POP Prototyping, or Prototyping on Paper, is a great way to test the progress of your app without first creating high fidelity prototypes. Prototyping is a repetitive process that involves testing, revising, and repeating. Prototyping on Paper, which is user testing with your paper prototypes, can save time down the line. By using the low fidelity prototypes to test, some structural changes can be made based on the user testing that will be useful to carry through to when you are creating the high fidelity prototypes. If you were to jump into those high-fidelity prototypes from the start, you might end up spending a lot more time revising your work later. 

The user is at the heart of the design process and POP helps bring their input in even at the early stages.  

“User-centered design means working with your users all throughout the project.” -Donald Norman

My POP Prototype

Using my paper mockup screens for the Pennington Community app, I retook/applied a color correction to the photos to get them as white as possible and then uploaded them to Marvel. Marvel is a great tool to help put together and connect your paper prototypes, making buttons clickable and pages accessible. With this connected prototype, I could begin the stages of user testing. Before I jumped in, I created a script to introduce the test and make the user aware of its purpose and the fact it was recorded. 

Script:

“Hi, and thank you for testing the early stages of the Pennington Community app. I appreciate your time. With your consent, this meeting will be recorded for research purposes. During the testing process, I will be asking you to complete three tasks while navigating the app. Afterward, I have a few questions to ask you. Do you have any questions so far?”

From there, as they opened the app, I asked some opening questions to get initial thoughts.

What are your initial thoughts about the app?

What do you believe is its function?

After they got to know the app a bit better, I introduced three tasks for them to complete to test the usability and navigability of the app. These prompts are common tasks a user could find themselves looking to accomplish. 

Read the most recent residential news article 

Create a private chat

Find the most recent upcoming event

After they have successfully navigated and completed the tasks, I asked some closing questions.

How was your overall experience navigating the app?

Which task was most challenging and why?

What would you improve or change?

Is there anything else you would like to add?

User Experience:

Summary: The user had a bit of a bumpy start to navigating the app and had to be prompted to find the menu bar at the bottom. This was later discovered to be due to a lack of clarity in the menu icon.

App Satisfaction: Overall the user was quite satisfied with their experience with the app. As a Pennington resident, appreciated the fostering of the community that the app provided, pointing out the benefits of the community chats. 

Summary: Was able to navigate the app well through the entire process but did pause for a second to find the private chats. 

App Satisfaction: Overall the user was satisfied with their experience on the app but suggested the private chat feature be a bit more accessible. 

This user testing experience definitely gave me some things to think about. It made clear that not all icons are easily identifiable. Additionally, Pennington residents confirmed the importance of the chat feature, but the private chat was not instantly accessible, which was a suggestion for improvement by a user. These responses will help me move forward to modify the app as I move into high-fidelity prototypes.