Low-tech testing on a high-tech iPad

Here's a little levity on the eve of the iPad launch chaos tomorrow. We're going through release after release today of all of these iPad apps, and after browsing page after page after page in the App Store, it's sometimes easy to forget just how much work went into each one of these things. The Omni Group has a nice writeup on their blog about how they designed the OmniGraphSketcher app, and while the iPad will be the center of attention tomorrow for its blend of technology and innovation, the Omni app was actually designed in a very low-tech way: with paper.

They designed a same-size iPad mockup and cut out a bunch of paper menus and interfaces, and then did their testing with them that way, going with instinct on what goes where and how it all worked out. The iPad is an innovative device, to be sure, but the reason it's so innovative is because you can model it easily with much older technology like paper. Developers don't cut out a paper mouse and keyboard to design their desktop apps, but with the iPad, the interface has to be re-designed completely, and so cutting out colored paper is just as effective as testing out code. Very interesting, and something to keep in mind as we all touch and poke and prod our new devices tomorrow.

[via 37Signals]

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Source: http://www.omnigroup.com/blog/entry/Designing_OmniGraphSketc…

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Here's a little levity on the eve of the iPad launch chaos tomorrow. We're going through release after release today of all of these iPad...

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balls

Uh, being able to model UI with paper is something UI people have been doing for decards. If that's what makes the iPad so innovative, then it's clearly not.

April 03 2010 at 12:14 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

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balls

s/decards/decades/g

April 03 2010 at 12:14 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Simon

Will omnioutliner and omnifocus be released as well?

April 03 2010 at 4:28 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Jimbo

I don't get why people think it is innovative, magical, or revolutionary. I am not being a hater here. All I see is a big iPod Touch.

My house is filled with Apple Products, but I won't be bothering with this one. I think it's about as useless to me as the MacBook Air or whatever that thing is called and the Apple TV thing.

I do know that Apple went to an extreme to market this thing. People will buy what they see on TV, read about in newspapers, hear and see on the TV, etc. The media hype on this thing is HUGE, and consumers are stupid, and the combination of those two factors makes it an easy sell.

April 03 2010 at 12:28 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Superdajk

This happens more then you think, especially in the game industry. It's easier to prototype ideas and elements using simple materials, such as (but not limited to) paper and lego bricks. It's easy, fast and cheap. If you want something quick and tangible, this is the way to go.

April 02 2010 at 10:28 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Stripes

"Developers don't cut out a paper mouse and keyboard to design their desktop apps"

Not so much on the paper mouse and keyboard, but yes, developers DO make paper mockups of "traditional" UI systems. Some find it better then doing it in Interface Builder. Some like using IB for most of that kind of work, but still do paper mockups of any custom widget, or for things that are custom views or OpenGL views.

April 02 2010 at 10:20 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

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thomasdavies

Exactly, paper prototyping has always played a fundamental role in app design.

April 03 2010 at 5:42 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply