Movies, Masculinity, and Modernity: An Ethnography of Men's Filmgoing in India (Contributions in Sociology)

Book Description

Men in India are attracted to Hindi films partly because of their attraction to depictions of "modern" lifestyles. Derne argues that films help men handle their ambivalence about modernity by rooting their sense of "Indianness" in women's acceptance of traditional food habits, clothing, and gender subordination. The book is one of the first ethnographic studies of filmgoing and one of the first to focus on mainstream male audiences. Derne considers the effects of films' eroticization of domination and submission on men's sexuality. The study provides ethnographic support for Mulvey's argument that filmgoing prompts men to make women the object of a controlling look. The book shows how films invent new ideologies of male dominance by associating Indianness with limitations on women's movements, and by portraying men as rational and modern, and women as emotional and traditional. One of the first ethnographic studies of filmgoing and one of the first to focus on mainstream male audiences, the book contributes to a rethinking of some key arguments in media studies. While media studies have rightly focused on how films prompt men to gaze at women, this study shows that films simultaneously encourage men to see themselves as the object of controlling looks. Derne exposes as one-sided the scholarly emphasis on how Indians value hierarchy and group guidance, asserting that Indian films instead celebrate individualism and love.

Customer Reviews:

A smart analysis of an understudied aspect of culture.......2004-04-09

The movie industry in India is the world's largest. Steve Derne's book takes this idea and runs with it, using the film industry as a lens for focusing on Indian men's ideas about gender. It's a commonplace that, while people might not talk about their personal attitudes with a stranger, they are more than willing to discuss similar issues in their favorite films, and thus this report (as the very good previous review shows) reveals some surprising insights about how Indian men perceive the construction of masculinity.

This book, unlike many sociological texts, is both scholarly and readable, and would make a good addition to undergraduate or graduate courses in area and gender studies. Highly recommended.

Indian masculinity in the cinema screen and aisles.......2003-12-18

Of the Indian Americans with whom I attended high school, only the women watched Indian films. With their dancing, singing, and bright colors, Indians of both genders somewhat equated them with American soap operas or musicals. However, in this text, Derne states that the majority of Indian filmgoers are male and film is a critical vehicle by which they define and develop their masculinity.

Derne does an expert job in showing that even outside of America, movies and pop culture are major societal forces. He excellently demonstrates how the dynamics in the theater are just as important as what happens on screen. He does a great job in discussing inconsistency. For example, he illustrates that male filmgoers in the subcontinent love films where authority is challenged, yet resist attempting it in real life.

Due to culturally-based gender segregation, Derne wouldn't have been allowed to interview female cineastes. Therefore this is another men's studies text by default. Still, I really appreciated this look into Indian masculinity. Women readers and feminist critics should not feel alienated here: Derne does discuss women and their film attendance habits frequently.

Derne barely mentions the US or UK at all. He never implies that Indian film is a response to British imperialism or postcoloniality. He never mentions the cultural imperialism of the US. Bollywood (a term he doesn't really employ) is not considered an imitation of Hollywood. In fact, he states that most Indians feel that US films are too short. This book placed a population of color in the center and out of the margins in phenomenal ways.

Some of the comments on gender are shocking. On the one hand, Indian women are forced, and often wish, to constantly stay modest and avoid public spheres. Modesty about sexual matters is emphasized by most of the male interviewees. Yet at the same time, Derne states that directors have said no Indian company would invest in a film without a rape scene. If the US is so risque, why do American films avoid rape and Indian film emphasize it? I guess gender relations and gender-based inequality are truly culturally variant.

Derne cites Dickey, an author that studied filmgoing in South India so much that he almost seems like he plagiarized that text. There is not a single photo in this book: a sign that he didn't want the text to be just another cultural studies rag. The conclusion is merely a rehash of the previous chapters.

I hope more books on Indian men will be produced. This was a great first effort.

