Prototyping: A strategy in system development in which a scaled down system or portion of a system is constructed in a short time, tested, and improved in several iterations.

Brainstorming, sketching, prototyping, designing - what’s the difference?

There can be many phases when it comes to putting together a project. When you have a goal for what it is you’ll be putting together, this is called the concept. Your concept might already inherently have a medium you’ll be using (such as a website or a poster) but most times at this point it’s best to think about what the end result needs to be and the best way to get to that point. This is where brainstorming comes in - spending time to dump out all the ideas that come to mind (quantity is better than quality) and then sorting them by what would get the job done and what may be a good idea, but doesn’t serve the purpose of your end goal. After this it’s time to do some sketching. Sketching can be done in the traditional way by using a pad of paper and a pencil, but can also mean using other tools such as photography, computer software (like Flash), audio recordings, or video. The premise of sketching is to take your best ideas that came from brainstorming and flush them out; see what some of the drawbacks are in your events or steps along the way, and start to visualize how your project will turn out. Sketches should never be time consuming, but should also be pointed and never thoughtless. After you have a plan of action it’s time to get to prototyping. This is the step that we begin refining the project and putting pieces in place. Making simple step, no-frill versions of what the end result will be gives you the opportunity to test with real people and get real feedback. After you’ve prototyped, tested, and revised as necessary you can continue to design your project. There’s no magic number of prototypes or tests and revisions that have to take place because projects and situations differ, but you’ll know when you’ve worked out the major flaws and can continue to fine-tune your masterpiece.

I already have a process, no thanks.

It can be frustrating to change routine, and making “dumbed-down versions” could seem like a waste of time at first, but when you think of how many times you’ve produced something that you believe is finished, but it ends up falling short or having problems you could have caught if only you’d thought of it earlier - you’ll realize prototyping and testing early saves you time.

For a great understanding of how sketching and user interaction work together, take a look at Bill Buxton’s book Sketching User Experiences

Okay, but what does this have to do with Flash?

The earlier you can have something to show to people to help you test your project, the better. This is where Flash comes in! Prototyping (and sketching) using Flash gives you a jump ahead because you don’t have to make something that’s completely finished and jaw-droppingly beautiful in Flash, you can also use it to create simple illustrations of how the end result could be. Use these quick prototypes to get feedback right away, revise, rinse and repeat as necessary, and then design knowing you’re not making assumptions, because it already works.

Flash also comes with standard components and features that make prototyping easy. Drag and drop buttons, boxes, images, and text are simple in Flash when you aren’t worried about how it looks, only how it functions. Moving back and forth between screens or making objects appear and disappear is never really how it will be when seen on a pad of paper or a static graphic, but using Flash’s built-in foundation of animation and frame-based layering you can simulate these effects with ease.

Another big advantage of using Flash for prototyping is even though you don’t have to, a lot of projects will end up being fully created and realized in Flash anyways. So working from Flash at the beginning means you can continue working with the same files instead of having to start over from scratch.

Are you paid by Adobe or something?

No! I don’t consider myself an Adobe or even a Flash evangelist. The way I see it, whatever we can do to make our projects more thoughtful and helpful, the better off we’ll all be. At the core of all this is how to help people design for people. Flash just happens to be a great tool at this point in time for allowing us to make our process run smoothly and focus on what’s important.

Where do I start?

If you’re new to Flash go to the Tutorials section and get started with the classes created especially for beginners (link). This will give you an understanding of how the Flash application works and the basics of how to use it specifically for prototyping your projects.