Read the following tips (or watch the video below) to learn what a prototype is and how to test one.
Prototypes and wireframes are unfinished versions of sites or apps; the links won’t always work, images may not be in place (if there are any!), and they might contain filler text (like “Lorem Ipsum”).
This means you'll need to use your imagination when interacting with a prototype or wireframe. It’s important not to get hung up on the appearance you’re looking at, but to instead focus on what you DO understand about the page, and what you would expect to happen next if you continued down whatever path you are exploring.
If you want to get a high rating on a prototype or wireframe test, do the following things:
- Do not comment on the appearance of the website or app, unless asked specifically about it. You are probably not looking at the final version of the product, just its skeleton. Simply keep the scenario in mind and proceed through the test.
- Clearly explain your expectations. If something doesn’t work the way you expect it to (or doesn’t work at all), just explain what you would expect to see and then move on with the test.
- "I don't like this prototype because I can't click on this button" isn’t nearly as helpful as, "If I could click this button, I’d expect to be able to..."
- "I don't like this prototype because I can't click on this button" isn’t nearly as helpful as, "If I could click this button, I’d expect to be able to..."
- Be patient. Some customers build prototypes on internal servers that may take longer to load. Other companies build prototypes inside of other tools like InVision, Marvel, Figma, or Adobe XD. Slow loading times, improper page sizing, or strange navigation controls may happen. Be patient, and do your best to work around these functionality hiccups.
- Do not interact with the prototype platform unless specifically asked to do so. You may see buttons on the edges of the prototype (highlighted with red arrows in the screenshot below) that are part of the prototype platform. Interacting with these may disrupt the prototype flow, so do not click on these areas unless explicitly instructed to do so in the task instructions.
- Explain what you understand, and why you understand it that way. “This doesn’t make any sense” isn’t nearly as helpful as, “Well, I thought that this icon meant ‘save’ because of the check mark, but now it looks like I deleted it.”
- Don't click before being told. The customer usually has an intended path for you to follow when testing a prototype. You can disrupt the flow of your experience if you click or tap ahead before the instructions say to do so. Read the instructions carefully before interacting with the prototype.
If you realize that you have worked ahead of the customer's instructions or cannot complete multiple steps as instructed, it's best to quit the test or report a problem.