NoVA UX prototype: Let’s get to work!

I presented a prototyping case study at a NoVA UX Meetup.

The purpose: educate and demonstrate the value of prototyping for UX designers.

Project type
Case study presentation, financial services SaaS design guidelines

My role
Sr. UX designer

Timeline
2014

Platform
NoVA UX Meetup, responsive web application

Team
UX designer
UX prototyper

Preparation

I posted the storyboard on the wall so my co-presenter and I could collaborate with me more effectively. With this storyboard wall, we always had a sense of the overall length and timing of the deck.

Storyboard wall

Deck creation

The visual design of the deck was a contrast of tidy client engagement slides and bold, back-of-the-napkin typography.

Presentation day

I showed up early to the ShareThis headquarters to look at the A/V equipment and take the presentation for a test drive.

A product management handout supported the group activity portion.

Take-aways

The following principles made our prototyping engagement a success.

1. Stick together.
Be on the same page as your teammates. Go to the same meetings; make time to share intelligence; don’t just put it on the wiki.

2. Maintain the vision.
This is our job, and it is essential for design leadership. If we all know where we’re going, we can all help each other get there.

3. Roll big picture.
Figure out how the large pieces fit together before spending time on

4. Know activity ROI.
At every moment, be mindful of the big-picture value your task is adding. If nothing comes to mind, try doing something else.

5. Kill your pride.
We can’t do everything, and we don’t know anything. Learn to delegate tasks with respect, and listen to what people have to say. We work for them.

Responsibilities

Document the process of designing, building, and testing a prototype during a client engagement. Leverage client deliverables to tell the full story from a product management perspective.

Deliverables

Prototyping case study presentation, script, audience activity, and a prototyping and product management cheat sheet.