UX Prototyping Services | UX Consulting

Proof of Concepts and Prototypes in Product Design We are seeing an increased need for new products and services rapidly emerge as we come out of lockdown. For startups or established organizations, it's important to understand the differences between a Proof of Concept (PoC) and a prototype. And also, where and how they can add value in the product design process. The lines are often blurred between PoCs and prototypes. With organizations looking to jump straight into prototyping or using a prototype for PoC purposes. Either way, it's important to understand the values of both of them as separate tools. It is because so that when rolling out the products quickly, their effectiveness isn't lost. There are reputed prototype design services for getting assistance related to PoC and Prototype. Now, let's understand the concept of “Proof of Concept” and “Prototype” one by one. Let's begin. Proof of Concept A proof of concept (POC) is also sometimes called “proof of principle”. It is an exercise that focuses on determining whether an idea can be turned into a reality. The proof of concept approach aims to determine the feasibility of the idea or to verify that the idea will function as envisioned.Generally, it requires some investment of time and resources to develop a proof of concept. The resources may include physical components or supporting technologies. The processes involved in PoC enable businesses to determine an idea's viability, before putting production-level resources behind an untested idea. Also, Read | Choosing The Ideal Prototype For Your Digital Business The value of proof of concept The proof of concept development assists product owners to identify potential technical and logistical issues that might interfere in the process. It offers organizations to solicit internal feedback about a promising product or service. It reduces the unnecessary risk and exposure and gives stakeholders the opportunity to assess design choices early in the development cycle. Finally, the individual or team going through this process can then use a successful proof of concept. With a successful proof of concept, they can convince stakeholders, managers, or investors that the idea is worth pursuing further. Steps to write a Proof of Concept A PoC plan could address how the proposed product or service will support organizational goals, objectives, or other business requirements. But that step is not the primary objective of the PoC. The proof-of-concept process should include: Clearly defined criteria for success; Documentation to show how the PoC will be carried out; An evaluation component; and A proposal for showing how to move forward with the PoC that guarantees success. It is important to develop such a plan. It is because it will determine how an envisioned product or service will ultimately be delivered to users with the fewest number of flaws. You might also be interested in reading -Effective Ways To A Perfect Product Design Strategy Reasons to Invest in Proof of Concepts The key reasons toInvest in Proof of Concepts are to: Test the feasibility Better understand the risks involved Demonstrate the idea The PoC is usually one of the first tasks we undertake as part of the design process. It enables us to answer any unknowns, understand potential blockers and get buy-in before investing in any further design or testing. Prototype Image source: Google image We can describe a prototype as a model of product design that focuses on answering the “how” questions such as: how will an application look?how will it be made, how will the users interact with it?A prototype answers these questions through wireframes, user flows, and mockups. With prototypes, a prototype design agency assists the founders and stakeholders who invested in a project to see a more detailed version of a product. It shows more details compared to the bare-bones one provided by a POC. Related Effective Ways Of Building A Website Prototype Developing a prototype is a collective effort. It relies heavily on team communication. While designing a prototype, engineers, designers, and stakeholders should all participate. The founder must convey the product design idea in a way that facilitates the introduction of all crucial elements into the prototype. When the product goes into development, it'll be easier to accurately reflect the original assumption. Crafting a prototype also assists the founders to refine the idea behind their product. The more visual the prototype, the easier it is to introduce important changes and dismiss redundant elements. Detailed stakeholder feedback also comes in handy at this stage of development. A prototype can have many forms: Hand-drawn Interactive (low-fidelity) Interactive (high-fidelity) Choosing the form appropriate for your project essentially boils down to what exactly we have to test and showcase. Different forms of a prototype offer a different level of graphical resemblance to the final product. Some forms may also include some rudimentary functionalities. The prototype is an early version of the potential product and therefore requires more investment to get to than a PoC. Reasons for Building prototypes The key reasons for building prototypes are to: Test usability early on in the design phase Further demonstrate the product Gauge demand or generate awareness of the product further. A UI UX design company uses a prototype once the brainstorming part has been completed; we know the problems we are trying to solve and have a view on the solution - this is about testing that view. Proof of Concept vs. Prototype Although people often use the terms “proof of concept” and “prototype” interchangeably, they are different processes. They are meant to produce different results and serve different purposes. Where a proof of concept is intended to determine whether an idea can be turned into a reality, a prototype is meant to turn that idea into a slimmed-down version of the end product that can be tested and evaluated for usability, functionality, and design. A prototype is not expected to have all the features and functions of a market-ready product, nor is it expected to contain all the usability or aesthetics of a final product. It gives stakeholders, such as project managers and executives, as well as potential investors, a draft of what the final product might be. Conclusion Products that are innovative usually have to go all the way, from a PoC to a prototype. This approach lets us check a product design idea thoroughly before committing significant funds to a full-fledged development process. Contact Oodles UX consulting agency for assistance in developing your ideas or reacting to change.