Book Description

Nude and beauty photographers can find the invaluable high-impact techniques in this exhaustively illustrated manual that covers everything from compositional tips for clothing, accessories, and poses to more technical challenges such as lighting, lens selection, and exposure, demonstrating how to produce stunning, world-class images using minimal equipment without accruing a burdening investment. Beginning with the Four S's of glamour photography (sexiness, sultriness, sensuality, and seductiveness), amateurs and professionals alike are shown new ways to achieve beautiful shots, with additional tips on working with models that include methods for accentuating assets while minimizing flaws and initiating comfortable working relationships. Photographers are also shown how to turn their hobby into a successful career, or enhance the productivity and income of an existing business by honing marketing and advertising skills and mastering the art of generating business by referral. Based on the author's popular website (www.garageglamour.com), this guide offers helpful instruction to creating glamorous, sexy images like those seen in Playboy, Maxim, and other men's magazines.

Customer Reviews:

Great Book.......2007-09-27

In my opinion this is one of the best Glamour's books on the market. I bought this one almost an year ago and I read the book few times. I like the fact that everything is explained on easy to understand language and they are a lot of pictures to support all of the techniques used. I think that this book is worth every cent i paid.

Everything you need.......2007-09-25

With the things I learned in this book I have been able to go from taking pictures to taking photographs. It basicly takes you through all the steps needed to learn this fine art. The author has put together a well thought out masterpiece. It is extremely easy to read and is beutifully illustrated. A++++++++++++++++

I also recomend picking up Mr Gomez's book "Glamour Photography" they go very well together

Lots of interesting information, not many great samples..........2007-09-03

The information in this book was pretty good and I did walk away with a few new things to keep in mind. However I was disappointed that much of the photography was either not particularly well shot, or lacked variety in the style in which they were shot. This is subjective though, some people might love the photography in this book, but I didn't personally find it appealing and didn't really find anything that would inspire my own work in the future. I'd give it a 3.5 if I could, but a 4 will have to do.

Not for the beginner.......2007-07-05

The title of this book led me to believe that this would be a simple to undersatnd book, keeping things on a basic level. I found good information in the book, but this is not for the beginner. The book talks about using helpers to hold light reflectors, etc. This is way beyond the simple do it yourself basic book that I was looking for. This is for the more advanced person looking to improve on their already basic knowledge for this type of photography.

It Doesn't Get Any Clearer Than This..........2007-06-26

There is a LOT of info in this book but honestly, it doesn't get any easier than this. Follow the suggestions, practice what he's writing about and you can't help but get better. You'll be impressed at how quickly and dramatically your shooting will improve. I'm not getting compensated here, I'm just telling you what happened with my shooting - it got better fast.

How to Create Virtual Beauties: Digital Manga Characters

Average customer rating:

Remarkably simple

How to Create Virtual Beauties: Digital Manga Characters

Manufacturer: Collins Design
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0060567716
Release Date: 2004-07-06

Book Description

Nowadays, not only has much Hollywood animation and game design become informed by the Japanese manga aesthetic, but these works are increasingly done by computer applications.Indeed, Photoshop and other 3D software have become detailed and versatile enough to be an ideal tool to successfully render the nuances of the human figure and face. How To Create Virtual Beauties is a must-have volume for those working in such fields, a comprehensive guide to rendering beautiful characters through computer technology that allows not only for exquisite rendering of complex forms, but also allows for saving, editing, re-editing, animation and manipulation of the created artworks.

Customer Reviews:

Remarkably simple.......2005-09-27

I'm a student of fine arts with an interest in digital imaging and decided to buy this book. After using it in just the first week I had learned techniques save 4+ hours on shading problems, texturing cloth (in 2d), when to properly use anti-alias and not, as well as more than 10+ techniqes.
The 3D is really easy, rather time consuming, but worth it in the end. It uses examples from Lightwave, but can easily be converted over 3Ds Max or Maya. It was a rather quick read and I wish they would have had more artists than the 3. The slight complaint I have about the book is it has some parts aimed at fan boys. I'd rather have information on how to recreate images than some eye candy

Digital Beauties: 2D and 3D CG Digital Models

Average customer rating:

Simply Awful
Picture Book
Some brilliant work, but mostly disappointing
Pictorial collection of the most beautiful female 3d models.
Digital Beauties

Digital Beauties: 2D and 3D CG Digital Models
Julius Wiedemann
Manufacturer: Taschen
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 3822824100

Book Description

WHAT IS SEXY IN CYBER-SPACE? DIGITAL BEAUTIES PRESENTS A VIRTUAL HAREM TO CHOOSE FROM

The first book in TASCHEN's new series on digital culture focuses on the beauty of cutting-edge computer-generated females. Not a technical "how-to," DIGITAL BEAUTIES celebrates the artistic achievements of today's hottest character designers, without using distracting technical jargon.

Here you'll discover an international digital beauty pageant of sexy CGI women in a full range of techniques: Lara Croft-style action adventurers, surreal fantasy Amazons, biker-chicks as gleaming and tough as the hogs they're draped over, wide-eyed rock-and-roll pixies, and more.

Even on the printed page, the three-dimensionality of some of these images is so lifelike it's hard to believe they're 100% computer generated.

Featured in DIGITAL BEAUTIES is the work of over one hundred artists, with biographical and contact information, and most importantly, multiple examples of their astonishing work. Four to six pages are provided for each, and the result is a mouthwatering guide to the ideal woman from cyberspace.

Customer Reviews:

Simply Awful.......2007-07-21

The thing that occurred to me while perusing the digital beauties in this book was that 90% of the "artists" paid to be included. With the exception of 3 or 4 of them, they don't even measure up to talented amateurs. There is one guy that is embarassingly bad. I won't mention names.

If you want the cream of this crop, screen capture the book cover and let the rest go. Don't waste your money... I'm sorry I had to give it a star at all.

Picture Book.......2005-05-12

A book of digitaly created female pictures and the artists who created them.

Some brilliant work, but mostly disappointing.......2002-10-04

I purchased the book hoping to use it as a reference for my freelance pursuits in 3D human modeling and texturing. Some of the artwork offers stunningly realistic renders, and others close-up insights on modeling techniques. Examples are those by Robichaud, Dean, Koch, Stahlberg, and several Japanese artists.

However, I was disappointed to find that most works were created by the consumer-level Poser software, for which pre-made 3D models are readily available and simply need to be "posed"; there is no original creation of 3D models on the artist's part. Moreover, the Poser works in Digital Beauties rudely show the mediocre rendering capabilities of the software - the models are often defined by jagged edges. In short, the best works in the book are those with original modeling and attention to detail, not those primarily intended provide erotic gratification for the viewer.

The book itself was well-conceived and attractively designed. It could be condensed and even more appealing by excluding the less-than-professional artwork.

Pictorial collection of the most beautiful female 3d models........2002-02-04

Top artists of the globe bring you the best in 3d female character creation. A must-have!

Digital Beauties.......2002-01-30

If you are interested in the cutting edge of computer graphics this book is for you. It is full of images created using computer graphic programs. There are so many wonderful images to look at and study for the technique...a wonderful collection of digital art from around the world....

Art Day Camps in the Beauty of Southern Utah : An article from: The Exceptional Parent

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Art Day Camps in the Beauty of Southern Utah : An article from: The Exceptional Parent
Daren C Brabham
Manufacturer: ProQuest Information and Learning
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Beauty And Beautiful Outcomes May Be Only Skin Deep : An article from: The Exceptional Parent

Average customer rating:

Beauty And Beautiful Outcomes May Be Only Skin Deep : An article from: The Exceptional Parent
Rick Rader
Manufacturer: Psy-Ed Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Black Beauty (Audiofy Digital Audiobook Chips)

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Black Beauty (Audiofy Digital Audiobook Chips)

Manufacturer: Audiofy/Hayes
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Cards
ASIN: 1599129787

Product Description

This Audiofy audiobook chip packs Frances Sternhagen's full 2 hour reading of "Black Beauty" on a tiny memory card. A single Audiofy audiobook chip, hardly larger than a stamp, holds a complete digital audiobook, and saves the last listening position automatically, unlike CDs. With an SD memory card slot or adapter - like those for digital cameras - this Audiofy audiobook chip can be played on Microsoft Windows and Apple Macintosh desktop computers or laptops (Microsoft Windows XP/2000/Me/98, or Apple Mac OS X 10.3.9 and above) or transferred to Apple iPod media players. Audiobook chips also move seamlessly to most Palm OS and Pocket PC handheld PDAs with SD expansion slots, as well as Treo and Windows Mobile "smartphones" (Palm OS 5.2 or Windows Mobile 2002 and above)... Pull up a chair and listen as Frances Sternhagen brings to life the evocative portrait of the life of a working horse. Black Beauty spent her youthful days grazing in grassy meadows, with ponds of clear water, shade trees and apples. But life for her was not always meadows and shade trees, but a life of work and hoping some day soon to return to the meadows with her old friends under the apple trees. FRANCES STERNHAGEN has been featured in the films Starting Over, Misery and Doc Hollywood, and appeared in numerous television shows including Cheers, Stephen King's Golden Years and Tales from the Crypt.

