Paper Prototyping

Overview

Paper Prototyping involves "making a simulated version of your software product using a piece of paper that you move around to mimic real interactions during a user test."

In GLIDR, this experiment focuses on your product. Create an Experiment connecting ideas about usability and features, then during the Run phase, create Evidence - Interview entries for each user who tests your prototype. Finally, analyze findings to update your project accordingly.

In Brief

"Quickly test a solution idea by simulating user-product interactions using paper drawings and cutouts." One person acts as the product user while others simulate the product's behavior using paper mockups of screens or interface elements.

Helps Answer

• What basic form(s) might our solution take?
• Where are there usability issues in our solution concept?
• Is our solution intuitive for our customer to use/navigate?
• Are there other use cases or error conditions we didn't think of?
• What pieces of information do we need to provide to our customers?

Tags

• B2C
• Qualitative

Time Commitment

"Anywhere from a few minutes to several days." More formal usability testing requires advance planning, while generative design work can proceed with minimal preparation.

How To

1. Create simple paper mockups for each screen/interface in the interaction being tested
2. One person or pair plays the customer/end user role
3. Another person or several people simulate the software behavior
4. The customer interacts with the paper prototype as if real, explaining their thinking aloud
5. The "computer" updates the prototype to reflect responses to the customer's actions, typically without talking
6. Observers capture notes; a facilitator encourages thinking aloud
7. Test alternative flows, layouts, and modifications as needed

Interpreting Results

Look for moments where "the customer got stuck, was not able to find what she was looking for, or accidentally went down the wrong path." Identify misleading, confusing, or hard-to-find elements. Investigate missing information causing confusion and explore whether information should be provided differently or needs to be eliminated entirely. Note undefined responses or unintended possible actions. Revisit assumptions about customer motivations and knowledge.

Potential Biases

• Confirmation bias may occur if knowledgeable participants provide excessive hints
• Fine-grained usability issues (placement, size, scrolling, interactions) may be missed; digital tools may be more appropriate
• Customers may withhold feedback if concerned about appearing incompetent
• Experienced users may not reveal issues that less savvy users would encounter

Adapted from The Real Startup Book, edited by Tristan Kromer and published by Kromatic, under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.