How is User Interface Prototyping Really Done in Practice? A Survey of User Interface Designers

Abstract

The iterative design and evaluation of user interface prototypes is central to the user-centered design process. Designers potentially use a variety of prototyping tools and technologies, ranging from simple art supplies to custom prototyping languages and environments. While we know anecdotally that a range of prototyping technologies are used, there exists little empirical research into what technologies designers actually use in practice, and how and why those technologies are used. To explore these issues, we developed an on-line survey, which was completed by 87 user interface researchers and professionals who attended the CHI 2008 conference. Our results not only provide insight into the current state of user interface prototyping in practice; they also suggest preliminary requirements for the next generation of user interface prototyping software.