Prototyping with UXPin
Paper prototyping has been a popular choice for computer developers since the mid-1990s, thanks to the example of companies like IBM, Honeywell, and Microsoft. Some companies have pushed for digital paper prototyping in recent years, but Todd Zaki Warfel’s 2009 book Prototyping: A Practitioner’s Guide claims that 70 of designers still use paper prototyping.However, there’s nothing to say that the methodology can’t stay traditional while still adapting to the times. That’s the thinking behind UXPin, a new product that comes from “a bunch of guys working in the User Experience field in one of the best E-Commerce companies in Eastern Europe.”The UXPin Portable Kit allows you to draft designs of a user interface by placing adhesive boxes, tabs, buttons, and universal elements (which can be made into lists, menus, and the like) on a hardcover backdrop. The elements can be re-used numerous times, and details can be added by pen or pencil.UXPin has not exactly taken the world by storm, but it does eliminate some of the disadvantages that have been associated with paper prototyping, most notably clarity and speed. UXPin customer Jamie Brooker, co-founder of the British agency We Are Human, said that the product “is most useful in a workshop or meeting situation, when working directly with the clientnot only are our clients excited by the idea of UXPin and rapid paper prototyping, but they also love the fact that UXPin allows them to be directly involved in a process, that if done on a computer in isolation, they would usually be shut out from.”The UXPin costs only 19.99, and shipping will take anywhere from 3-31 days depending on your location. At that price, it seems like it will be easy to replace the product if you find yourself using it so much that it wears out, but won’t be too much of a loss if you find that it doesn’t suit your needs. As with any design issue, it seems best to keep an open mindconsider giving the UXPin a try during your next development process. You may find a whole new dimension to paper prototyping.