By Carol Macbain
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| Carolyn Snyder |
Carolyn Snyder, principal at Snyder Consulting in Derry, New Hampshire shared insights from her nine years of usability consultant experience at the May Boston Chapter STC meeting. In addition to detailed information on how to conduct paper prototyping, Carolyn discussed case studies and tips for getting the most from this type of testing.
Two major concerns of technical writers are how to get involved early in the development process and how to verify that what is documented reflects how the software really works. Carolyn Snyder suggests that paper prototyping can help in both areas.
Carolyn defines paper prototyping as "a variation of usability testing where representative users perform realistic tasks by interacting on a paper version of the interface that is manipulated by a human 'computer.'"
She recommends using paper prototyping in the early stages of usability testing while continuing to learn the product's function and whether there is time to make changes—ideally before the code is stable.
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| Carolyn and members |
Ordinary office supplies will suffice. Even artistic talent is not a requirement. Carolyn Snyder's detailed handouts indicate that a lot of thought and planning goes into a good paper prototype, but you don't need to spend hours with a ruler to make it pretty. Check out www.paperprototyping.com for links to useful supplies.
By watching other users perform each task, writers can see what is likely to change so as not to spend unnecessary time documenting. Writers should watch for what is not intuitive so they can get an idea of the type of help that users need versus what is self-explanatory. Writers should listen for words that belong in the index and notice when people can expect to see something on the screen.
Compared to other usability testing methods, paper prototyping is best at testing depth (that is, the degree to which functions are implemented). Paper prototyping is less useful for testing areas of interaction. Feedback on the application's "look" can vary, depending on the visual accuracy of the prototype. Paper prototyping should not replace computer testing, as no one method finds all problems. Its main advantage is that it can be done earlier.
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| Members' table |
Participating in paper prototyping is a way for writers to get involved earlier in the development process and learn how the product is supposed to work. Because this type of testing allows radical changes to take place earlier, it can give writers an idea of the scope of needed changes and perhaps allow writers to contribute their expertise to interface design problems.
Carolyn Snyder urges members to take advantage of this inexpensive, but very informative type of usability testing. For more information on creating paper prototypes, consult the following sources, which Carolyn recommends:
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| Carolyn and members inform |
After the presentation, members talked informally with the speaker. One lucky winner of the book drawing received a copy of the book Paper Prototyping from Jim Lidington.
View the photo gallery of the book winner.
Carol Macbain is a technical writer and member of the Online SIG. You can reach her at CJMacbain@aol.com.