I like to guide and educate people on the different options available to them. Maybe they just need a wireframe. Or maybe they will need a high fidelity prototype to really show off the design and all the features that they want their app to have. We will figure all of this out in the mock-up phase.
For people who are coming to us with a brand new idea, I can help them get started with a basic, wireframe design. A wireframe is just a basic box. There’s no color or design to it at all. There’s nothing that makes it work, there’s no branding associated with it. It’s just here’s a simple box with circles and squares that’s going to give you a feel for how it’s going to work.
We can also set it up to where if the app is specifically intended for a mobile phone, to see how it will look and interact once you start clicking the buttons. That way the app creator can begin showing a model and start getting feedback from their intended audience. Having that real-time feedback is key. Because then you can ask prospects if your app idea is something they really like and think they would use. From there, we can come back and start getting into options on different low fidelity and high fidelity prototypes.
Low Fidelity
Low fidelity could consist of very basic, wireframe designs. In this case, functionality is tested in “real time”, because the operation is being manually stimulated by a real person. Even though it is faster and cheaper to create than a high fidelity prototype, it will be very basic in design will contain limited content.
Low fidelity is very low-tech. There isn’t any interactivity. It can be like a set of connected storyboards that the user can move through, much like scrolling through a series of images. Low fidelity is great for early testing, experimentation, and serve as an artifact for documentation. The creator can decide to stay there if they want, or they can decide to go to the high fidelity prototype. The High Fidelity prototype is where the interactivity and connectedness really come into play.
High Fidelity
This is where you can actually put things in the app like your branding and colors. You can make it interactive so it actually looks and feels like things are programmed, even though they’re not. High fidelity will allow you to create a functioning and detailed design, provide graphics, and even actual content. Oftentimes, users think the high fidelity prototype is a “real” product, which allows you to conduct more accurate testing.
With a high fidelity prototype, you can take it to your potential stakeholders, or people who might be willing to give money to your specific project, and you can show them something that’s tangible, versus just asking them to use their imagination. This power of demonstration makes winning critical buy-in much easier. So, we find that using the high fidelity approach really works out a lot better for the app’s creator.
Interested in creating an app?
Let 3r Interactive, LLC guide you through the complicated world of app development. We can help increase your chances to stand out among the 3.8 million apps on Google Play and the 2 million apps on the Apple App Store.
Head over to www.3rinteractive.com or email me at jay@3rinteractive.com to speak with me about how we can help with preproduction in order to save you money on development costs.
