21 Feb 2007 0807H

Paper prototyping, by Carolyn Snyder: a review

While sequestered awaiting a flight from Buffalo yesterday at Midway I managed to finish off Paper Prototyping, Carolyn Snyder’s nearly exhaustive guide to the matter. One of the more memorable reviews I read was of someone who dismissed it as teaching him nothing new about paper prototyping, but, for me, therein lies its strength. Paper prototyping is a deceptively simple method for usability testing, but in its simplicity are cached many, many pitfalls, which the author lays bare before you. You’ll probably stumble into them anyway, but, at least when you do so, you’ll remember that “Carolyn Said.” One insight I gained from this is that paper prototypes seem to be the wireframes for usability practitioners who can’t or don’t use graphic tools like Illustrator or other electronic means. So, the methods described here apply to a large degree to other forms, although, again, Carolyn describes what are the benefits and drawbacks to various modalities.

It’s a landmark contribution to UX. Preview it at the accompanying booksite, Paper Prototyping. Read it, live it.

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