Average customer rating:

Black Beauty (Audiofy Digital Audiobook Chips)

Manufacturer: Audiofy/Sound Room
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Cards
ASIN: 1599120445

Product Description

This Audiofy audiobook chip packs Kate Redding's full five hour reading of "Black Beauty" on a tiny memory card. A single Audiofy audiobook chip, hardly larger than a stamp, holds a complete digital audiobook, and saves the last listening position automatically, unlike CDs. With an SD memory card slot or adapter - like those for digital cameras - this Audiofy audiobook chip can be played on Microsoft Windows and Apple Macintosh desktop computers or laptops (Microsoft Windows XP/2000/Me/98, or Apple Mac OS X 10.3.9 and above) or transferred to Apple iPod media players. Audiobook chips also move seamlessly to most Palm OS and Pocket PC handheld PDAs with SD expansion slots, as well as Treo and Windows Mobile "smartphones" (Palm OS 5.2 or Windows Mobile 2002 and above)... The treasured story of a courageous horse. A charming novel about a stallion, written in an autobiographical style. From carefree days as a foal on an English farm enjoying the countryside with his mother to his sale and his career pulling cabs and wagons in London, we learn of the horse's hardships, joys and lessons.

Average customer rating:

Black Beauty (Audiofy Digital Audiobook Chips)

Manufacturer: Audiofy/audioVille
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Cards
ASIN: 1599129515

Product Description

This Audiofy audiobook chip packs Ben Fogle's 2.5 hour reading of "Black Beauty" on a tiny memory card. A single Audiofy audiobook chip, hardly larger than a stamp, holds a complete digital audiobook, and saves the last listening position automatically, unlike CDs. With an SD memory card slot or adapter - like those for digital cameras - this Audiofy audiobook chip can be played on Microsoft Windows and Apple Macintosh desktop computers or laptops (Microsoft Windows XP/2000/Me/98, or Apple Mac OS X 10.3.9 and above) or transferred to Apple iPod media players. Audiobook chips also move seamlessly to most Palm OS and Pocket PC handheld PDAs with SD expansion slots, as well as Treo and Windows Mobile "smartphones" (Palm OS 5.2 or Windows Mobile 2002 and above)... Black Beauty is the famous story of a wonderful horse with remarkable spirit. One of the best-loved creatures in children's literature, and voted into the BBC's Big Read top 100, Black Beauty is told from the horse's perspective, enabling the listener to enter into and understand the animal world. As a young foal Black Beauty is taught by his mother to always do his best and her advice stands him in good stead as he is moved from one owner to another. Together with his fellow horses Black Beauty experiences both good and bad treatment from humans, encountering hardship and sadness but also much joy and friendship.

Average customer rating:

Black Beauty (Audiofy Digital Audiobook Chips)

Manufacturer: Audiofy/Tantor
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Cards
ASIN: 1600835856

Product Description

This Audiofy audiobook chip packs Simon Vance's full six hour reading of "Black Beauty" on a tiny memory card. A single Audiofy audiobook chip, hardly larger than a stamp, holds a complete digital audiobook, and saves the last listening position automatically, unlike CDs. With an SD memory card slot or low-cost adapter - like those for digital cameras - this Audiofy audiobook chip can be played on Microsoft Windows and Apple Macintosh desktop computers or laptops (Microsoft Windows XP/2000/Me/98, or Apple Mac OS X 10.3.9 and above) or transferred to Apple iPod media players. Audiobook chips also move seamlessly to most Palm OS and Pocket PC handheld PDAs with SD expansion slots, as well as Treo and Windows Mobile "smartphones" (Palm OS 5.2 or Windows Mobile 2002 and above)... From its first publication in 1877, "Black Beauty" has become the world's best-loved animal tale - told by the magnificent black horse himself. Detailing his life from his idyllic days on a country squire's estate to his harsh fate as a London cab horse.

