Comments on: Why mockups are essential for designing semantic applications http://blog.semantic-web.at/2008/09/18/mockups-essential-semantic-applications-design/ Open World Assumptions Thu, 26 Jan 2012 13:31:59 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Andreas Blumauer http://blog.semantic-web.at/2008/09/18/mockups-essential-semantic-applications-design/#comment-1411 Andreas Blumauer Tue, 23 Sep 2008 08:15:35 +0000 http://blog.semantic-web.at/?p=273#comment-1411 Thanks Gunnar. I agree with you - especially "knowledge rich" systems need semi-functional prototypes to describe them in a way that end-users can understand and decide if this or that functionality/user interaction makes sense or not. But in a (very) early stage of requirements engineering balsamiq-like mockups can help to start a (cost-effective) discussion, help to get a common understanding - probably even before end-users come into this process. - andreas Thanks Gunnar. I agree with you – especially “knowledge rich” systems need semi-functional prototypes to describe them in a way that end-users can understand and decide if this or that functionality/user interaction makes sense or not.

But in a (very) early stage of requirements engineering balsamiq-like mockups can help to start a (cost-effective) discussion, help to get a common understanding – probably even before end-users come into this process.

- andreas

]]> By: Gunnar Aastrand Grimnes http://blog.semantic-web.at/2008/09/18/mockups-essential-semantic-applications-design/#comment-1370 Gunnar Aastrand Grimnes Thu, 18 Sep 2008 13:27:56 +0000 http://blog.semantic-web.at/?p=273#comment-1370 In Nepomuk we have one partner which main contribution has been teaching us about and making mockups. This has been very useful in many ways, and is of course a fantastic way of quickly showing off ideas and/or discovering deep flaws in one's UI plans. However, someone also told me that they found it very hard to do good mockups for semantic systems, as the systems are all so knowledge rich, it is very hard to give the impression of how many connections and navigation paths will actually be available in an UI. Also, of course we work on the PERSONAL semantic desktop, and it's hard to let the user understand the benefit of things when it is not their own data that has been mocked up. The conclusion seem to be that building semi-functional prototypes might work better for programs using lots of semantic technologies? In Nepomuk we have one partner which main contribution has been teaching us about and making mockups. This has been very useful in many ways, and is of course a fantastic way of quickly showing off ideas and/or discovering deep flaws in one’s UI plans. However, someone also told me that they found it very hard to do good mockups for semantic systems, as the systems are all so knowledge rich, it is very hard to give the impression of how many connections and navigation paths will actually be available in an UI.
Also, of course we work on the PERSONAL semantic desktop, and it’s hard to let the user understand the benefit of things when it is not their own data that has been mocked up.
The conclusion seem to be that building semi-functional prototypes might work better for programs using lots of semantic technologies?

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