Paper prototyping is a method that I picked up while I was interning at NASA. I helped design and spec new features for our data visualization software, MCT. While this may not be the prettiest way to collaborate, it is the most effective. When working with users to brainstorm ideas, you need a way for them to quickly illustrate their ideas. Not everyone may know how to use programs like Omnigraffle or Photoshop, but everyone knows how to use a pen and paper.

Users can quickly illustrate their ideas by writing/drawing on paper and post-its. They can also easily move items around by picking them up and sticking them in a different area. When running these brainstorming sessions, I like to act as a moderator and let the users run the show. I would give advice on what may or may not be feasible, but aside from that, I let them be the designers in this situation.

 

These sessions can last for hours, and maybe even days, but the idea is that users know what they want and the best way to understand that is for them to express their ideas on paper.

After these sessions are over, I go and create more detailed mockups and/or working prototypes. Once ideas are agreed on by the users, engineering, and the team, I created implementation guides with the specs needed for engineering to implement the feature.