Happy Design aka. Rapid Prototyping for the Web Why building backwards is faster, cheaper and delivers a better web product

So, here it is… Web design is undergoing a BIG change. Why?

1908 Hurley Machine Company Vacuum Cleaner

1993 Dyson Vacuum Cleaner

2003 iRobot’s Roomba

1896 Henry Ford’s First Car

1990 Ferrari

2001 Toyota Prius

2007 BMW Hydrogen 7

A big leap forward

Old Design Path The Aesthetics The System The Parts

Web Design: Old Way User Interface Application Layer Database

An Upside Down World

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.” - Charles Darwin

Web Design: New Way User Interface Application Layer Database

What is Rapid Prototyping? It’s is about actually building the product research user matrix graphs site maps schematics wireframes

Go back to kindergarten

The Alternative

Less Less mass Less software Less features Less documentation Less money Less support Less politics

Small Stay small Small teams are agile Small decisions Small changes Small problems

Interface Start with the interface Real screens that people are going to use Start with the experience Start with the hard stuff

Iterative Lower the cost of change Smoother project flow Frequent launches Allows tweaking Reduce fatigue

People Focused Users are human beings with emotions and anxieties Engineers are people too Not everyone can ‘see’ your ideas Speak to senses not concepts

“…But that’s the way it’s always been done.” Deals with the cause and not the symptoms Eliminates problems before it’s too late

Requirements Gathering “No other part of the work so cripples the resulting system if done wrong. No other part is more difficult to rectify later”. - Frederick Brooks, The Mythical Man-Month

The Spec

Real Examples

Show Functionality

Front and Back

Link to Real Examples

States Ideal Error Sample

Error 

Error

Sample 

Sample

Project Plans

Real Life ? ? ?

Budget ? Traditional Design Iterative Design

80:20 Revenue/ Activity Features

80:20 TimeFeatures

Advantages Faster Cheaper Visual Spec Marketing Tool User Testing Money Raising Tool And…

…No Waste

Questions?