

Ask HN: Recommended tools/processes for UX prototyping? - capelio

Long time lurker, first time poster.<p>I'm prototyping the user experience for a web app project, iterating with users twice a week. I've been testing different approaches (modals vs new pages, edit buttons vs hover effects, etc) by putting users in the driver's seat, observing their reactions and gathering their feedback. So far, I've been using jQuery, Backbone.js and Express to test different workflows and UI elements, as well as provide a simple data persistence layer. In my quest to rapidly prototype a solution against real world extractions, however, my gut tells me there ought to be a better way.<p>For those that have a spare moment, I'd love to hear how others in the HN community approach the same goals. Specifically, what tools and processes have you found to be effective in prototyping a quality user experience?
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arkitaip
it depends on where you are in the dev process. If you find yourself in the
early stages, paper prototyping is very powerful, easy and dirt cheap. By
keeping it as simple as possible, you don't get so emotionally invested in
your designs and you signal to your users that major changes are perfectly ok
(with hi-fi prototyping users often make fewer and smaller change requests).
There's a method to it but it's as lightweight as you'd imagine. Carolyn
Snyder has written THE book on paper prototyping
<http://www.paperprototyping.com/>

I mostly use Balsamiq Mockups. It's a lo-fi prototyping tool (software based)
but it makes prototyping much faster. Prototypes, or mockups as they are
called, are actually rendered as hand drawn sketches so you don't bother with
pixel perfection. It's actually quite fun to use and becomes somewhat
addictive. One drawback is that prototyping GUI changes and interactivity is
difficult. <http://balsamiq.com/products/mockups>

I've also used Pencil, a prototyping plugin for firefox. It's not as polished
as the other Balsamiq Mockups but it's free and covers the basics.
<http://pencil.evolus.vn/en-US/Home.aspx>

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garry
Omnigraffle is phenomenal as well. I believe in using some level of fidelity
in mockups. Omnigraffle gives you all the tools to quickly line up elements
and try on layouts / copy really fast. It's the essential tool in my app bar
that helps me handle helping 60+ startups with design simultaneously.

