Article /莔莔 God
I have a few new product managers around me, and I like to use high-fidelity prototypes to discuss solutions with everyone. However, after each discussion, I always felt a headache for them: wouldn’t it be boring to change the prototype of such detail all over again? Coincidentally, my new kid was also a new product manager, and I was a little surprised by his determination to learn prototyping and focus on Axure.
Thought we’d talk about high-fidelity prototypes.
What is a hi-fi prototype
Let’s start by standardizing our understanding of high-fidelity prototypes. I read a post before that the fidelity of the prototype was divided into three levels of “low, medium and high”, which was quite composite of the real work scene.
(1) Low-fidelity prototype: focus only on function, structure and flow, and only provide the simplest framework and elements on the prototype diagram; The advantage is time-saving and efficient, but relatively high communication costs;
Lo-fi prototype Example 1
Lo-fi prototype Example 2
(2) Mid-fidelity prototype: On the basis of low-fidelity prototype, provide more functional details and interaction details;
Examples of mid-fidelity prototypes
(3) High-fidelity prototype: provide more visual details, almost equivalent to UI renderings, only need to replace the actual data and materials in the development process.
Examples of high-fidelity prototypes
In these three levels of prototype, we can compare their emphasis and advantages and disadvantages:
(1) Low-fidelity prototype: focus on core functions and product framework, the use of it is a very big advantage is that in the early stage of product design quickly form a plan, rapid discussion, rapid adjustment, can let people focus on the most core structure layer and frame layer of the product; On the other hand, due to its rapid production, it can be a bit annoying to explain when communicating externally.
(2) Mid-fidelity prototype: the most commonly used prototype diagram type, which focuses on specific functional processes and interactions, has advantages and disadvantages between low-fidelity prototype and high-fidelity prototype.
(3) High-fidelity prototype: focus on visual presentation, its advantage is that the details are very perfect, the desired effect can be intuitively displayed; However, correspondingly, it is very troublesome to modify, and a lot of energy is consumed in the production of prototype drawing, which makes it easy for people to think poorly about the core structure, framework and process of the product.
Compare the three prototypes
Combining these three levels of prototyping, I would advise product managers to get used to working with low-fidelity and medium-fidelity prototypes, cherish their work, stay original, and stay away from high-fidelity prototypes. The reason is in the next section.
2. Core values of product managers
Prototyping is one of the most basic jobs of a product manager, but why does a product manager prototype? This brings us to the core values of product managers.
One analogy I like to use very much is that product managers are like mom, product is baby, product manager is responsible for the baby, and then together with the operations mom to bring the baby up. Then in the process of “giving birth to a baby”, the product manager can give the child the most important thing, one is DNA, and the other is healthy physiological function.
User Experience Elements
What is DNA? Let’s review the hierarchy of product experience elements. Among them, the core strategic layer and scope layer are actually the DNA of the product: it determines the product’s positioning and goals, as well as the user needs and functions to be satisfied — which should be confirmed before the prototype is drawn.
And healthy physiological function is to be established in the painting prototype, which is to the structure layer and frame layer. Product prototype is to confirm the information architecture, layout, process and interaction of a product. Using low-fidelity and medium-fidelity prototype diagrams can help product managers to clarify their thinking in design and ensure that the designed product will not have fundamental errors, functional blind spots or process blind spots.
Continuing along the hierarchy of five elements of product experience, the hi-fi prototype diagram actually focuses on the presentation layer, and pays more attention to the visual presentation effect. And for a mother, the child is the first to limb sound, physiological function is healthy, as for whether the handsome is just icing on the cake, never put the cart before the horse.
3 the correct way to open the prototype
A complete product prototype production process should include three steps of “functional design — interaction design — visual design”. Internet companies with perfect processes will be equipped with three posts of product designer — interaction designer — visual designer, and each post person will focus on this part of their work respectively. Even the average startup at least keeps product design and visual design separate, each doing its job and each doing its job.
Product managers focus on low-fidelity and medium-fidelity prototypes, which is not only responsible for their own work, but also respect the visual designer’s own work, not to overstep the role, not to do the essence of the work is not done, but also disorderly pointing fingers at others.
4. Why hi-fi?
Being is reasonable. Since someone wants to draw hi-fi, let’s see if the reason for drawing hi-fi prototypes is reasonable.
Reason 1: I’m a product manager.
