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Re: Prototyping interfaces?

Subject: Re: Prototyping interfaces?
From: John Garison <john -at- garisons -dot- com>
To: Ashok Mathur <acmathura26 -at- gmail -dot- com>
Date: Tue, 10 Oct 2006 13:16:49 -0400

Do a web search for "Paper prototyping" ... it's a way to use paper, colored pens, scissors, glue, etc. to mock up and change interfaces VERY quickly and easily. Once you use this methodology to get close to a solution, you can then use a tool to make it more "formal".


My 2¢,

John Garison




Ashok Mathur wrote:

Dear Geoff,
I have now read both your articles.
Thanks for pointing out your valuable thoughts on them.

In fact in past I have used both VBA and Power Point to make prototypes.
I have also used screen shots from other existing software, edited
them in Coral Draw, where the facility to shrink/expand an image
(without distortion/ pixalation) exists and then pasted them in Power
Point Mock ups.

I wonder if you can write a brief note why you gave up working with VBA.

I also found that while Software developers were very happy to see
such prototypes, they would themselves never make any of them.
One reason could be that these could not be extended further and
represented wasted effort.

After writing to the list, I googled for Open Source resources for
such Mock Up Software.
The closet I cam to finding anything was a Java IDE called Eclipse.
Others who know the subject/ that software may be able to say if it
serves the purpose.
Regards
Ashok

On 10/10/06, Geoff Hart <ghart -at- videotron -dot- ca> wrote:
Ashok Mathur wonders: <<I agree with you that creating a mock GUI
before coding the software, would greatly help both the tasks of
creating the software and creating the documentation for it. I have
been looking for a tool that would allow you to create a quick mock
GUI and have not yet found one.>>

A few thoughts on the matter:
http://www.geoff-hart.com/resources/2006/prototype.htm
http://www.geoff-hart.com/resources/2001/prototype.htm

Neither of these is as professional as the interface designer that
comes with a professional API, but you can get surprisingly good
results with both approaches. Best of all, they cost next to nothing
(particularly if you already have the software) and are easy to use.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - --

Geoff Hart ghart -at- videotron -dot- ca

(try geoffhart -at- mac -dot- com if you don't get a reply)

www.geoff-hart.com

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -



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References:
Re: TECHWR-L Digest, Vol 12, Issue 10: From: Ashok Mathur
Prototyping interfaces?: From: Geoff Hart
Re: Prototyping interfaces?: From: Ashok Mathur

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