The Blank-Page Technique: Reinvigorating Paper Prototyping in Usability Testing

Brian Still Texas Tech University ; John Morris

Abstract

Arguably, usability testing is most effective when integrated into the user-centered design process. One way to encourage this integration is to reemphasize the value of paper prototyping. In a recent test of a university library website, we married low-fidelity paper prototyping with medium-fidelity wireframe prototyping. When user navigation led to nonexisting pages or dead ends, users were encouraged to create what they thought should be where there was nothing. This blank-page technique gave us insights into users' mental models regarding site content and design, providing developers with useful data concerning how users conceptualized information they encountered.

Journal
IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
Published
2010-06-01
DOI
10.1109/tpc.2010.2046100
CompPile
Open Access
Closed
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Citation Context

Cited by in this index (5)

  1. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  2. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  3. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  4. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  5. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication

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