Slides from a presentation by Will Myddelton at UX Lisbon 2014. Watch the actual presentation here: http://vimeo.com/myddelton/not-frankensteining When developing new product ideas a single prototype is simply not enough. Building and testing twin prototypes allows you to assess competing hypotheses (great for settling arguments), lets your clients to contribute design ideas (amazing for buy-in) and keeps radical ideas in the design process for longer (essential for developing fragile concepts into stronger ones).

1. It’s Not Frankensteining
why you should be building twin prototypes

6. Frankensteining
The merger of multiple designs into one despite the fact
that they don’t form a coherent, consistent whole.
usabilityfirst.com

8. Prototype A Prototype B
Build a behaviour change service for patients
struggling to lower their cholesterol
Activities Exercise Diet and lifestyle
Reporting Automatic tracking Self-reporting
Motivation Self-motivated Peer pressure
Rewards Tangible rewards Points and badges
Duration Until reach goal Until set time

9. Not Frankensteining
• Focus relentlessly on named hypotheses
• Gather input from users doing tasks (not clients)
• Use what you learn in the next round of design

10. Whyyou should be building twin prototypes

11. 1. We are often wrong

12. “The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure
and the intelligent are full of doubt”
Bertrand Russell

15. 2. Users are often wrong

16. “Most people don't know what they want
unless they see it in context”
Dan Ariely, behavioural economist

19. 3. Clients are often wrong

20. “Paradoxically, it is easier to construct a
coherent story when you know little.”
Daniel Kahneman, psychologist

23. 4. Design needs exploration

25. “The biggest part of our work disappears automatically. But
you can’t look at these designs as waste. They’re ideas.”
Rem Koolhaas, architect

26. Stolen from Designing the Design Process by Sjors Timmer
http://notura.com/2012/02/rem-koolhaas-designing-the-design-process/

27. 5. Life is short

28. “Working on the right thing is probably
more important than working hard”
Caterina Fake, flickr co-founder

29. Why you should be building twin prototypes
1. We are often wrong
2. Users are often wrong
3. Clients are often wrong
4. Design needs exploration
5. Life is short

30. Whenyou should be building twin prototypes

31. for new products

32. After exploratory research
after initial research

33. Before further iterations
before design iteration

34. with three heads prototyper, copywriter, visual designer

35. Howyou should be building twin prototypes

36. Planning project
Creating hypotheses
Building prototypes
Iterating the design
Testing prototypes
• Sell the idea on the time
and money it will save.
• Commit yourself to twin
prototypes in advance.

37. Planning project
Creating hypotheses
Building prototypes
Iterating the design
Testing prototypes
• Be big and bold and
explicit with hypotheses.
• Test things you think you
know the answer to.

38. Planning project
Creating hypotheses
Building prototypes
Iterating the design
Testing prototypes
• Don’t give yourself too
much time to prototype.
• Ensure each prototype is
internally consistent.

39. Planning project
Creating hypotheses
Building prototypes
Iterating the design
Testing prototypes
• Task with one, then the
other, then compare.
• Narrate blank sections
during the research.

40. Planning project
Creating hypotheses
Building prototypes
Iterating the design
Testing prototypes
• Tear it all up and start
again each time (really).
• Don’t Frankenstein!
Create a coherent whole.

41. “Enough confidence to believe you can solve any
design problem and enough humility to understand
that most of your initial ideas are probably bad”
Larry Tesler, HCI specialist
Quoted in Designing for Interaction by Dan Saffer
Will Myddelton, cxpartners
@myddelton