Connecting with wood: Oregon timber bridge reflects beauty of the forest.(Bridges & culverts) : An article from: Public Works

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Connecting with wood: Oregon timber bridge reflects beauty of the forest.(Bridges & culverts) : An article from: Public Works

Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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Classic Battletech: Field Manual: Mercenaries (FPR10977)
Fanpro
Manufacturer: FanPro
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Classic Battletech: Mercenaries Supplemental I (FPR35016)

Cbt Mercenaries Supplemental Update (Classic Battletech FPR35028)

Classic Battletech Mercenaries Supplemental 2

Jihad Hot Spots: 3070 (Classic Battletech Sourcebooks)

Classic Battletech: Technical Readout 3055 Upgrade (FPR35006) (Battletech)

ASIN: 1932564128
Release Date: 2004-02-01

Product Description

Had enough of fighting for king and country? Sick of being told what to do and who to kill, and hanging your butt out on the line every day just so some career-climbing general can reap the benefits of your hard work? Do you think you can measure up in the big leagues, and carve your name into the history books for all time? Well, bud, now's the time to put up or shut up, because not everyone is cut out for the rough and tumble life of today's mercenary! War's a dangerous business and for the professional soldier, survival ain't as simple as coming out of the firefight alive! Classic BattleTech Field Manual: Mercenaries, Revised provides an in depth look at modern mercenary operations, including where to go for the best contracts and most active battlegrounds. Over sixty of the Inner Sphere's best-known mercenary commands are profiled here including histories, officers, and favorite tactics. Special rules enable you to bring each of these famous outfits to life in your own Classic BattleTech campaigns, while updated rules provide players with detailed instructions for creating and running their own mercenary commands both on and off the field. Compatible with both the Classic BattleTech board game and the Classic BattleTech RPG system, Classic BattleTech Field Manual: Mercenaries, Revised lets you finally prove once and for all if you have what it takes to find fame and fortune as a real mercenary!

Battletech Field Manual: Mercenaries (Battletech Field Manual)

Average customer rating:

Great Resource
El Libro para construir tu propia unidad mercenaria
Great for creating a merc unit.
Another fine addition to your Battletech collection
Well worth buying

Battletech Field Manual: Mercenaries (Battletech Field Manual)
FASA Corporation , and Staff F. A. S. A. Corporation
Manufacturer: FASA Corp.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1555602894

Customer Reviews:

Great Resource.......2000-09-06

This book is a wonderful resource that gives a lot of history on some of the more famous (and infamous) mercenary units out there. It also gives a huge amount of information on how to create your own mercenary unit and run it. Everything from creating a heroic commander, to determining scenarios, to figuring out monthly payroll! It is wonderful!

El Libro para construir tu propia unidad mercenaria.......2000-05-26

Es un gran libro. Con él podrás hacer una unidad mercenaria y ponerle una clasificación basada en su tecnología y experiencia. También es útil en cuanto a la construcción de un contrato mercenario.Muy original. Pero para mi tiene un GRAN defecto(que me ha impedido concederle 4 estrellas): La más de la mitad del libro está dedicada a otras Lanzas mercenarias.Me parece un gran desperdicio.

Great for creating a merc unit........1999-10-09

This book contains very good details about running a merc unit, such as soldier's salaries, contracts, the MRBC, mission pay, potential employers, ect., ect. Details about many aspects of a merc' unit, such as soldier's pay and technichal maintenence could be usful even for a regular house unit. There are still some nagging questions I have, such as: were do I put the supplies (ammo, mech parts, food, ect.) on a raid. Well I don't have any warehouses, so I'll suspend them from my 'mechs, but that will reduce their combat effectivness, so I'll put them in my vehiles. But wait, my dropship doesn't accomodate vehicles! So how the hell do I get supplies on to the planet and salvage off? Also, they could have replaced the commander's influnce rating with the scrounge skill from MWII or MW3. Other than that, it's a great book!

Another fine addition to your Battletech collection.......1999-08-14

I seem to have purchased a earlier issue of this work. Mine shows a different cover then the one shown on Amazon. Its a great addition to the game, listing some 43 mercenary units from a wide range of backgrounds and levels of experience. For the series BT Fan, this is a must have.

