Effective Prototyping for Software Makers (Interactive Technologies) (Paperback)

~ (Author), Michael Arent (Author), Nevin Berger (Author)
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Editorial Reviews

Review

There are many steps in the development of successful software projects, but one major key is prototyping: rapid, effective methods for testing and refining designs. Effective prototyping can be remarkably simple, yet provide powerful results without delaying the project. Indeed, effective prototyping is often the key to faster development. Up to now, there has been no single source for how it is done. But here, in this comprehensive book, Jonathan Arnowitz, Michael Arent, and Nevin Berger explain all in this essential guide to software prototyping.

Everything you ever wanted to know, but had no idea who to ask.
--Don Norman, Nielsen Norman Group & Northwestern University, Author of Emotional Design

Artists sketch before they paint; writers produce outlines and drafts; architects make drawings and models; aircraft designers take models to their windtunnels-all these activities are forms of prototyping. Designing and building effective software requires deep understanding, and this requires effective prototyping, but most software designers and developers don't seem to know the full range of available tools, techniques, and processes. Effective Prototyping is written by steadfast and reliable guides who cover prototyping techniques in remarkable depth. This book is a thorough guide to prototyping for both newcomers and the experienced. It will take you step by step as well as explain the purpose of each step.

This is the essential handbook of prototyping.
--Richard P. Gabriel, author of Innovation Happens Elsewhere

This is an ideal text for professional software engineers and designers who are new to prototyping as well as students in engineering, design, and human factors. The concepts and techniques presented in this volume should be considered part of the foundational knowledge for anyone in the software development field. I recommend this book to any software company that wants to improve their capability to build great products.
--Jim Faris, The Management Innovation Group LLC

Product Description

Much as we hate to admit it, most prototyping practice lacks a sophisticated understanding of the broad concepts of prototyping-and its strategic position within the development process. Often we overwhelm with a high fidelity prototype that designs us into a corner. Or, we can underwhelm with a prototype with too much ambiguity and flexibility to be of much use in the software development process.

This book will help software makers-developers, designers, and architects-build effective prototypes every time: prototypes that convey enough information about the product at the appropriate time and thus set expectations appropriately.

This practical, informative book will help anyone-whether or not one has artistic talent, access to special tools, or programming ability-to use good prototyping style, methods, and tools to build prototypes and manage for effective prototyping.

Features
* A prototyping process with guidelines, templates, and worksheets;
* Overviews and step-by-step guides for 9 common prototyping techniques;
* An introduction with step-by-step guidelines to a variety of prototyping tools that do not require advanced artistic skills;
* Templates and other resources used in the book available on the Web for reuse;
* Clearly-explained concepts and guidelines;
* Full-color illustrations, and examples from a wide variety of prototyping processes, methods, and tools.

Jonathan Arnowitz is a principal user experience designer at SAP Labs and is the co-editor-in-chief of Interactions Magazine. Most recently Jonathan was a senior user experience designer at Peoplesoft. He is a member of the SIGCHI executive committee, and was a founder of DUX, the first ever joint conference of ACM SIGCHI, ACM SIGGRAPH, AIGA Experience Design Group, and STC.

Michael Arent is the manager of user experience design at SAP Labs, and has previously held positions at Peoplesoft, Inc, Adobe Systems, Inc, Sun Microsystems, and Apple Computer, Inc. He holds several U.S. patents.

Nevin Berger is design director at Ziff Davis Media. Previously he was a senior interaction designer at Oracle Corporation and Peoplesoft, Inc., and has held creative director positions at ZDNet, World Savings, and OFOTO, Inc.

* A prototyping process with guidelines, templates, and worksheets;

* Overviews and step-by-step guides for 9 common prototyping techniques;

* An introduction with step-by-step guidelines to a variety of prototyping tools that do not require advanced artistic skills;

* Templates and other resources used in the book available on the Web for reuse;

* Clearly-explained concepts and guidelines;

* Full-color illustrations, and examples from a wide variety of prototyping processes, methods, and tools.

* www.mkp.com/prototyping

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 624 pages
• Publisher: Morgan Kaufmann; 1 edition (December 26, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0120885689
• ISBN-13: 978-0120885688
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #186,682 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Strongly recommended, August 1, 2007

By	Jim Faris (Santa Cruz, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As a visual interface designer (and a reviewer of this book while in its manuscript stages), and as someone who has worked for fifteen years in software interface design, I recommend this book. The authors are experienced designers themselves, and this book is strong on both theory and practical advice. It can be read through in page order or used as a reference for just-in-time help. The text provides detailed advice about how to select and use appropriate tools for building various kinds of prototypes, how to plan for the full range of prototyping activities, and guidelines for basic visual interface design. As far as I know, there is no other text available covering this range of topics.

The authors also talk about important process issues, and talk about how prototyping is used to learn not only about product features but also about users and markets. They argue that prototypes are a risk-reducing activity, and this business case for prototyping may the best way to promote adoption of more and better prototyping practices.

The text is well organized and does a good job of identifying appropriate techniques for early, mid-term, and late development phases. This won't substitute for actual professional experience, but it will undoubtedly save many readers from choosing the wrong method at the wrong time. The book is a virtual template for best practices in software prototyping.

Another important aspect of the book is the author's attention to the value of prototyping in supporting collaborative work and building a shared sense of purpose and strategy among teams. It's another argument that ought to appeal to management.

This is an ideal text for software engineers and designers who have not done much prototyping as well as students in engineering, design, and human factors. I recommend it to my own clients who are still developing their capability in this area. A basic familiarity with the aspects of prototyping presented in this volume should really be considered a part of the fundamental knowledge base of anyone in the software development field.

3 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Two stars to the publisher, June 23, 2008

By	UI designer "UI designer" (Italy) - See all my reviews

Two stars to the publisher. This book is verbose, as most American books are. It is good of course to clarify concepts and to repeat them in different chapters, but my impression after having read a part of it is that it is definitely too much, as the same concept is repeated three or four times withing two-three pages.
I am sure that this 560 pages book could have been published on 200-250 pages. Not only because the text could have been shorter. Some images are used two or three times in the book even unnecessarily, and some of them provide a little value add to the comprehension. Moreover, a large amount of space is being used for visual maps that represent steps in the process, as if designers were children who need large coloured titles repeated throughout the whole book extensively as signposts.
Quite a good reference to all different prototyping techniques, but as a professional IA and UI designer, I am sure that this stuff is obsolete compared to what one can find on the web.