Prototyping

Creating prototypes is a great tool for writing good specs, as it creates a visual and tactile interface that makes the product self-explanatory. In addition, we have often experienced that clients ideas on what their software is supposed to achieve are well-aligned, while design is more subjective, and can create disagreements. It is best for such disagreements to be resolved at the start of the project, rather than at the end. Prototyping is a great way to make sure that the discussions are efficient, and it forces the discussion on many aspects of the specs which one might not think about without a prototype. It is much cheaper and less time consuming to fiddle around on a prototype, rather than on a fully developed software product with an integrated and often complex backend. Some online tools allow for wireframing as well as fully fledged design. The tools we use most are Zeplin, InVision, Sketch, and Photoshop. All have their respective advantages and drawbacks, and we use them for different scenarios . Some can be integrated with each other to some extent. Are you interested in explaining in more detail which tool we use in which case, and why? If so, please let us know, and we will address it in a future newsletter. In the next issue of Insights, we will address our favourite collaboration tools for software development. Please stay tuned!