Area Of Work: Prototyping

Ashutosh Chandra

12 Aug 2020

Prototyping Business Models to Drive Innovation Products often fail at gradual stages and for multiple reasons. The motto of failing fast and succeeding sooner has become popular across industries. It's because we understand that some failures are just part of the process of learning.To minimize the risk and fail faster to succeed sooner, our UX consulting agency conduct a thorough user research. It ensures that we're developing products that address the problems of the user that we need to solve. We develop prototypes to test the solutions and use many other tools and techniques. We do it in many different ways, starting with lo-fi paper prototypes, testing them, iterating, and creating more lifelike prototypes until we reach our MVP (Minimum Viable Product). Finally, we build a business model around the product and release it to the market. Also, Read | Choosing The Ideal Prototype For Your Digital Business Business Model Canvas It's fair to say that the Business Model Canvas has become a key tool for many people. Most businesses shift their focus into delivering products rather than projects. But it has the ability to change the way most businesses work. Business model canvas is an amazing tool to communicate around and to quickly mock-up a business model. The business model synthesizes into one page, the main aspects that constitute a business model, removing many of the barriers to starting to build and discuss business models that existed before.But it is more than that. It's a great tool to support ideation. When the time for ideation comes using the business model and powerful questions, magic happens. It is when we combine them with the Ten Types of Innovation. Related Unlocking New Business Opportunities With Innovation By Design The Ten Types of Innovation It is the result of research that analyzed how successful companies innovated and which aspects made them successful. Through that research, we found that companies were creating a competitive advantage through 10 different ways. According to the Ten Types theory, there are basically 10 different areas where a company can act, to innovate, with each area being composed of dozens of different tactics. One other thing that was found was, that the companies that innovated in more than one area, were more successful than companies that only innovated around one area. Examples of innovations in each of the 10 types of innovation Profit Model – Strategies for creating wealth. Network – Connections with others to create value. Structure – Lining up of your talent and assets Process – Signature or superior ways for finishing your work. Product Performance – Distinguishing features and functionality. Product System – Complementary products and services. Service – Assistance and enhancements that surround your offerings Channel – How your offerings are delivered to customers and users. Brand – Representation of your offerings and business. Customer Engagement – Fostering distinctive interactions. Combining the Business Model Canvas and the Ten Types of Innovation What we see, when we overlap the two models, is a close to perfect match between the Business Model Canvas and the Ten Types of Innovation, as presented in the drawing below.Combining the two offers a lot of potential uses. From quickly developing business models, uncovering alternatives to the current business approaches, or a brainstorming and ideation tool. But more importantly, what it shows us is that innovation and successful products should be viewed more broadly than they are, traditionally. Innovation happens all across the business model. We should approach all components of the business model as part of the actual product or service. Prototyping business models and driving innovation When we remove the status quo, we are forced to think about different ways to serve our customers and to innovate.We can use these questions to get familiar with prototyping business models. Also, to familiarize yourself with using both tools, begin using them to challenge your developed business models for your products, existing and new. Don't just build one! How many business models can you prototype and in how many different ways can you make it work?As with most things, it's not until you put it to test with real customers that you will know what actually works. It is not always possible to test business models in the market but, if you can, make sure you spend some time thinking about how you would test your different business model prototypes. Conclusion It is better to test the entire business models whenever possible than testing products or services. The channels, revenue model, or the potential partnerships are as important as the product that your team developed for solving the problem. Contact Oodles prototype design services for assistance related to prototypes. Image source: Google images