Let’s face it, sometimes the biggest reason for wanting to draw a hi-fi prototype is that you take yourself too seriously as a product manager. This problem often appears in children who are new to product design: when they are new to product design, most of the work assigned to them is to draw prototypes, but with limited room for play, they just want to draw 3DMAX. It’s important to learn how to prototype when you’re starting out, but spending a lot of time on visuals can get in the way of thinking about requirements and functional logic that determine whether you’re a good product manager.
I had 10 years of Photoshop experience before I got the job as a product manager. I can’t say I’m on par with UI when it comes to drawing hi-fi prototypes, but I’m probably not ashamed of it (I posted my previous work to prove it!). . In the beginning, I also thought that the product manager was deciding what the product would look like, what color it would use, what icon it would choose — now it’s all about the final visual communication.
However, my sister, the first Leader I met in my career as a product manager, told me very early on that these were not important. She should pay more attention to requirements and figure out why she wanted to do this. As for the prototype, there was no problem to draw on paper with a pen. It was so simple, but it quickly put me in my place and made me understand my responsibilities.
Photoshop theme Banner, created in 2010
Birthday tablecloth for Zhang Jike, created in 2013
Fortunately, I have Photoshop experience, so I learned Axure very quickly. However, I haven’t used any advanced functions so far. Sometimes WHEN I encounter a function with a very simple structure, I will draw a prototype with PPT — especially the PC prototype is very convenient to draw with PPT.
… In fact, I really don’t care about the form of the prototype.
Reason 2: Easy to communicate.
Some people draw hi-fi prototypes because they think it’s easy to communicate. High-fidelity prototypes do have good visuals and tell people what you want to do, but only if the prototype has been validated and agreed upon. Otherwise… What’s the point of communicating with a prototype whose design is flawed?
A logical workflow would be for the product manager to validate the design and output the final prototype using low or medium fidelity prototypes, and for the visual designer to output high fidelity visuals. Use the visual designer’s work directly in scenes where you need to use a more elegant prototype (such as working with others, reporting to superiors).
Reason 3: We don’t have interaction designers/visual designers.
Jobs without interaction design is popular, the product manager using mediator true prototype figure expression function enough interaction, visual designers, however, do not generally is not possible, is usually the product manager for visual designers work ability or aesthetic ability to question, hope it according to your design intention generated high-fidelity visual figure.
In the latter case, there are two possibilities: one is that the visual designer is not incompetent, but inconsistent with the concept of the product manager. The so-called technical industry has specialized, even if the visual designer ability is insufficient, but also better than the product manager to do it for you. If the concept is inconsistent, the product manager should strengthen the communication, persuade the visual designer why to make the style and style you want, so that the other party can convince you is conducive to long-term cooperation in the future. And forcefully thrust the high-fidelity prototypes figure in the past, visual designers create space, is not conducive to the final product of visual presentation, and worse for visual designers have formed a habit of slavish, to work without more investment, product manager still immersed in “not our design or my evils” illusion, the visual effect of the final product has a problem, It was the product manager.
Another possibility is that visual designers really lack the ability, which often occurs in small entrepreneurial teams where visual designers have little project experience and lack of training. At this time, rather than directly throwing in the high-fidelity prototype, I prefer to take the medium-fidelity prototype, and then come up with a few reference design styles and competing products to communicate with each other face to face. In fact, such a designer is easy to be persuaded, but also willing to learn, to provide her with design direction and design ideas, more than two rounds of grinding, the future work of the product manager will be much easier, this is called once and for all.
Of course, there’s also the case where you really don’t have a visual designer… If you’re not a technology driven project… And if you’re not one of the founders… I suggest you consider changing your team…
Reason 4: I love learning and I love drawing hi-fi prototypes.
… Of course, from the perspective of learning and hobbies to do anything, as long as it is not illegal, I feel there is no problem. Just think about two things: first, in the work scene, how to draw a prototype to achieve the best effect with the least time cost, improve efficiency; Second, the core values of product managers directly correspond to the five elements of product experience. The higher the product manager is, the more he or she should focus on the lower level.
Knowing these two things, it is one’s own choice to draw prototypes at the right time for learning and love.
5 conclusion
In this year, there are too many Internet people who only see half of the problem and can only add to the cake. They are impetuous to make people feel boring and boring, and have no aura and fun. Of course, you can’t do this with a hi-fi prototype, but it’s helpful for product managers to get into the habit of thinking deeply about the nature of problems on a daily basis.
Let’s say it again: Love your work, stay original, and stay away from hi-fi prototypes.
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