Unit 3 · Lesson 12 of 20
Prototype the question you need to answer
Choose the prototype detail needed to test status understanding.
01 / Learn
Learn the method
Fictional case
The team wants to learn whether patients understand received and delayed check-in states.
Terms for this lesson
- Prototype
- A representation built to learn about a design choice.
- Fidelity
- The degree to which a prototype represents particular real behaviors or details.
- Simulation
- A scripted behavior used to stand in for part of a working service.
A prototype is a representation used to learn about a design. Start by naming the question: can a patient tell when the clinic has received an arrival, and can they choose a next step during delay? This question determines which screens, timing, and interactions the prototype must show.
A paper flow can test wording and sequence. A clickable kiosk prototype can show realistic transitions and the privacy reset. A connected build can test live receipt and queue behavior. Each form supports a different observation, so the prototype brief should name the represented behavior and the simulated behavior.
Make the delayed branch part of the prototype. Patients can then encounter the moment that caused uncertainty in the current service. Give them a believable appointment goal and let their actions reveal what they understand. The facilitator can trigger a scripted receipt or delay at a consistent point across sessions.
Record the prototype's boundary beside the test plan. A scripted receipt can reveal patient interpretation of a message. Production integration testing can later establish timing and reliability. This separation keeps conclusions closely tied to the experience actually tested.
Use the method
- Name the question the team needs to answer.
- Include the screens and transitions required to observe it.
- Record simulated behavior and the later check for live service behavior.
Prototype detail earns its place by helping the team observe a named decision question.
- Nielsen Norman Group: Paper Prototyping: Getting User Data Before You Code ↗Choose the simplest representation that still permits the intended observation.
- Nielsen Norman Group: UX Prototypes: Low Fidelity vs. High Fidelity ↗Match prototype realism to what must be learned.
- GOV.UK Service Manual: Using moderated usability testing ↗Write believable, neutral tasks that answer a research question.
02 / See the reasoning
Worked example
The team creates a clickable kiosk flow with code entry, a brief sending state, a receipt message, and a delayed branch. The facilitator uses a timing sheet to choose each branch. Mira receives a realistic appointment card and works through the task. The team records what she believes happened at each status. A separate technical check covers live service receipts.
Try a decision →03 / Decide
Guided decision
Which first prototype gives the team the most useful evidence about patient interpretation of the delayed state?
Feedback on your choice
What could change the answer: A question about receipt timing across actual network interruptions would call for a connected technical test.
Use this feedback to examine your choice and written reasoning.
Build your case file →04 / Build the case
Your case file
Fictional case update
The team also wants to learn whether Mira notices the shared kiosk clearing her appointment details after check-in.
Evidence and constraints
- Fictional decision question: patients should distinguish an accepted arrival from a delayed request.
- Fictional system detail: the service can issue a receipt or return a delay during a request.
- Fictional setting: the shared kiosk displays appointment details during check-in.
Add the privacy reset to the prototype brief. State the behavior to simulate and the observation that would show patient understanding.
Create: A prototype brief with represented states, scripted behavior, participant task, observation, and study boundary.
The prototype supports the stated question and makes its simulated behavior explicit.
- The brief names one research question.
- The prototype includes the consequential delayed state.
- The brief separates interpretation testing from live integration testing.
The prototype is ready for a study. The next lesson states the effect the team expects to see.
Unit complete
You completed design and apply.
You finished this unit's four case-file tasks. The next unit builds on the evidence and decisions you made here.
05 / Keep working