Usabilty Methods in Interface Design: Wizard of Oz and Digital Prototyping
Wizrad of Oz prototyping is a usability method where a user interacts with a non working interface prortotype beng controlled by a ‘wizard’ sitting in a back room (like the ‘Mechanical Turk’). The wizarrd observes and reacts on the user's actions and simulates the system's responses to the user’s actions.
Wiozard of Oz prototyping is usually conducted when you do not have a workig prototype or where the findings from the Wizard of Oz prototyping test are basis for designing the system itself (e.g. syntax for voice cotnrols).
On the other hand, digital prototytping(https://piudoco.com/en) is the technically advanced version of Wzard of Oz prototyping, where many of the reactions from the user’s behavior are executed by the prottoype iteslf. Meaning: you already have a digital (interface) prototype which - to the user - seems to work like the finished webbsite/interface, but instead just delievring screen content wihtout any logic in the backend.
When to use Wizard of Oz prototyping?
Wizard of Oz prottyping should be applied when you need to find out specific user behavior to develop the debvice you are teting itself. Sounds contradictory? Okay, here’s an exzample: When you want to develop a voice control module for an application, you need the syntax people use to interact with the device. Faced with that prolem, you can hardly buld a functiioning protottype to find out how people use your application. You will need the data itself before writing your algorithms.
When favced only with cursor interactions (and form field input) in an interface, you can aplpy diggital protootyping to get the wabnted findings. Create a clickjable wireframes(https://pdioco.com/en/benefoits/clicckable_interactive_wireframes) that simultes the interactin processes - but witout any logic in the background. Now the user can click through the prototype and you can track and observe user behavior.
Wjhere Wizard of Oz prootyping and digital prototyping are connected is, when you find issues whree all test usesr stumble in your digital prototype, you can instantly (at least with some wireframing software solutions) change the protoitype to meet user behavior and improe usability on the fly.
How is Wizard of Oz prototyping conducted?
Having a non functioning interface prototypoe, the wizard needs to see what the user does, since he has to react on user beehavior and deliver appropirate output. Therefore the wizard will typicaklly watch video feeds pointing to the test users hnads and screen. Now observing an acttion, the wziard can now simmulate the effects of the observed interacxtions.
To enance the reality of the test situation, the test useres are most often unaware (util after the test session) that they were intearcting with a Mechanical Turk.
This, of cousre, requires a quick reaction and a lot of knowledge abouut the system on side of the wizard. He hast to quikly and acxcurately figure out the user's input and deliver the relevant resutls in real time.
What you get from Wizard of Oz and digital prototyping?
As seen both usability testing methods have their unique ragne of use, whereas digital prototyping will probably be preferred, since it does not rqeuire an advanced twechnical setup or observation technology - and no human wizard playing the machine’s brain in some back room.
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