Prototyping Methods Used to Develop CyberRwanda
| Methods of sharing prototypes used | Description |
|---|---|
| Paper prototyping: used to develop the initial design platform and subsequent iterations, content, and marketing materials (content, UI/UX, social media marketing strategy, promotional materials) | Paper and cardboard prototypes are used or co-created to create a quick but interactive physical representation of the product or experience. |
| Role play: Used in prototyping the end-to-end ordering experience | Participants are assigned certain scenarios and roles to help designers understand the interactions through observing the improvised scenario-specific performances. |
| Storyboarding: Used in prototyping workshops with pharmacists to walk through the potential value of the platform and pain points | Drawings or images displayed in sequence for pre-visualizing a new experience or service (e.g., a clinic visit). |
| Low- and high-fidelity interactive prototyping/digital prototyping: Used in the final stages of prototyping of the digital platform | Participants interact with an interactive prototype that has the look and feel of the final product. |
| “Wizard of Oz”: used to test a motorcycle taxi delivery service prototype | Participants interact with a digital product that appears to be computer-driven, when in fact responses are human-controlled. This method may intersect with others listed here. |
| Methods of eliciting feedback and preferences | Purpose |
| Ideation and co-creation: used to design and iterate on the cast of CyberRwanda webcomic characters, as well as developing storyline and content) | Participants generate entirely or partly new ideas for prototypes to test based on a design brief. |
| Elicitation: commonly used at the end of a prototyping session after showing multiple concepts | Asking the participants directly what improvements can be made to the prototypes to better reflect their needs and desires, what they prefer, and why. |
| Ranking: used to rank preferred channels of communication for young people to inform CyberRwanda marketing (e.g., posters, radio ads/shows, referral cards, and SMS alerts) | Participants vote and/or rank their preferred prototypes and top concerns. |
| Pre-/post-survey: this was used to evaluate knowledge improvement after interacting with an early prototype | Use surveys to evaluate change in specific indicators pre- and post-interaction with prototypes. The level of rigor may vary depending on the needs and the phase of the project. In early stages when testing low-fidelity, “rough” prototypes, these may help in rapidly deciding on prototype selection, but the sample size may not be powered appropriately. During the pilot, and implementation, and sometimes for live prototyping, an adequately powered sample is used. |