Tohoku University
JYPE – Individual Research Training
High-Fidelity or Low-Fidelity when prototyping
for Human-Computer Interaction
Sofia Carlander
July 5th, 2005
Interaction design is the arrangement of receptive and responsive interface systems that inspires the user to participate [2]. The interface should be constructed so that sophisticated computer functions can be used be the intended user in a logical, expected way [1]. This demands that the usability of the interface is high to provide good interaction between computer and user.
High usability is achieved when the user creates an accurate conceptual model of how to use the product. A good conceptual model allows the user to predict the effects of actions [2]. The interface has to help the user to create a correct conceptual model. There are some aspects to take into account: who the users are, what activities are being carried out and where the interaction is taking place [4].
Fig. 1. Interaction design model [4].
Building an interactive version and perform usability test is an effective way to reduce the gap between designer and user. The most sensible way for users to evaluate usability is to interact with the products and for that a prototype is needed [4].
There are several techniques to produce prototypes. One concept is the fidelity, Low-fidelity and High-fidelity. Low-fidelity representations, such as sketches or paper models, differ from the final product in interaction design, visual appearance, and/or level of details. Hi-fi prototypes look much like the final product, and are often produced by using some kind of prototyping software which also might be qualified development environments.
Low-Fidelity prototyping methods are quick & cheap which encourage iterative design idea tryouts between/during usability tests. They allow designers and users to focus on high-level interaction design and information architecture, rather than on details or visual style. But while Low-fidelity prototypes allow spontaneous changes for exploring interactions, they also sacrifice some realism [3].
High-fidelity prototypes offer more realistic interactions than low-fidelity, and they are user-driven. One disadvantage though is that high-fidelity prototyping may make designers reluctant to change designs and less likely to fully explore the design space. Further aspects are that reviewers and testers tend to comment on surface aspects rather than content, while the prototype looks like a finished product, and that it takes a long time to build [4].
What kind of prototype method to choose is not a simple decision. Do combine and apply several techniques might be a good idea.
References
[1] Institute for Personalized Information Environment. 1995. FRIEND21 Human
Interface Architecture Guidelines.
[2] Norman, D.A. 1988. The Psychology of everyday things. Basic Books.
[3] Snyder C. 2003. Paper prototyping. Morgan Kaufmann.
[4] Preece, Rogers, Sharp. 2002. Interaction Design beyond human-computer
interaction.