The document discusses rapid prototyping in instructional design. It begins by summarizing an author's experience with how instructional design theories did not always match real-world practice, and that situated learning depends on unique project circumstances. It then provides an overview of the history and benefits of rapid prototyping, including clarifying needs, enhancing creativity, and reducing errors. Different types of prototypes are described like paper prototypes, wireframes, and electronic prototypes. The advantages of rapid prototyping include encouraging participation, enabling iteration, and detecting errors earlier.

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Notes for Rapid Prototyping
• I first encountered the problematic relationship between plans and situated
actions when, after years of trying to follow Gagné's theory of instructional
design, I repeatedly found myself, as an instructional designer, making ad hoc
decisions throughout the design and development process. At first, I attributed
this discrepancy to my own inexperience as an instructional designer. Later,
when I became more experienced, I attributed it to the incompleteness of
instructional design theories. Theories were, after all, only robust and mature at
the end of a long developmental process, and instructional design theories had a
very short history. Lately, however, I have begun to believe that the discrepancy
between instructional design theories and instructional design practice will
never be resolved because instructional design practice will always be a form of
situated activity (i.e. depend on the specific, concrete, and unique circumstances
of the project I am working on).
— from Streibel, M. (1991). Instructional plans and situated learning: The
challenge of Suchman's theory of situated action for instructional designers and
instructional systems. In G.Anglin (Ed.),Instructional technology: Past, Present,
and Future (pp. 122). Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited.
History
• Originated in 1960s in manufacturing industry with the development of
computer controlled tools
• 1970s brought the creation of mathematical 3D solid models and the first
Computer Aided Design (CAD) systems
• 1980s Introduction of Solid Freeform Fabrication (SFF); Rapid Prototyping is
used in many manufacturing processes
• From 1980s, Rapid Prototyping is also used throughout most software
development design
Why do it?
• Clarify Needs
• Enhance creativity
• Reduce errors in final product
• Increase usability
• Increase customer acceptance
Risks
• Method not understood by client or developers
• Endless revision
• Premature release
• Goal/feature creep
• Project management requirements different
Michael M. Grant 2010

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• Vertical Prototypes - in-depth functionality for a few features
• Horizontal Prototypes - entire screen with no underlying functionality
• Paper prototypes - easy to change. users perceive that it is easier to change. Often
throwing in color or artwork make a use thing that they cannot suggest changes.
• Wireframe Prototypes / Wireframing - nothing visual, just shaded blocks
explaining what will be there
• Storyboarding
• Electronic prototypes (inspiration)
Look and Feel Prototype
• Can deal with style
• Colors
• Effects, such as drop shadows
• Divisions of screen areas (real estate)
• Use of mouse gestures
Media Prototype
• Can explore use of sound effects, narration, 3D illustration, video, etc.
Navigation Prototype
• Can illustrate the capabilities to move from one activity to another
• How to access reference materials and services, such as glosssary, notebook,
calculator, personal performance data
Interactivity Prototype
• Can illustrate designs of the context, activity and feedback
• How do the practice items work?
• What types of interactions are embedded to interact with the content
Advantages
• It encourages and requires active student participation in the design process.
• Iteration and change are natural consequences of instructional systems
development. Clients tend to change their minds.
• Clients don't know their requirements until they see them implemented.
• An approved prototype is the equivalent of a paper specification with one
exception—errors can be detected earlier.
Michael M. Grant 2010

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• Prototyping can increase creativity through quicker user feedback.
• Prototyping accelerates the development cycle.
Disadvantages
• Prototyping can lead to a design-by-repair philosophy, which is only an excuse
for lack of discipline.
• Prototyping does not eliminate the need for front-end analysis. It cannot help if
the situation is not amenable to instructional design.
• A prototype cannot substitute completely for a paper analysis.
• There may be many instructional design problems which are not addressed bv
prototvping.
• Prototyping may lead to premature commitment to a design if it is not
remembered that a design is only a hypothesis.
• When prototyping an instructional package, creeping featurism (the adding of
bells and whistles) may lead to designs that get out of control.
Tips
• Suspend good programming practices that require time or thought; faster is
better.
• Don’t be concerned with media or a polished look.
• Fake everything you can.
• Focus on interactivity, because people have trouble judging it until they’ve
actually seen it.
• Remember more prototypes are better than fewer, more complete prototypes.
Design + Development
• Rapid prototyping can be used with both design and development.
• I’m recommending that you conduct design and development concurrently, using
rapid prototyping for developing and feeding the information you need for design.
References
Allen, M. (2007). Designing successful e-Learning, Michael Allen's online learning
library: Forget what you know about instructional design and do something interesting.
San Francisco: Pfeiffer.
Allen Interactions. (n.d.) Supervisor effectiveness: Employee security [interactive
module, images]. Retrieved February 4, 2010 from
http://www.alleninteractions.com/demos/corning/course/supervisoreffectiveness.swf
Lynch, M.M. & Roecker, J. (2007). Project managing e-learning: A handbook for
successful design, delivery and management. New York: Routledge.
Piskurich, G.M. (2006). Rapid instructional design: Learning ID fast and right (2nd
Michael M. Grant 2010

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ed.). San Francisco: Pfeiffer.
Rieber, L.P. (1999). Comparing design and development within rapid prototyping and
formative evaluation [image]. Retrieved February 4, 2010 from
http://it.coe.uga.edu/studio/seminars/rpfe.html
Streibel, M. (1991). Instructional plans and situated learning: The challenge of
Suchman's theory of situated action for instructional designers and instructional
systems. In G.Anglin (Ed.),Instructional technology: Past, Present, and Future (pp.
122). Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited.
Tripp, S., & Bichelmeyer, B. (1990). Rapid prototyping: An alternative instructional
design strategy [image]. Educational Technology Research & Development, 38(1),
31-44.
Michael M. Grant 2010