Prototyping

Industry Research

We researched pre-existing applications that serve similar purposes for similar demographics as our own. We evaluated what works and what doesn't in order to narrow in on how we can borrow and build upon standards our targets may already be familiar with, fostering adaptability in our users.

In our research, we did not find any application that solves the persisting problem of asking questions during lecture, having no peers in a class to ask questions to, and having no platform to communicate with other students from the class.

Paper Prototyping

After narrowing in on our user base and need cases, we drew up paper prototypes to develop initial first drafts of the application interface. This was a quick, low-fidelity way to gain insight into how our app could be used. We conducted informal user testing sessions with these paper prototypes; our target demographic, students like us, was easy to reach and we were able to show and talk through our paper prototypes quickly and efficiently with a vast array of peers.

As we proceeded through a session, we were able to adapt quickly to user feedback– this is one of the major benefits of such quickly and easily constructed prototypes, and why we chose to create paper prototypes as our first step. It was during these sessions that we concluded a web application would be the most efficient presentation of our application; many students made the comment that they spend time largely on their laptops taking notes during lecture time and therefore would have most immediate access to this specific interface.

Wireframes

Once we refined our paper prototypes, we moved onto wireframes. Prototyping with wireframes helped us further define the depth of functionality of our app. Paper versions are great for obtaining knowledge on the breadth– various uses of the app– but it did not give much knowledge into the actual features and user interaction of the app (e.g. Fittss Law issues). We used inVision and Sketch to develop dynamic wireframes to test the flow of our application before proceeding to full development stage of our site.