USER EXPERIENCE / PROOF OF CONCEPT / PART 3

Creating a Medium-fidelity UX Proof of Concept

Improving the design, enriching the user story, building a “clickable” prototype, and conducting a usability test.

This is the third article of a four-part series. Please read Part 1 and Part 2.

In the early days of television advertising, classic 1950s car commercials reveled in enumerating each shiny-new feature of the latest Detroit gas guzzler. The space-age tail fins. The state-of-the-art stereo FM radio. The insta-matic power steering. Madison Avenue ad men explicitly described features but left out the practical story or context. The social-status of owning one of these post-war wonders was signaled with worshipping gestures and outsized Colgate smiles.

Left: 1950s car commercials explain features. Right: current car commercials demonstrate features by portraying stories (Source: Buick SUVs).

In the latest Buick SUV ad spot, we see a staccato presentation of quick-cut micro-stories. These place us as the potential buyers, in everyday scenarios. A teenager parallel parking at the touch of a button, health-conscious yoga goers getting comfortable with automatic cooling seats, and an aspiring couple starting…