. This approach will open up more possibilities for you and your participants, whether it’s identifying existing issues and workarounds or solving unmet needs with new or improved functionality. Another benefit of this is the sheer speed at which you can work. You can identify issues, quickly change the design (to solve those issues) and then validate the design in a single sitting.
Summary
There’s really no point spending hours crafting something beautiful which you might discard or cut to pieces. See all those wonderfully constructed cardboard models of mobile phones with a piece of paper sliding through the middle showing a sequence of screens? Well, I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that while these kinds of prototypes look great, they probably don’t perform that great when it comes to testing due to their complexity and inflexibility. Plus, the last thing you want to do is make participants feel intimidated by your fancy design skills as this could affect their confidence and own creativity levels. Keep it simple and low-fi!
You can do paper-prototyping at any stage and I’d recommend giving it a try as soon as possible. It will add another layer of depth and perspective to your research and hopefully, improve your product as a result of valuable user input.
