EXPERIENCE TEST | LIFE SIZED PROTOTYPE

(tool)

Brief description

Users are observed engaging in planned activities around prototypes, in simulated environments or specific scenarios. Show the life-sized prototypes to participants and make them interact. Could apply for product and service solutions. Track signups, mock sales and general feedback.

Step

Prototype Improvement

Input

Solutions that can benefit from user feedback

Output

Feedback and learnings

Refined solutions based on direct user feedback and observations

Time

Preparation, high

Execution, 10 min to 40 min

Analysis, high

Difficulty

5/5

People

8-20 (participants giving feedback)

2-5 (coordinators of the experiment)

Quick Guide

Gather previous evidence to support that your solution is needed.
Create your life-sized prototype (includes scenario), which is a replica of your proposed solution.
Source customers and schedule the interactive session.
Show the life-sized prototype to customers and ask them to execute specific activities.
One person on the team conducts the interview (while the customer(s) interacts with prototype).
Another person on the team takes notes from observation.
Wrap up the interview with a call to action or mock sale (to go beyond from what the customers says to what they would do).
Review and update your evidence.

Benefits

Helps you develop design capabilities to create the life-sized prototype.
Integrates different experiment techniques (observation, interviews, mock sale).
Allows you to learn to refine and iterate on your prototype.
Allows you to test in groups or in one-to-one conversations.

Helpful Tips

Life-sized prototypes are ideal for testing high fidelity solutions.
The life-sized prototypes need to look believable and allow customers to interact, but it does not have to be fully operational or have all the details.
The setup time for a life-sized prototype can be quite long, meanwhile the run time of the test with customers is relatively short.