Effective Prototyping with Excel: A practical handbook for developers and designers (Interactive Technologies)

✍ Scribed by Nevin Berger, Michael Arent, Jonathan Arnowitz, Fred Sampson

• Publisher: Morgan Kaufmann
• Year: 2009
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 230
• Series: Interactive Technologies
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

Although recognized as a key to the design process, prototyping often falls victim to budget cuts, deadlines, or lack of access to sophisticated tools. This can lead to sloppy and ineffective prototypes or the abandonment of them altogether. Rather than lose this important step, people are turning to Microsoft Excel® to create effective, simple, and inexpensive prototypes. Conveniently, the software is available to nearly everyone, and most are proficient in its basic functionality.
Effective Prototyping with Excel offers how-to guidance on how everyone can use basic Excel skills to create prototypes - ranging from narrative wire frames to hi-fidelity prototypes. A wide array of software design problems and business demands are solved via practical step-by-step examples and illustrations.
. Step-by-step guide to prototyping with a simple and affordable tool nearly everyone already has on their desktop.
. Quickly and easily allows web and software designers to explore usability, design alternatives, and test theories prior to starting production.
. Perfect companion to Effective Prototyping for Software Makers - with the same author team and full-color treatment, useful case studies, and hands-on exercises.

✦ Table of Contents

Cover Page......Page 1
Copyright Page......Page 2
Dedications......Page 3
Acknowledgments......Page 4
About the Authors......Page 5
A Developer's Dilemma......Page 7
A Case Study......Page 8
Introduction......Page 9
Prototyping Flexibility......Page 10
Storyboard Prototypes......Page 11
Wireframe Prototypes......Page 12
Paper Prototypes......Page 13
Digital Interactive Prototypes......Page 15
Professional Results......Page 16
Readily Available......Page 17
Prototyping Productivity......Page 18
Our Goal......Page 19
Getting Started: Your First Excel Prototype......Page 20
How to Create Your First Excel Prototype......Page 21
To Adapt the Template:......Page 24
To Add a Header:......Page 25
To Add a Search Text Entry Box and Accompanying Search Button:......Page 27
To Add Page Navigation:......Page 28
To Build the Hotel Finder Area:......Page 29
To Create a Grouping Box Around the Hotel Finder Area:......Page 31
To Create the Placeholder, the Images, and Descriptive Text for the Featured Hotels Area:......Page 32
To Create the Placeholder Promotional Information Area:......Page 33
Summary......Page 36
How to Use This Book......Page 37
How to Use the Associated Files......Page 38
Basics: The Excel Prototyping Canvas......Page 39
To Prepare a Canvas:......Page 40
To Hide the Grid:......Page 41
To Change the Row and Column Dimensions:......Page 43
Conclusion......Page 50
Creating an Excel Prototyping Template......Page 51
The Image Library......Page 52
What Graphics Should be Included in Your Image Library Worksheet?......Page 53
When to Use Graphics Instead of Widgets Built in Excel......Page 54
To Add Graphics to the Template:......Page 55
The Boxes & Buttons Worksheet......Page 57
To Create the Combo Box:......Page 58
Buttons......Page 59
To Create a Button:......Page 60
The Tabs Worksheet......Page 64
To Create a New Color:......Page 71
The Tips and Tricks Worksheet......Page 78
The Table Template Worksheet......Page 80
To Build a Table:......Page 81
Modifying the Table......Page 85
The Starter Worksheet......Page 87
Conclusion......Page 88
Excel Prototyping: Storyboards......Page 89
About Storyboards......Page 90
How to Create an Excel Storyboard Prototype......Page 94
To Build a Storyboard:......Page 96
To Create the Header:......Page 97
To Place a Wireframe Image on the Worksheet:......Page 99
To Create a Text Box:......Page 101
Options for Presenting Your Storyboard......Page 103
To Add Navigation Links to a Storyboard:......Page 104
References......Page 106
Wireframes......Page 107
Introduction to Wireframes......Page 108
Task Flow or Site Map Diagram......Page 109
To Create Site Map Wireframe Boxes:......Page 110
To Add Connectors Between Boxes:......Page 111
To Create an Interactive Site Map:......Page 113
From Skeletal to Detailed Wireframes......Page 114
The Excel Methodology......Page 116
References......Page 118
Digital Interactive Prototypes......Page 119
About Digital Interactive Prototypes......Page 120
Creating Interactive Prototypes with Excel......Page 121
Gathering and Verifying Requirements for the Prototype......Page 122
Creating a Screen Flow Diagram......Page 123
To Create the Thumbnails in Excel:......Page 124
To Group Shapes:......Page 132
Creating an Interactive Prototype......Page 134
To Create the Interactive Digital Prototype:......Page 136
To Create a Drop-Down Menu:......Page 138
References......Page 146
Iterating Prototypes With Excel......Page 147
Preparing for a Design Iteration......Page 148
Creating Iterations of Your Excel Prototype......Page 149
Iteration 1: Simple Wireframe......Page 150
Iteration 2: Wireframe with Some Details......Page 151
Iteration 3: Wireframe Updated with Design Team Feedback......Page 154
Iteration 4: Final Wireframe......Page 161
References......Page 162
Communicating Your Design in Excel......Page 163
Introduction......Page 164
To Create a ScreenTip Annotation:......Page 166
Inserting Comments......Page 169
To Insert a Comment:......Page 171
Creating Annotation Areas......Page 174
To Create Annotation Areas:......Page 175
References
......Page 182
Sharing Your Excel Prototype......Page 183
Using Your Prototype for Collaboration......Page 184
Mitigating the Risks of Implementing a Finished Prototype......Page 186
Outdated Prototypes......Page 187
Misunderstanding and Misinterpretation......Page 188
Setting the Appropriate Fidelity Level......Page 189
To Create a Translucent Overlay:......Page 190
To Name a Tab:......Page 193
To Color a Tab:......Page 194
Identifying Which Links Work and Which Are Just Mocked Up......Page 195
Improving the Appearance and Presentation of Your Excel Prototypes......Page 196
References......Page 200
Appendix A: Useful Techniques with Excel......Page 201
To Turn Off the Display of Gridlines to Create a Blank Canvas:......Page 202
To Specify a Background Texture:......Page 203
Another Way to Use a Background:......Page 204
To Specify How a Cell or Group of Cells Appears:......Page 206
To Insert Shapes:......Page 207
To Order Shapes:......Page 208
Saving a Workbook as HTML......Page 209
Insert and Delete Cells Shortcuts......Page 210
Drag-and-Drop Shortcuts......Page 213
To Align Elements on a Page:......Page 214
To Apply Drag-Fill:......Page 216
Drag-Fill Patterns:......Page 218
Copy and Paste: Building Prototype Screens Quickly......Page 219
Selecting Object Mode:......Page 220
Formatting Toolbar......Page 221
Nevin Discovers Excel as a Rapid Prototyping Tool......Page 223
First Exposure......Page 224
A Test Case......Page 225
Glossary......Page 227
References......Page 230