Half decent idea, Poorly executed prototypes

20Apr08

As we march forward on building prototypes for the enlightened “presentation” experience (and for the New Options Initiative project in prototyping workshop for that matter), I think about all the captivating ways we can have people on the edge of their seats in anticipation listening to our story.

I’ve seen tons of prototypes and alpha/beta interfaces out there that don’t quite connect with the audience– and I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure we don’t make the same mistakes.

Take a look at this, and tell me what you think.

In my opinion, it doesn’t work for these reasons:

  • It seems a little too scripted, which detracts from its authenticity. The maĆ®tre de remains on the phone while the caller is searching for the menu for more than 14 seconds. Completely unrealistic.
  • It uses the same visual language as the iPhone commercials. When I first saw it, I thought it WAS some sort of alternate world with a cornier looking iPhone. C’mon, be a little more original. Use a white background. Or purple. Show a person’s face. The only reason to mimic the iPhone commercial would be to lampoon it (seemingly risky).
  • The thought bubbles are unnecessary. Especially the “Here you go guys” — Prototypes that interact with human beings (and there are very few that don’t interact with human beings, I’d argue, should clearly express what the human being is feeling/thinking without using thought bubbles.

dialplus.png

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