Using Paper Prototyping to Design Mobile Applications

Dave BrightbillCollege Center for Library Automation

• Established in 1989 to provide automation and support to Florida State College libraries.

• Provides online library management and information services to over 80 libraries at 28 Florida State Colleges.

• Supporting students and faculty at institutions ranging from small rural cities to large urban communities.

Students and Research

Looking at how students conduct research and aligning our mobile interfaces to support that process.

Image: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License – User: Bathsofm.http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Student_in_library.jpg

The Student Research Process

• Pre-search• Research• Incorporate/Create

Photo: London School of Economics and Political Science

Pre-search

• Identify objectives and pick a topic.

• Identify parameters.• Gather

background/big picture

Photo – University of Salford Press Office - Creative Commons 2.0 Generic License

Research

• Identify appropriate sources

• Gather information• Evaluate information

Photo: Tulane University Public Relations – Creative Commons Attirbution 2.0 Generic License

Incorporate/Create

• Understand Information• Use Information• Create Output• Format Output

Photo: German Federal Archive – Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution Share-Alike License

Input From Students

Collected ideas from students during focus groups and user tests.

Photo: CEJISS – Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

Focus Group Themes

• Native iPhone/Droid library apps.• Collaborative networking features.• Dictionary and thesaurus available

everywhere.• Reduced number of clicks to success.• Integration with Blackboard and other CMS’s.• SSO and simplified log-in.

Planning for Mobile Redesign

• Aligned with student research process.• Recognize that students use Google,

Wikipedia and other non-academic resources.• Investigate “push” assistance.• Provide training at the point-of-need.

Paper Prototyping

Creating paper versions of web assets to define, develop and test potential user interfaces.

Photo: Samuel Mann – Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License via Flickr

Paper Prototyping Benefits

• Fast imagineering of potential user interfaces.

• Enables input by less-technical team members.

• Early feedback by potential users.

• Low cost.• Interfaces can be marked

up during user tests and focus groups.

Paper Prototyping Problems

• Limited reality-check.• Low fidelity

representation of the actual user experience.

• At the end of the process, you still have to write code.

Where We Are

• Imagining the future.• Sketching interfaces.• Doing internal

validation.

Next Steps

• Create final release “candidates”.• Internal user tests.• Iterative tests with users.• Refining the interface.• Approval process.• Project chartering for development.

Resources

• Denim – Informal early-stage web design tool -http://dub.washington.edu:2007/denim/

• Snyder, C. (2003). Paper prototyping, the fast and easy way to design and refine user interfaces. Morgan Kaufmann Pub.

• Buxton, B., & Buxton, W. (2007). Sketching user experiences, getting the design right and the right design. Morgan Kaufmann.

Questions