Author: Brian Dys

Admittedly in the design industry, there are lots of terms being used to call design artifacts (not to mention their combos)—flowcharts, wireframes, wireflows, comps, FAs, and prototypes.

A prototype is not an artifact per se but what we make of an artifact. It cuts across disciplines and stages in the design process because of its purpose—to foster innovation, collaboration, and creativity by presenting and testing it to a relevant audience.

A set of wireframes designed to communicate a specific functionality is a prototype. Even a flowchart that communicates the flow of tasks is a prototype.

Recently, I’ve come across the term “Click–Through Prototypes” which also is “Interactive Prototypes”—the ones wherein the test participant could click on specific elements and be taken to the next interaction point.

I knew it from decades ago as “image–mapping” or putting “hot spots” in elements we want to be clickable.

Wireflows. First time today that I’ve read about this fairly novel artifact. What I’ve been using (and sharing with my team) is called an Interaction Diagram—which, basically, is a Task Flow Diagram plus Wireframes.

Reading that article from Nielsen Norman Group, I’ve found out that there could be a high–fidelity wireflow—which in the example given, it showed a high–fidelity mockup.

As I understand it, there’s a distinction between a wireframe and a mockup. So, how would one call a “wireflow” that instead of wireframes, uses mockups as its visuals? Mockflow?

Yesterday, our team attended a lecture in Agile and Scrum. I realized that some of its principles are familiar based on our practices as designers.

Agile Manifesto

We are uncovering better ways of developing software by doing it and helping others do it. Through this work we have come to value:

• Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
• Working software over comprehensive documentation
• Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
• Responding to change over following a plan

That is, while there is value in the items on the right, we value the items on the left more.

Agile Principles

1. Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of valuable software.
2. Welcome changing requirements, even late in development. Agile processes harness change for the customer’s competitive advantage.
3. Deliver working software frequently, from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, with a preference to the shorter timescale.
4. Business people and developers must work together daily throughout the project.
5. Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they need, and trust them to get the job done.
6. The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a development team is face-to-face conversation.
7. Working software is the primary measure of progress.
8. Agile processes promote sustainable development. The sponsors, developers, and users should be able to maintain a constant pace indefinitely.
9. Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design enhances agility.
10. Simplicity–the art of maximizing the amount of work not done–is essential.
11. The best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing teams.
12. At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly.

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Sources

• Agile Manifesto
• Agile Principles