Presentation Design - Prototyping

One of the most important aspects of user interface design is Presentation Design, the aesthetic qualities being balanced with the objectives of the site, and its level of usability. Simplicity and consistency are key factors that should be considered carefully during this stage of design. The designer needs to understand some fundamental rules, and understand when and how to break these rules successfully.

Presentation design comes after information and interaction design, it therefore builds on some of the fundamental rules that have affected the design choice of the web site. Presentation design also encompasses the theme, look and feel, metaphors and levels of access that have in previous stages of development been selected. The style of the website should be consistent with its content, the visual elements of the site should also communicate to the user what part of the site they are in, if they are in a completely new section the style should still reflect the main website, but at the same time illustrate that the user is in a new section.

One of the outcomes of the presentation design stage is a prototype of the website. The prototype is a preliminary on-screen version of the web site; it allows the designer to easily make changes to the site design, before actual implementation occurs.