User-Driven Prototyping

Your constantly-updated definition of User-Driven Prototyping and collection of videos and articles
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What is User-Driven Prototyping?

User-driven prototyping is a user research method in which designers recruit users to create basic versions of a product. While user inputs may not make it to the final design, they provide insights into how users think and expect designs to work.

User-driven prototypes can reveal user preferences that other research methods may not. For example, designers might present a series of mockups to a user with toolbar placements on the top and sides of the screen. The designers ask which mockup the user prefers. This approach creates an anchoring bias, where the user believes only the options presented are possibilities. However, if instead, the user made a prototype themselves, they might put the toolbar at the bottom, which is their genuine preference.

Users typically create prototypes with pens, paper, and other stationery. These materials are universal, easy to use, and enable users to record their thoughts and ideas without barriers. Designers may provide users with templates or wireframes to build on, or they may ask them to start from scratch.

Designers may observe and talk to users as they create their prototypes, which can reveal further insights, such as user priorities. For example, designers may observe which elements users focus on first. This observation could reveal the most critical features from the user’s perspective.

Literature on User-Driven Prototyping

Here’s the entire UX literature on User-Driven Prototyping by the Interaction Design Foundation, collated in one place:

Learn more about User-Driven Prototyping

Take a deep dive into User-Driven Prototyping with our course User Research – Methods and Best Practices .

How do you plan to design a product or service that your users will love, if you don't know what they want in the first place? As a user experience designer, you shouldn't leave it to chance to design something outstanding; you should make the effort to understand your users and build on that knowledge from the outset. User research is the way to do this, and it can therefore be thought of as the largest part of user experience design.

In fact, user research is often the first step of a UX design process—after all, you cannot begin to design a product or service without first understanding what your users want! As you gain the skills required, and learn about the best practices in user research, you’ll get first-hand knowledge of your users and be able to design the optimal product—one that’s truly relevant for your users and, subsequently, outperforms your competitors’.

This course will give you insights into the most essential qualitative research methods around and will teach you how to put them into practice in your design work. You’ll also have the opportunity to embark on three practical projects where you can apply what you’ve learned to carry out user research in the real world. You’ll learn details about how to plan user research projects and fit them into your own work processes in a way that maximizes the impact your research can have on your designs. On top of that, you’ll gain practice with different methods that will help you analyze the results of your research and communicate your findings to your clients and stakeholders—workshops, user journeys and personas, just to name a few!

By the end of the course, you’ll have not only a Course Certificate but also three case studies to add to your portfolio. And remember, a portfolio with engaging case studies is invaluable if you are looking to break into a career in UX design or user research!

We believe you should learn from the best, so we’ve gathered a team of experts to help teach this course alongside our own course instructors. That means you’ll meet a new instructor in each of the lessons on research methods who is an expert in their field—we hope you enjoy what they have in store for you!

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Interaction Design Foundation - IxDF. (2016, December 2). What is User-Driven Prototyping?. Interaction Design Foundation - IxDF.

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