The Design Challenge:
The propose of this project is to build a device/tool for designers that they can use every day for UX work, so I created a 2½D smartphone prototyping frame by laser cutting a piece of paper chipboard. I thought that creating a smartphone prototyping frame would be useful for UX/UI designers to conduct usability tests. In particular, I chose to design a paper prototype holder for a portrait iPhone XS Max.
There are 3 constraints for this design:
- Must be cut from a single sheet of 18" x 24" chipboard
- Must not use any glue, tape, or other fastening materials to assemble and use
- Must be able to be dissembled into pieces that can be stored flat and transported (as in a backpack)
Design:
Researching:
I started by searching for smartphone prototyping frames online, but I didn’t find any good examples. Then, I brainstormed what kind of prototyping frame do I want every time I was trying to test out different UIs.
Key Features I need:
- a space to store the paper UI prototypes
- switching paper UIs easily
- the frame should be tilted for designers and users to see the screen
- a small stand that supports the frame(with a tilted angle)
- should be assembled and dissembled easily
Sketching:
I started by sketching out the basic structures and some potential shapes and figures that could support the tilted prototyping frame. I wanted to make a stable yet tilted frame supported by a stand that allows designers to switch out paper UIs easily. Instead of using a rectangle frame with sharp edge and angles, I decided to use a rounded rectangular shape that resembles the shape of a real smartphone.
I finalized the design into three major components: a smartphone frame, a stand, and a base that supports the frame. Then, I sketched out what the frame would look like, and the flat/unfolded graph of each part.
Modelling:
I looked up the official measurements for my iPhone XS Max, and I transferred the flat graphs from my sketchbook to Adobe Illustrator(see the flat illustration below). Red lines refer to cut all the way through while blue lines refer to vector etching.
Prototype:
Material: a 18" x 24" chipboard (0.6 mm thick)
I laser cut the flat models that I designed through Adobe Illustrator at the UW Comotion Makerspace and assembled the three pieces together. I created the interlocking tabs on the sides of each piece so that they can be assembled and dissembled easily. I left an opening at the top of the frame for designers to switch out paper UIs.
The first prototype wasn’t completely successful. The gaps I calculated for the interlocking tabs were too big so that I had to use some super glue to make sure the model is assembled tightly. Other than that, the overall prototype is very stable when testing with some paper UIs and can hold the paper prototypes well in place.
Prototype (Second Iteration):
Material: a 18" x 24" chipboard (0.5 mm thick)
Testing with different materials:
When making the second iteration, I was running out of the same chipboard(0.6 mm thick), so I went to a local Artist & Craftsmen Store to get some laser cutting materials.
I found three types of chipboards with different thickness. I tested out all of them and found that 0.5 mm worked really well; it has a modest thickness that is easy to fold but not too soft to stand still.
In order to fix the loose interlocking tabs, I did some calculations and refined the model on Adobe Illustrator and created the second iteration. The image below shows the final prototype in both the assembled version and the dissembled version.
The gif below demos how this prototyping frame can be easily dissembled into three pieces.
Analysis:
We had an in-class critique session where I was able to gather feedback from my instructors and peers. Other than the in-class critique, I also print out some paper UIs and invited my friends to test out with paper prototypes.
What worked well:
I received the following feedback about what was done well:
- The overall design is very clean and intuitive; users didn’t need much instruction on how the prototyping frame works.
- The opening at the top of the frame allows switching paper prototypes.
- The angle(titled frame) makes it clear to view the screen.
What needed improvement:
- The frame is not very stable when interacting with it.
- Although there is an opening at the top of the frame, the gap is really narrow makes it hard to insert and remove papers.
- The interlocking tabs of the stand came above the frame which interferes with the paper UIs when testing.
- The opening is narrow and it can only store 5 to 6 pieces of paper.
The overall design for both devices was generally received well. This is a useful and portable tool for designers to conduct usability tests. The second iteration worked better and can be spliced together tightly without any fastening materials.
