The whole point
Is to show something you’re not sure about to your user in order to learn something from observing their response.
The last page is the key one. You don’t know how people will interact here.
Questions to ask the user:
(on the first screen) “Imagine you are ordering dabao food from Foodpanda and you’ve chosen a Waffle and a Kopi. Walk me through what you’re thinking as you see your order”. Tell me more about why you chose ‘pick up later’.
(2nd screen) Explain what you think each traffic light means. Describe what goes through your mind if you see a slot you want has a red traffic light? Did you notice the “Tues” tab? (then keep quiet as they notice it for the first time, and let them consider it and respond)
Design-thinking prototyping
(merged from the product-design module)
Envisioning possibilities
Most ideas fail. Just experiment.
Types of prototypes
- No-resolution: a simulation without any physical props
- Low-resolution: a model approximating look and feel
- High-resolution: a high level of realism
Formats of prototypes
Prototyping plan
Analogy in design
Analogy helps users understand how to use something by referencing something concrete. In UI/UX, analogy shows up when a shopping app uses a cart icon, when a notes app looks like a legal pad, or when a save button uses a floppy disk. You’re borrowing an existing mental model to reduce the learning curve.
Metaphor in design
Metaphor helps users feel something by referencing something abstract. A finance app that uses green for gains and red for losses is using metaphor — green doesn’t literally mean money, but it evokes growth and safety. A meditation app using soft gradients and slow animations is metaphorically communicating calm. The design isn’t mimicking a real object, it’s channeling an abstract quality.
Powers of Ten
Powers of Ten helps you look at every situation from different angles — close up, far away, upside down, from behind.
Take a payments app. At the micro level (10⁰) you’re looking at a single button — is “Send Money” clear, tappable, well-placed? At 10¹, the full screen — does the transfer flow make sense? At 10², the whole app — is navigation consistent? At 10³, the ecosystem — how does it sit alongside banking apps, WhatsApp payments, cash? At 10⁴, societal impact — is this changing how migrant workers send remittances home?
When evaluating or creating a design, deliberately zoom in and out: a single element, a screen, a journey, a system, a society. Good design holds up across scales.