Well worth buying.......1998-12-22

This and all the other Field Manuals are well worth it for the amount and quaility of information. Provides great help in creating and looking after any Merc units you want. Small complaint, two of my all time favorite mercenary units the Black Thorns and Comanceo's Cabaleros get only a tiny mention, strange considering that Avanti's Angels are featured in only a single novel and become a A rated command and the Comanceos have 3 novels and the Thorns have two novels and even got a Sourcebook on them.

Book Description

Do you spend a lot of time during the design process wondering what users really need? Do you hate those endless meetings where you argue how the interface should work? Have you ever developed something that later had to be completely redesigned?

Paper Prototyping can help. Written by a usability engineer with a long and successful paper prototyping history, this book is a practical, how-to guide that will prepare you to create and test paper prototypes of all kinds of user interfaces. You'll see how to simulate various kinds of interface elements and interactions. You'll learn about the practical aspects of paper prototyping, such as deciding when the technique is appropriate, scheduling the activities, and handling the skepticism of others in your organization. Numerous case studies and images throughout the book show you real world examples of paper prototyping at work.

Learn how to use this powerful technique to develop products that are more useful, intuitive, efficient, and pleasing:

* Save time and money - solve key problems before implementation begins
* Get user feedback early - use it to focus the development process
* Communicate better - involve development team members from a variety of disciplines
* Be more creative - experiment with many ideas before committing to one

*Enables designers to solve design problems before implementation begins

*Five case studies provide real world examples of paper prototyping at work

*Delves into the specifics of what types of projects paper prototyping is and isn't good for.

Customer Reviews:

Usability and paper prototyping.......2007-06-30

This book is a good introduction to the techniques used with paper prototyping. It also provides a good introduction to usability and some practical guidelines on how to improve usability of a software product.

If you are thinking on how to improve usability or conducting some usability testing within your company for the first time, this is a great book. If you already have experience in usability testing and paper prototyping, this book will bee too basic.

The book provides a lot of information that would be useful to sell usability activities within your organization and a lot of simple and short chapters that you could have some other colleagues read to get them introduced to these concepts.

Overall, the book is well written and practical. Although the book is on paper prototype, there are many concepts around usability that are explained in simple terms.

Everything you needed to know about paper prototyping and more!.......2006-06-21

I thought this book covered it all... from selling the concept of paper prototyping to facilitating an actual session. Carolyn discusses, with great detail, how to bring paper to life. She shares a wealth of knowledge and experience.

Even if you're not doing user testing on paper prototypes, you'll find her chapter on creating tasks for user tests invaluable, no matter what medium you're using.

I thought I was missing something when prototyping-I wasn't........2004-02-06

3 Stars == Neutrality

If you are looking for a book on conducting quick usability testing with potential users without touching a computer, this book is for you.

If you are looking for special techniques that you think you're missing when it comes to modelling on paper, then look elsewhere. You would do just as well to read the remainer of this review.

A summary: Draw a complete interface, including buttons, menus, and other interface elements on a bunch of sheets of paper -- one piece for every window, dialog, or behavior. Don't use a ruler. Hold the pieces of paper in front of a potential user. Have them attempt to perform tasks relevant to your system without how-to assistance. After a few users, you'll have a good idea of what's utterly unusable.

Everything you wanted to know about paper prototyping.......2003-11-30

My experience has been that to create a prototype is to create a working model to allow users to test functions and features. Because so much time and effort goes into creating the protototype, time constraints prevent refining the design, and the product is rushed to market-design issues are fixed in the next release. There's a solution that's low-cost, quick, and effective in finding design issues-paper prototyping. If you want to learn about paper prototyping from a renown practioner then I highly recommend Paper Prototyping by Carolyn Snyder.
Snyder advocates paper prototyping because it's easy to design (requires minimal drawing skills), cheap to create (needs only paper and markers), and offers and opportunity for developers and users to evalute design concepts. If you wonder where the beginning of the design process starts, it begins when great minds meet and brainstorm ideas, and drawing is a natural approach to illustrate them.
Paper Prototyping consists of four parts:

1. "Introduction to Paper Prototyping" has case studies for a variety of products (e.g. Web applications, e-commerce Web sites, small screen displays, and touch screen interfaces), lists benefits for users and product team, and the materials to create a paper prototype.
I learned the how to plan and design a prototype. Understanding how to conceptualise ideas is a critical skill. Fortunately, Snyder included examples that proved helpful because they are real and relevant.

