Comments on: Paired HTML Prototyping

By: Bryan Kearney

Bryan Kearney — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 01:33:28 +0000

Couldn’t agree with you more! Glad your on the HTML prototyping train. One often overlooked but great benefit from using HTML in prototyping is that it will “push back”, keeping someone from making unrealistic choices. Can’t wait to see what you guys have up your sleeve, HTML prototype + Unify maybe?

By: Nathan Curtis

Nathan Curtis — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 12:11:26 +0000

EightShapes uses many tools to prototype user experiences: sketches/paper, PDF wireframes (linked together), iRise (not so often and not preferred in our work), Axure, Flash Catalyst, and recently predominantly directly in HTML. We’re finding that working directly in the medium of the final product is giving us a direct connection to the development process, validating (and exploring) the design solution earlier and often and with more conscientiousness, and is being received far more warmly and engagingly by our clients.

We’ve found that other prototyping tools that simulate the experience (iRise, Axure, and Flash Catalyst) but aren’t REALLY HTML distance us from reality, end up being tedious to maintain (push that pixel!), and tend to “break the wall” in people’s perception of a real, in browser experience. That’s not to say those tools aren’t valuable – they are, and we will use them if the fit of project needs, designer skill, and software capability mix well. But most of us are on the HTML prototyping train at this point.

By: Steve

Steve — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 22:53:41 +0000

Curious about the choice of using HTML over other prototyping software like Axure or Balsamiq?

By: Johan Strandell

Johan Strandell — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 15:12:55 +0000

Any chance of getting a peek at the prototype? Even just static images would be nice.

By: Mike Britton

Mike Britton — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 23:35:35 +0000

Congrats on a rewarding collaborative session. This prepares you for so much more than presenting to the client. The benefits will manifest as the prototype gets signoff in the areas you defined.

By: Mark Eberman

Mark Eberman — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 18:27:15 +0000

“…started the morning with nothing…”

and then

“…prepped beforehand by identifying page layouts and obtaining real content (copy, links, visualizations, and more)…”

and finally

“…started from a library of existing CSS and what amounted to header and a somewhat obese footer to include…”

I think the idea is interesting and the exercise informative, but honestly I’d like to hope that you’d be able to build a 10 page prototype in 8 man hours with a head start like that.

I would think that the real fruits of a collaboration like this would be what you note in the penultimate paragraph–and I think what sparks that nice exchange of techniques and brainstorming is that because you’re working on the same project you have the same points of reference and vocabulary. It’s crucial to have that shared frame of reference, and this is a very cool way to get that.