Wireframe prototype testing useless or useful?
Some people (among them are my teachers) say that wireframe prototype testing is useful. I on the other hand think the “wireframe” part doesn’t work.
So, how come? Well, prototype usability testing is all about design!
Lets take a look at “mailchimps” website.
I took the liberty of converting this to a usability design.
Now, in my opinion, the red “Sign up now” button does look a lot less important then it did before! It’s just another button.
To be very short, color and design are part of the user experience and should be part of the testing process (right from the start!). In wireframe testing you leave these things out, and might be correcting things that don’t even need correcting when the color and design is laid out.
Real user testing should be done with fully interactive and fully worked out prototypes!