Area Of Work: Prototyping

Ashutosh Chandra

28 Jul 2020

Prototyping and Wireframing in Ecommerce Usability Testing Usability testing in ecommerce is a crucial part of optimization. UX and UI design in ecommerce is fundamentally about building storefronts and customer journeys that offer customers exactly what they want. It also maximizes the ecommerce conversion rate and average customer lifetime value. One in three customers discontinues their purchase because they can't find the right information highlights. This leads to a high ecommerce bounce rate. So it's important to use wireframes and prototypes in the right way. At Oodles Prototype Designing Services, both prototypes and wireframes play critical roles in the UX design process, especially when it comes to optimization. But most of the clients misunderstand the roles these tools play. This misunderstanding results in wastage of time and resources and less than optimal changes to their site designs. In this post, we will know exactly what are prototypes and wireframes, and how to use them in usability testing. So let's begin. What Is Prototyping In UX and UI design, a prototype represents all the suggested changes to a website. A prototype is like an almost completed version of the finished product. A programmer, when looking at a prototype, gets all the information they need to make a finished or near-finished site design. Prototypes have a number of benefits. Particularly, they are useful for collaboration between designers and clients – for approval, brainstorming ideas, and evaluating possibilities. Also, Read | A Complete Prototype Design Guide For Perfect UX Designs What Is Wireframing There is a lot in common between wireframes and prototypes. Generally, wireframes are less-developed versions of prototypes and serve slightly different functions. A wireframe is just like an outline of a design. But it still contains the main ideas. In the prototype, these ideas are fully fleshed out. In particular, wireframes can be useful for mapping changes to the customer journey, as opposed to a specific interface like a product page. Wireframes can also be used for developing and showing new stages. For example, reducing the number of steps involved during checkout. Wireframes are more useful than prototypes in the brainstorming stage of collaboration. They take less time to represent an idea than a full prototype. Related High-Fidelity Wireframes For Smart UX What is Usability Testing Usability testing is all about testing how easy design is to use on a group of representative users. It usually involves observing users as they attempt to finish tasks. We can perform usability testing on different types of designs, from user interfaces to physical products. It is often conducted repeatedly, from early development until a product is released. The important benefit and purpose of usability testing are to identify usability problems with a design as early as possible. It is so because developers can then fix the problems before implementing the design. Usability testing is usually conducted on prototypes rather than finished products. The testing is conducted with different levels of fidelity (i.e., detail and finish) depending on the development phase. Prototypes are a more primitive, low-fidelity version (e.g., paper sketches) during early development. Then they take the form of more detailed, high-fidelity versions (e.g., interactive digital mock-ups) closer to release. Related How To Perform Usability Testing – An Overview Best Tools for UX Prototyping in Ecommerce Apps are fundamental to any usability testing process. The vast majority of problems that companies face when undertaking usability testing can be solved, at least in part, by using the appropriate tools. Some UX design services offer the best tools for UX prototyping in ecommerce. When selecting a prototyping tool, consider some important factors such as integrations, collaboration tools, ease in onboarding, and the costs. Based on these factors, here are some of the best prototyping tools: Adobe XD UXPin InVision Webflow Framer Use of Wireframes and Prototypes in Ecommerce Usability Testing Wireframes and prototypes play multiple roles in ecommerce usability testing. In almost all cases, they enable designers and coders to save significant amounts of time and resources. It frees them up to brainstorm and test a greater number of alternatives and implement lasting and effective changes. Generally, we use prototypes and wireframes in the following ways: Gaining approval for new designs from management – If managers need to approve new designs prior to testing, wireframes and prototypes are an efficient way of providing them with all the necessary information. A/B split-testing – For cost-effective testing of new designs, functional prototypes are great before a full rollout. They're also incredible for gathering preliminary information before larger A/B tests with final designs. Gathering feedback from focus groups or experts – Prototypes and wireframes are an inexpensive way of gathering feedback from focus groups. They also enable designers to evaluate a wider number of options. Brainstorming user flows – Wireframes are an excellent tool for outlining customer flows between sections of a site. It may be necessary to experiment with multiple customer journeys in the conception phase and it's usually not viable to use prototypes to do this. Interactive wireframes are particularly effective for this stage of design. Most Significant Parts of Ecommerce Prototyping Let's first understand the relationship between ecommerce usability testing and ecommerce optimization. The goal of ecommerce usability testing is to improve the customer experience. The purpose of ecommerce optimization is to improve key metrics like conversion rate, average order value, lifetime value, and so on. There is a very close relationship between these two areas. It's because, invariably, the best customer experience is also the one that is most profitable to the online store. At Oodles UI UX design services, we seek to improve the customer experience, where success is measured in terms of the main optimization metrics along with specific customer satisfaction metrics. Here are the key areas to focus on: Product search and filtering tools Checkout process Product page elements The flow of attention on product pages Site-wide branding Prototypes enable designers to visualize how changes impact a site's overall value proposition and impact. This is, of course, a limited snapshot. But it offers an overview of where the bulk of energy and resources will be focused on a usability testing campaign. Conclusion Prototypes and wireframes are essential tools for UX testing and design. Using them in the right manner can dramatically boost the quality of your campaigns. Oodles Studio offers prototype designing services that establish the layout of your digital interface with wireframing. Their UX experts iteratively create low and high fidelity prototypes to accurately test usability and map user journeys.

