Prototyping is a crucial part of user experience design (UED), as it allows you to test your ideas, gather feedback, and iterate on your solutions. However, prototyping can also generate a lot of versions, which can be hard to manage and organize. How do you keep track of prototype versions and avoid confusion, duplication, or loss of data? Here are some tips and best practices to help you.
One of the simplest and most effective ways to keep track of prototype versions is to use a consistent and clear naming convention. This means that you should label your files and folders with meaningful and descriptive names, such as the project name, the date, the version number, the feature, or the stage of the prototype. For example, you could name your files as ProjectName_MMDDYY_V1_FeatureName_StageName. This way, you can easily identify and compare different versions of your prototypes, and avoid overwriting or deleting them by mistake.
This is the most effective way of tracking the prototype. Whenever we send the link of our prototype, we could identify the version using its name. This acts as signifier for the prototype
Another way to keep track of prototype versions is to use version control tools, which are software applications that help you manage and store changes to your files. Version control tools allow you to create branches, which are copies of your files that you can modify without affecting the original version. You can also merge branches, which means combining the changes from different versions into one file. Version control tools also let you track the history of your files, so you can see who made what changes and when, and revert to previous versions if needed. Some examples of version control tools are Git, SVN, and Mercurial.
These tools allow us easiness in changing our prototype version. This can also help us to access all our versions in one platform as well
A third way to keep track of prototype versions is to use prototyping platforms, which are online services that enable you to create, share, and collaborate on your prototypes. Prototyping platforms often have built-in features that help you organize and manage your prototype versions, such as folders, tags, labels, comments, annotations, and feedback. Prototyping platforms also allow you to sync your files with your cloud storage or your version control tools, so you can access and update your prototypes from anywhere. Some examples of prototyping platforms are Figma, InVision, and Adobe XD.
One of the greatest features from Xd that hopefully we will see on Figma soon is the Time Machine. You can restore old prototypes set from the start of your work. This method is very useful. Specially because User Experience Design is never linear, and based on the test you sometimes have to go back to start ground. This also helps you understand how different teams can collaborate with your design and you can track changes based on crucial decision points, or milestones.
A fourth way to keep track of prototype versions is to use documentation and communication, which means creating and sharing records of your prototyping process and decisions. Documentation and communication can help you and your team understand the rationale and the goals behind each version of your prototype, and avoid confusion or conflicts. Documentation and communication can include things like sketches, wireframes, mockups, user flows, user stories, personas, scenarios, user feedback, testing results, and reports. You can use tools like Google Docs, Notion, or Confluence to create and share your documentation, and tools like Slack, Zoom, or Trello to communicate and coordinate with your team.
A fifth way to keep track of prototype versions is to use feedback and testing, which means collecting and analyzing data from your users and stakeholders on your prototypes. Feedback and testing can help you evaluate and improve your prototype versions, and decide which ones to keep, discard, or modify. Feedback and testing can include methods like surveys, interviews, usability tests, A/B tests, and analytics. You can use tools like SurveyMonkey, UserTesting, or Hotjar to conduct and manage your feedback and testing, and tools like Miro, Airtable, or Tableau to visualize and report your data.
A sixth way to keep track of prototype versions is to use a review and archive system, which means periodically checking and organizing your prototype files and folders. A review and archive system can help you reduce clutter, save space, and maintain order in your prototyping work. A review and archive system can include steps like deleting or moving unused or outdated files, renaming or relabeling files for clarity, backing up or exporting files for security, and creating or updating a master file or a portfolio that showcases your final prototype versions. You can use tools like Dropbox, Google Drive, or GitHub to store and backup your files, and tools like Behance, Dribbble, or Medium to showcase your portfolio.