Envision and Design - Toolkit
The Hiser Element Toolkit
Card Sorting Tool
The Card Sorting Tool is for members of the development team who are in the first stages of the Envision & Design phase. Card sorting is a valuable tool for informing the structure of content, such as web content and pull-down menus, early in the design process.
Card sorting is an effective tool for capturing feedback from target users before a paper mock-up is produced.
This tool describes how to carry out the card-sorting technique for gaining insight into the target user's mental model.
Icon Design Tool
The Icon Design Tool is for members of the development team who are in first and later stages of the Envision & Design phase. This tool describes three steps in designing and developing icons: brainstorming, development and testing.
Adopting a formal method for designing icons will lead to a set of appropriate icons which are easy to learn and remember, whether they are for a GUI or a website.
This tool provides guidelines for designing icons, and a method for design and evaluation of potential ideas as well as worksheets and samples.
Support tools
- Icon Function Analysis Worksheet
- Icon Function Analysis Worksheet Sample
- Icon Style Sheet
- Icon Design Worksheet
Creating Paper Mock-Ups Tool
The Create Paper Mock-ups Tool is for members of the development team who are in the first stages of the Envision & Design phase. A paper mock-up is essential for the early capture of usability issues, gathering user feedback and input, while rapidly developing ideas.
A paper mock-up allows the design team to work through design concepts and demonstrate the behavior of the user interface before any code is generated. It is an effective tool for capturing feedback from target users. Finally, it allows the design team to generate a number of concepts rather than becoming stuck with one.
This tool provides techniques for creating paper mock-ups during design as well as various mock-up templates.
Support tools
- Paper Mock-up Kit
- SVGA Template
- Netscape 3 SVGA Template
- Netscape 3 VGA Template
- 10.4 Inch Touch Screen Template
- 12.1 Inch Touch Screen Template
Group Collaborative Design Sessions Tool
Group collaborative design sessions enable development teams to rapidly create screen designs for specific applications.
A group collaborative design session involves a group of stakeholders such as users, developers and analysts, together designing the user interface of an application. This is done with paper mock-ups, using scenarios to drive the walkthrough as a means of identifying potential usability problems.
This tool provides techniques for organizing and running design sessions with users and stakeholders.
Design Memos Tool
This tool is designed to enable developers, usability specialists, or people involved in interface design projects, to document and ‘maintain’ a design as it develops.
The tool describes design memos, contains step-by-step instructions on how to use them, and provides templates and examples.
Support tools
- Design Memos for window templates or instance [short]
- Specification Design Memo for windows [long]
- Design Memo Example 1
- Design Memo Example 2
