BLACKSBURG, Va., March 20, 2015 – This week was yet another productive week for the team Kool Katz, consisting of the three developers, Laura Avakian, Seth Canon, and Ryan Kiel. Kool Katz, with the recent interviews and contextual inquiry as a backbone, tackled their next big task in the app development process: ideation and prototyping.
Each developer separately came up with different approaches to the apps based on what had been discovered through interviews, and with that, did parallel prototyping. In doing their prototypes in a parallel manner, the team members were able to be more creative rather than relying on each other’s group ideas (which could very well happen unintentionally).
The ideation process revolved around the overall functionality of the app, the goals for the users and the client, and certain specific features.
“Because this is a driving tour app, we all are considering integral components and have shared overall goals. For our individual prototypes, this is where these features and the functionality is coming together as we individually see fit. Doing the ideation and prototype separately, but with the same overall, broad goals has been incredibly helpful in terms being creative,” Laura explains. “We are in a good place.”
There are a few different approaches the team considered in terms of an iPhone app and a website. The team will be developing an iPhone app, but because a website is in the project’s future, that avenue was explored as well.
The ideation was followed by creating low fidelity prototypes separately. There are many features that are seen in all three team members’ prototypes that are of course necessary to have a driving tour app (e.g. map/GPS, descriptions of tour sites, etc), but overall, as expected, each prototype is unique.
The variety of approaches and prototypes helped the team move onto the next very important step: creating a medium fidelity prototype. Unlike the low fidelity prototypes, this medium fidelity prototype was developed together as the members had individually hashed out their ideas on paper/digitally, and could go from there in terms of merging these ideas.
This medium fidelity prototype was created by using Prototyping on Paper, or POP. POP allows the group’s sketches, drawings, and screenshots to come to life, and allows the user to essentially test out the actual functionality of the app on an iPhone — the same device they would be using if they were using the actual, fully developed app. The argument for using POP for the medium fidelity prototype revolves around the fact that the final product will be an iPhone app, and POP simulates that and all of the features that will be included. It allows the user to go from the low fidelity prototypes, drawings and sketches, to a deeper level by immersing them in an environment they are able to interact with.
The three further conducted interviews with users using this medium fidelity prototype. This feedback is very valuable, and will aid the three in the development process.
Next week, the team is going to be presenting their medium fidelity prototype to the class, where classmates will act as potential users who will then critique the app and provide more valuable feedback. The goal is to get the app approved by Professor Kurt Luther. If this is accomplished, Kool Katz will begin their app’s highly-anticipated development. Stay tuned!
Contact Laura Avakian for any further inquiries.