Justinmind Blog

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Copenhagen User Experience, The Past and Future from Copenhagen Concept on Vimeo.

Presentations aren’t easy. They must look like you’re just chatting, but there’s a lot of thinking and work behind a good speech and some images. Think Steve Jobs. It’s not like anyone present like he does. And it’s not simple. But it looks like.

When you have a great idea, it’s a little like that too. You know how the website should be. You want it to do several things, to change others, and stuff that reacts with other objects on the page. But the client, or the boss, or someone, THEY JUST DON’T GET IT.

Simulate working software without programming

You’re a designer, and the programmer didn’t understand that tiny little detail and it makes a huge difference on the final product.

You’re a coder, and need to know what to code, before they start making design changes that will get you into trouble.

You’re a UX Designer, and need to test everything, but it takes too long and is very expensive to get it all tested.

That’s where JustInMind Prototyper comes in and makes a difference. It’s a powerful tool, and it has the superpower of simplifying things. It takes just a fraction of time to develop a full functioning prototype, so everybody involved on the project can see, understand, approve and start working on the real, final version.

In this post from boagworld, they tell us 7 great reasons why we should do wireframes. They don’t use any software to prototype, so their process requires more imagination from all the team, but it’s because they don’t know our product.

The main advantages of prototyping with JustInMind Prototyper compared to just doing a wireframe are:

• You get full functionality. You click, go to another page. You fill the form, you can get the data and use it. You can get video working, or any other effect.

• Team work made easy. With requirements linked to objects, and comments registered and exported to CSV files, you can always have every move, change or opinion there, just as you work, along with all software versions.
• Get the client to work with you. Using our Server, you can show the client the prototype just as if it was a working website or soft, even if he’s in other part of the world. You don’t have to explain, or trust his capabilities of imagining this white sheet of paper as a colourful website. What he sees is what he gets.
• Testing. Ok, you can test a wireframe. Print several sheets of paper, and tell that old lady that it’s a website where she’ll buy her groceries. Or you can prototype it and she how she reacts to the real thing.
• Cheaper projects. Testing done earlier, development just when everything’s approved, everybody working on the same version. Need to say more?

Prototype everything, and only code when approved

So, instead of coding a beta version, re-coding, changing the design twice and having to fix several tweaks, you can now prototype, change everything on JustInMind Prototyper and just having to do the hard work once.

Now you can save the cost of time, and energy, because we all hate redesigning and starting over, and fixing broken projects.

Start with wireframes, make a mockup, prototype, and then code

You only have to get to coding phase when everything’s approved. This way, you reduce time and costs. This is the basis of our project management technique, which will be explained here later.

How can I do usability tests online?

One of the great advantages of using JustInMind Prototyper is doing collaborative work online. The Project Manager can be his office, the client in another town and the designers abroad. And they all will be able to view, annotate and share comments about it.

And the users?

Using JustinMind Server, the project can be made available online, and invited users can review the project, test it and comment, even before coding phase.

The project can be a perfectly functional prototype, with data behaviour and RIA events, just like the final software or website. (Click here and you’ll see a working one).

This prototype can have Google Analytics embedded, and look just like your new website or software. So, you can see how users react (even using those heat-maps Google Analytics provides), without even leaving your office.

It’s like launching your web before the development. After that you correct, and then you code.

After the prototype, what do I do?

You have the wireframe, the layout (or even more than one option), the data structure, but doesn’t know which one is better? Why not do the traditional A/B test?

* What if you had 3 site layouts working and could test among them?

With JustInMind Prototyper, you can create a fully functional prototype, simulating user interface, reaction and procedures. Get your prototype ready, find some users and just let them use your site or program.

You can do that online with our OnDemand service, or within your own server. Either way, you’ll have plenty of feedback.

* How can I record it?

You can use analytics, from any kind that inserts a HTML snippet. You can even insert video.

Analytics or a mouse/keyboard tracking system

There are several apps that allow you to track user’s reactions to your web. If they generate a HTML code, you can insert them on your prototype and track the users’ response. You can even use something like SilverBack to record and analyse their faces using the camera.

Tell us how you do it

Did you use JIM to create and test a prototype? Try it out, and tell us what you think.

If you’ve done anything like that, tell us.

If you want to reach us, leave a comment or drop us a line on twitter: @just_in_mind.

We at JustInMind started using the blog as a more personal approach to our soft users. This is a bidirectional way of contact, so we’re opening (even more) space for you here. We are looking forward to receive and publish nice mockups done with JIM Prototyper, or links, or comments, or even for you to say what you don’t like or would like to see different in other versions.

I’ve got everyone on the project at aiming distance, so feel free to say anything, because they’ll hear you.

If you want to reach us, leave a comment or drop us a line on twitter: @just_in_mind.