UX Prototype Planning

Primary User Flow

Based on our solution concept and key features, please map the primary user flow from start to goal completion.

Requirements:

1. Start with the user’s entry point into the experience
2. Include each significant step the user takes
3. Note the user’s goal or intention at each step
4. End with successful completion of the core task
5. Focus only on the “happy path” where everything goes as expected
6. Format as a numbered sequence for clarity
7. Identify the actions, screens, and decisions (using standard flow notation)
8. Keep the flow focused on the specific user goal identified in our problem statement

The flow should map the quickest and easiest path to goal completion, making sure each step logically leads to the next. This establishes the backbone for our prototype design.

Remember that user flows should map the user’s perspective and mental model, not your technical or organizational structure. Focus on what the user is trying to accomplish at each stage.

Scope Prototype

Based on our user flow and key screens, let’s define the scope for our initial prototype.

Please help me determine:

1. Which specific screens from our flow should be included in the prototype?
2. Which user interactions need to be functional?
3. Which aspects can be simulated or “smoke and mirrors”?
4. What content needs to be realistic vs. placeholder?
5. Where should we set the boundaries of the prototype experience?
6. What minimum level of fidelity is required to test our hypothesis?
7. Which parts of the flow are most critical for testing our assumptions?

Consider both what to include and what to intentionally exclude at this stage. The prototype should be a focused tool for testing specific hypotheses, not a comprehensive implementation.

The goal is to define a prototype scope that is focused enough to build quickly but sufficient to test our core hypothesis. We want to learn the most important things with the minimum necessary investment of time and resources.

Fidelity Choice

Help me determine the appropriate fidelity level for our prototype based on our testing goals.

Please consider:

1. What level of visual fidelity is necessary to test our hypothesis?
2. What level of interaction fidelity is necessary?
3. What level of content fidelity is necessary?
4. How might different fidelity choices affect our test results?
5. What’s the minimum fidelity needed to get valid feedback?
6. Which aspects would benefit from higher fidelity and which can remain lower?
7. How does our fidelity choice align with our specific testing questions?

For each decision, consider the trade-off between investment (time/resources) and learning value. Higher fidelity isn’t always better - it depends entirely on what you’re trying to learn.

Recommend a specific fidelity approach (low/mid/high) for each aspect (visual, interaction, content) with justification based on our specific testing needs. Consider a hybrid approach where critical components have higher fidelity while less important elements remain simpler.

Identify Key Interactions

For our prototype, please identify the specific interactions that need to be functional.

For each key interaction:

1. Describe the user action (e.g., “tap button”, “swipe list”)
2. Note the expected system response
3. Explain why this interaction is critical to test
4. Suggest how complex it might be to implement
5. Note any specific details needed for the interaction to feel realistic

Focus on interactions that are essential to testing our hypothesis rather than trying to make everything functional.