The prototype (which we like to call an "ugly mockup" at Adimeo) is a representation of the location of each block of content: texts, images, videos, etc. The prototyping stage allows us to think about the functional aspect in order to precisely define the organization and structure of the elements of the website .
The prototype should not be confused with graphic models . Models are part of the graphic design or UI Design phase and allow you to work on the feelings and emotions of users. Prototyping , on the other hand, allows you to answer more concrete questions: how to make the site easier to use? Where to position the elements visible on the screen? How to organize the information ?
Prototyping is an essential step for your website redesign project. Here are 5 good reasons to get started. website redesign prototypes
A tool to bring information architecture to life
Have you already thought about the tree structure of your website and the main entries that make up your menu? Prototyping helps you define how your navigation menu is structured . Navigation errors, unclear labels? User tests carried out on a prototype often reveal design errors that are detrimental to your users' navigation.
Before the creative design and development phases, you must have defined all the templates for your site and imagined the flow between the different pages .
The prototype is a good tool for validating the information amazon database architecture of the pages. It allows you to define, among other things, the order of appearance of the blocks or intermediate screens of a feature (the different stages of the command tunnel for example).
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A testing tool to save you time and control your budget
Creating prototypes helps limit the time your development teams spend on bug fixing. Prototyping also prevents your customer service from being overwhelmed by processing order errors.
The difficulties linked to design errors certainly impact your teams but especially your users! We know today that 68% of Internet users leave a site because of a bad user experience . Even worse: 44% of disappointed Internet users share this bad experience… Beware of negative customer reviews !
Conducting user tests on prototypes allows you to reveal areas for improvement as early as possible in order to arrive at a successful solution. Correcting design errors before the development phase is much less time-consuming than correcting them after your site is online!
A tool to highlight the user journeys of your features
The user journey is the path, the scenario, that your users follow to achieve their goal on your digital interface. Wireframes or prototypes help to visualize the main principles of interaction of your users with your interface.
Search, purchase funnel, resource library... Prototyping puts into music, in a concrete way, the different screens and intermediate actions that the user encounters on their journey . The prototype helps to get a precise idea of the journeys proposed to end users.
user journey prototype
A tool to frame your brief and help with decision-making
A prototype, even a summary one, resulting from a coherent UX reflection requires all stakeholders in the project to position themselves on the standard pages of the future site . The prototype is the deliverable that allows the decision-makers to validate the state of the design of the future site .
Getting them on board at the prototyping stage, before the graphic overlay, ensures that you can lead the project smoothly and stay on the right course. It is important that the definition of the user experience is not influenced by design elements that are not very objective. Presenting a graphic model rather than a prototype during the decision-making phase is quite risky: the comments will mainly focus on the design/aesthetics of the project to the detriment of a reflection more focused on the user experience .