Area Of Work: Prototyping

Ashutosh Chandra

24 Jun 2020

Choosing the Ideal Prototype for your Digital Business Testing saves time, efforts, and most importantly money. Digital designers understand the value of rigorous testing cycles in producing an appealing and functional design. The process behind responsive web design services involves countless rounds of prototype designing before releasing the final product. However, the choice between a static and fully interactive prototype largely depends on the digital requirements of your business. An ideal prototype must reflect the brand's core objectives and simultaneously engage the user until the desired goal is achieved. This blog post simplifies the choice between a low and high fidelity prototype in web design services. Understanding Prototypes and their Fidelity A prototype is a demo version of the final product. Prototypes are used to test the content, functionality, features, and navigation of the final design. The process of creating a prototype begins right after the synchronization of business goals and user preferences. Testing usability with prototypes is the most critical phase in designing. The process brings all the design failures to the surface before it is set in code. Generally, random users are selected to test the design's usability. However, the methodology of designing a prototype differs from one industry business to another. There are multiple ways to design a prototype. For instance- Simple hand-drawn sketches on paper. Static screen displays created with Flinto or Brief. Clickable or interactive prototypes built using Axure and other tools. Fidelity of a prototype is measured by its level of responsiveness to the user's actions. It means that if the flow from one screen to another is directed manually, it is called a low-fidelity prototype. However, tasks, animations, and other design elements of a high-fidelity prototype are clickable and respond to every possible user action automatically. Your Ideal Prototype for responsive web design services Business Requirements Low Fidelity Prototype High Fidelity Prototype Content It includes only a brief description or dummy content of the actual text, images, and icons. They are best suited for projects that require a minimal role of content to accomplish final tasks. The content appears in its actual and entire form, including the images, text, and other design elements. Businesses should invest in hi-fi prototypes if their websites support dynamic content that needs thorough testing to map user engagement. Visuals and navigation All major and minor animations, color schemes, and design effects such as hybrid and parallax scrolls are omitted here. If users are least affected by the white-and-black experience of the product, businesses can consider low-fi prototypes as a reasonable option. It presents the alignment, spacing, hover effects, and other minuscule design elements just as it will appear in the live design. Furthermore, it is a time-taking and expensive process. Thus, even with the right amount of resources and expertise, it stretches project completion indefinitely. Interactivity The buttons and links are not active and thus the user flow is controlled by another person. It breaks user navigation after every click and thus makes the process comparatively slow and difficult to connect with. All the buttons, targets, and links work automatically, hence smooth UI. The user flow is maintained without human errors, while interaction can be improved simultaneously. Conclusion It is indispensable for a UI UX design company to first understand the urgency, resources, and the expertise required for a project. Although paper prototypes are both time and cost effective, designers may not be able to fix the issues accurately. On the other hand, high-fidelity prototypes are the closest replica of the final design. Therefore, it requires substantial financial and time investments. Consequently, the decision depends on the business objectives, product's utility span, and the bandwidth of UI/UX design and development services. Oodles Studio provides responsive web design services for diverse online businesses across the globe. Talk to our UX experts to evaluate which is a better choice to meet your online business requirements