2. "Conducting a Usability Study with a Paper Prototype" describes how to plan a usability study, how to choose tasks, how to create a paper prototype, how to prepare for usability testing by doing walkthroughs, how to facilitate a usability test, the do's and don'ts of usability testing with a paper prototype, observer protocols, and what to do with the results of testing.
If you are not a usability specialist, you may be doing some of these tasks for the first time. If you have a process for conducting a usability study, this chapter will help you identify the activities that are different from what you typically do. Conducting a usability test with a paper prototype is unique, because the goal is to verify ideas and correct the prototype to validate improvements. An additional bonus is the ability to evaluate the types of tasks the product would be able to perform.
A paper prototype does not rely databases, networks, servers, or any form of technology, eliminates most of the things that can go wrong. It's portable-if the users cannot come to you-you can take it to the users. You don't need a sophisticated lab to conduct usability tests or big budget to get good feedback.

3. "Deciding Whether to Use Paper" covers the advantages and disadvantages of paper prototyping, the dimensions of a prototype, and the politics.
Synder describes how paper is not suitable to evaluate interaction issues:
* It will not show subtle screen changes that are typically shown at the bottom of the screen.
* It will not allow scrolling, a variety of menu effects, and cascading menus.
* Download time and other response time.
Obviously, paper is not the medium to evaluate interaction, but it is ideal to evaluate the following "look" issues:
* Design concepts and terminology
* Navigation
* Work flow
* Task flow
* Content
* Documentation and online help
* If the design satisfies user requirements and functionality
* Screen layout
* Branding

Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of paper prototyping is essential to managing the expectations of proponents and opponents. Snyder describes how to respond to concerns of skeptics that using paper is a valid and professional technique.

4. "Broadening the Focus" consists of case studies that Snyder collected from usability specialists of The MathWorks, IBM, and Dictaphone. The case studies reveal how paper prototyping is one of several techniques to conduct task analysis and evaluate product design.
I learned a use for index cards; they are useful for smaller prototype pieces: dialog boxes, pop-up messages, drop-down menus, etc. Snyder describes how a team at The MathWorks created a method for capturing and managing information about screen design. During prototyping and design sessions, team decisions about how the prototype would behave were recorded on index cards. The index cards were also used to track problems to be solved. Some members of the team used the cards to create a test plan. The technical writer used the index cards to create a first draft of the tool's documentation.

What I like best about Paper Prototyping is that cach topic is supported by case studies and testimonials. Illustrations and photographs of exhibits enhance thorough descriptions of concepts and instruction. I wondered how Snyder could cover product design with profound insight, and then I read her credentials: software engineer, project manager, student, teacher, and consultant-she is an astute observer of all facets of product design.
Paper Prototyping is particularly useful for people testing print documentation. The techniques of testing paper prototypes apply to any situation in which the test facilitator sits in the room with the participant. "Introduction to Usability Test Facilitatation" is one of the best discussions of the advantages of working in the room with the participant, and the human and logistical issues that might arise.

Yes. I am convinced that paper prototyping is the fast and easy way to design and refine user interfaces and you will too. If you buy the book and have questions that you would like to ask the author, you will be happy to know that Carolyn Snyder will be appear at annual STC conference in Baltimore (May 2004). You can also visit her Web site at www.synderconsulting.net for more information.

Great book packed with sensible advice.......2003-11-11

This is the professional's dream of a book: easy to read, accurate, full of good ideas.

The first part of the book describes putting together a paper prototype and has suggestions about making a prototype that is 'interactive' with buttons that change and so on. Mostly, it's encouragement to try it and to not be worried by drawing that's less than perfect.

The majority of the book is about running a usability test. Although slanted towards testing paper prototypes, this is valuable for anyone (experienced or not) who wants to improve their usability testing or to do a test for the first time. I've been testing for years now and found much in it that was helpful. It's also my 'get you started' recommendation for complete beginners.

Highly recommended.

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