Mobile Prototyping Essentials

A workshop with Rachel Hinman

May 24, 2012

We've heard it all before... prototype, prototype, prototype! It's a standard step in almost any design process—but often the first step skipped in time and budget constrained projects. Although prototyping is considered a luxury for many PC-based experiences, it is an absolutely essential part of creating compelling tablet and mobile experiences.

This workshop will outline why prototyping is an essential part of the emerging world of tablet and mobile experience design. You'll learn the underlying design principles and design conventions of Natural User Interfaces (NUIs), animated transitions and the interaction design language that is emerging as touchscreen devices become commonplace. You'll also learn how and why to cultivate the two most important skills necessary for creating compelling tablet and mobile experiences: a curiosity for context and ruthless editing.

Finally, you'll learn a wide variety of hands-on prototyping methods that can be applied to your design process. You'll receive tactical, hands on instruction for how to storyboard concepts and screens, sketch transitions, and turn your ideas into high-fidelity on-device prototypes with speed and confidence.

Benefits

The workshop will include:

• Natural user interfaces (Activity: Translating GUI to a NUI)
• Fostering new skills such as ruthless editing, a curiosity for context, learning the language of transition (Activity: identifying and sketching transitions)
• Tablet/mobile prototyping methods including storyboarding, low-fidelity prototyping and high-fidelity prototyping (Activity: identifying and sketching transitions)

What You'll Learn

Participants will:

• Understand the design principles and conventions for Natural User Interfaces
• Understand why a curiosity for context and ruthless editing are important to tablet and mobile UX design
• Learn how to cultivate these skills
• Be exposed to the language of interface transitions: what they are, when to use them and how to sketch them
• Experience three prototyping methods: when they should be used and the questions they should help answer

Who Should Attend

This is a workshop aimed at designers, developers, and UX professionals keen to transition from desktop to mobile and tablet experiences.

Rachel Hinman is a researcher, designer and a recognized thought leader in the mobile user experience field. Her passion for cultural study, art, and design coupled with the belief that people can use technology to improve the human condition have been the driving forces in her career for over a decade.

Rachel writes and speaks frequently on the topic of mobile research and design. She is the creative force behind the 90 Mobiles in 90 Days Project and her perspectives on mobile user experience have been featured in Interactions Magazine, BusinessWeek and Wired.