Area Of Work: Prototyping

Sanam Malhotra

23 May 2019

Prototyping With Sketch : Learn How Sketch Works Over the years, the astonishing third-party developer community of Sketch has made it anunbelievable extensible designing toolkit. Due to this, we are enjoying a number of magnificent partner products and prototyping plugins like as ProtoPie, CanvasFlip, Proto, Protowire, Principle, Mirr, Craft, Framer etc. Maintaining simplicity has been a regular theme for Sketch and a crucial differentiator amongst Sketch and other designing tools. We live in an era of immense data and that also comes with an expanding list of aspirations and needs for developers and product-related people. The advancement of interaction design, the pressurized situation of shipping fast and failing safe, and also the wish to reuse components is actually driving the thought of doing extra with least or using a single tool for various essential purposes. There are devoted interaction prototyping tools with improved animation potential, keyframe features, timeline, and easing functions. Prototyping with Sketch in the inner part is plain but magnificent, one won't find any improved animation characteristics, yet. This is something which one should keep in mind while exploring the initial version. Prototyping with Sketch - Latest Icons, And Prototyping Shortcuts Animations and the Inspector: If a user selects a layer, he will explore a new prototyping section in the Inspector. Here a user is allowed to build and delete the Tap targets. Moreover, a user will be allowed to select from the basic Artboard transitions at the particular moment: No Animation Animating Artboard from Right Side Animating Artboard from Top Side Animating Artboard from Left Side Animating Artboard from Bottom Side Also Read:BENEFITS OF MOBILE APP PROTOTYPING Hotspots And Links: Hotspot is a layer that permits a user for drawing a tap target, a shape, over a part of your design and marge it to an artboard. More essentially, target destination can be overridden, where hotspot layers kept inside symbols. A user can see how every hotspot can be customized according to the overrides. He can also transform a link to a Hotspot by opting the selecting the particular layer and clicking on the Create Hotspot icon in the Inspector option. For prototyping with Sketch, a user requires the latest version of Sketch having various artboards in the document. Then, he has to connect layers or symbols (which is extremely strong, when you consider nested Symbols) to different artboards having hotspot layers and links. Option Of Preview: When a user previews a prototype, he notices a small flag icon. This is just a start point marker and it permits a user to select that artboard area from where he likes to start that prototype. It's especially good for docs with multiple artboards. So, in order to set a Start Point, a user has to first preview the artboard and click on that flag icon.

Area Of Work: Prototyping

Bharat Bhushan Dhalla

17 Jul 2018

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