This week, the focus is on ‘rapid ideation’ which is a term used to describe the generating of new ideas, processes of prototyping and the communication of these ideas.
There are myriad of rapid prototyping processes and tools that can be used to take an idea and turn into something more interactive. After looking through this week’s recommended reading, I’ve decided to try the following methods for this week’s challenge:
Sketches and Diagrams
There are several reasons I’ve chosen this method, primarily it fits very well with my choice of artefact* for this week’s challenge – within the way it would have originally been designed and prototyped.
Sketching also allows for thoughts to become quick illustrations that can be further elaborated and discussed with colleagues to develop further. Diagrams are also useful to illustrate system flow and processes – such as menu interfaces, in-game puzzles and dialogue trees
Furthermore, as I always carry a notebook with me, it’s valuable because I can sketch out ideas and concepts on my daily commute!
Paper prototyping
Paper prototyping is a fast and cheap technique for working on creative solutions to problems, it can allow you to spot potential flaws and find solutions early in the creative cycle.
According to Neilson ‘The benefits from early user research are so vastly superior that you should definitely use paper prototyping, even if you don't think the prototype will be as good as testing a fully developed design. If you simply try it, you'll be surprised at the amount of insight a "primitive" prototype can offer.’
I have used the paper prototyping method with my students to help them work out complex switch and teleporting gameplay mechanics when designing levels using Unreal. This encouraged them work out the gameplay flow and fine tune the puzzle elements of their level before progressing too far into the design process.
And possibly storyboarding
Storyboarding is a way of visualising from the user’s point of view and generally shows the complete experience or the most ideal user situations and outcomes. When using storyboards, it’s expected that you understand your users and context of scene being designed. Storyboards are best used in the initial ideation process, as they allow for higher levels of discussion and creativity.
* An 8-bit gem from my childhood!
References:
Nielsen, J. (2003) ‘Paper Prototyping: Getting User Data Before You Code’ [online], Nielsen Norman Group, 13 April. Available at: https://www.nngroup.com/articles/paper-prototyping/ [accessed 06 October 2020]
Krause, R. (2018) ‘Storyboards Help Visualize UX Ideas’ [online], Nielsen Norman Group, 15 July. Available at: https://www.nngroup.com/articles/storyboards-visualize-ideas/ [accessed 06 October 2020]
DAM, Rikke Friis. 2020. 'Prototyping: Learn Eight Common Methods and Best Practices'. Available at: https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/prototyping-learn-eight-common-methods-and-best-practices [accessed 06 October 2020]
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