The anatomy of prototypes
Top Cited Papers
- 7 July 2008
- journal article
- Published by Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) in ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction
- Vol. 15 (2), 1-27
- https://doi.org/10.1145/1375761.1375762
Abstract
The role of prototypes is well established in the field of HCI and Design. A lack of knowledge, however, about the fundamental nature of prototypes still exists. Researchers have attempted to identify different types of prototypes, such as low- vs. high-fidelity prototypes, but these attempts have centered on evaluation rather than support of design exploration. There have also been efforts to provide new ways of thinking about the activity of using prototypes, such as experience prototyping and paper prototyping, but these efforts do not provide a discourse for understanding fundamental characteristics of prototypes. In this article, we propose an anatomy of prototypes as a framework for prototype conceptualization. We view prototypes not only in their role in evaluation but also in their generative role in enabling designers to reflect on their design activities in exploring a design space. We base this framework on the findings of two case studies that reveal two key dimensions: prototypes as filters and prototypes as manifestations. We explain why these two dimensions are important and how this conceptual framework can benefit our field by establishing more solid and systematic knowledge about prototypes and prototyping.Keywords
This publication has 31 references indexed in Scilit:
- "Get real!"Published by Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) ,2007
- The LiLiPUT prototypePublished by Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) ,2007
- Interaction design prototyping of communicator devicesInteractions, 2002
- High-Fidelity or Low-Fidelity, Paper or Computer? Choosing Attributes when Testing Web PrototypesProceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, 2002
- Sale must endInteractions, 2002
- DENIMPublished by Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) ,2000
- Low vs. high-fidelity prototyping debateInteractions, 1996
- Usability problem identification using both low- and high-fidelity prototypesPublished by Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) ,1996
- Prototyping for tiny fingersCommunications of the ACM, 1994
- OBSERV—a prototyping language and environmentACM Transactions on Software Engineering and Methodology, 1992