Week 3 Discussion – Building a Great User Experience

Learning Objectives Covered

• LO 01.01 – Identify and discuss three advantages of prototyping to identify unexpected problems and improve accuracy in the project development process
• LO 01.02 – Utilize Adobe XD for designing and prototyping user experiences for web and mobile apps with limited knowledge and ability to write HTML code

Background

Gone are the days of designing a website for a single desktop screen. Technology and the addition of mobile sites are pushing web and graphic designers to re-think how their work will be displayed on multiple devices. Designing a website that is readily accessible across various platforms requires the design to go through numerous stages: pre-planning, including defining the sitemap and wireframe, creating and optimizing visual assets, designing, prototyping, and finally development.

Before moving forward with development stage, a prototype is created to test the site and is key to building a great user experience. A prototype mimics the essential interactions possible within the designed user interface, such as navigating between pages and interacting with features using a browser. While the prototype does not always incorporate all the bells and whistles of a final site build, a prototype enables the user to interact with the site almost as it would behave when built.

Utilizing Adobe XD for designing and prototyping user experiences for web and mobile apps is useful in many ways for designers with a limited knowledge and ability to write HTML code.

• Prototyping discovers flaws and provides a level of interactivity that is not achievable with static mockups and wireframes. It also ensures that the device does what it is supposed to do – not what the designer thinks it should do. Users can click through actual navigation workflows, navigating from the Homepage to the Contact Us page for instance.
• Prototyping allows the designer to explore ideas and exchange feedback with the client. If a picture is worth a thousand words, a prototype is worth a thousand meetings.
• Designers, clients, and developers can interact with a prototype and provide feedback to make sure the design is progressing in the right direction, addressing any flaws before even one line of code is written.
• Creating a prototype allows you to improve a design concept quickly. You can revise and refine your design in a matter of minutes. Based on feedback, it will enable the designer to evaluate its functionality and pinpoint issues or potential problem areas.

With all the work a designer puts into planning your design, creating a prototype to identify unexpected problems and improve accuracy in the project development process is an essential step in building a great user experience. Shoppers, consumers, and customers are not picky about which device they are using, whether desktop, laptop, or mobile device. They want their information served fast and convenient. When the project goals are clearly defined, when everyone involved agrees on the expected results, when design concepts are tested early on — you’ll find that the path to building a great user experience will be more straightforward.

Prompt

Each web design project begins with research. The next step is to sketch the ideas and concepts on paper, and later transfer your concepts to a wireframe. To test your design, you export all your assets and bring them into another tool Adobe XD) to build a prototype. Utilizing Adobe XD for designing and prototyping user experiences for web and mobile apps with limited knowledge and ability to write HTML code allows you to go from wireframe to interactive prototype, from desktop to mobile, in seconds. From there, you test your prototype, gather feedback, and refine your design. For this discussion, you will identify and discuss three advantages of prototyping to identify unexpected problems and improve accuracy in the project development process.

For your initial post, identify three [3] advantages of prototyping and explain how each is essential to the design process.

For your citation, you might research articles that discuss the pros and cons of prototyping. You can also find articles from experts specializing in web design explaining why prototyping with Adobe XD is the complete design solution.

Your initial and reply posts should work to develop a group understanding of this topic. Challenge each other. Build on each other. Always be respectful but discuss this and figure it out together.

Reply Requirements

Per the Due Dates and Participation Requirements for this course, you must submit 1 main post of 150+ words, 1 citation, and reference, as well as 2 follow-up posts of 50+ words. Responses can be addressed to both your initial thread and other threads but must be your own words (no copy and paste), each reply unique (no repeating something you already said), and substantial in nature. Remember that part of the discussion grade is submitting on time (20%) and using proper grammar, spelling, etc. (20% per post).

Remember that part of the discussion grade is submitting on time and using proper grammar, spelling, etc. You’re training to be a professional—write like it.