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It interesting how the gaming controller has evolved into an extension of one mind in current adaptations.  The origins of the controller were very mechanical in nature and extremely uncomfortable.  You would literally get cramps in your hands from playing too long with certain controllers. The human factors were ignored and this had a direct impact on the performance and playability of most games.

What liked the most about playing with the old controllers was that fact that they just never seemed to fail as compared to today’s modern controllers. The controller I use for an Xbox 360 feels like it has a serious case of arthritis.

While playability and human factors are important in gaming controllers the industry is now realizing that the controller is not just an extension of the human form, it is just getting in the way of human to game interaction. The controller will die similarly like the mouse and keyboard and will be replaced by more natural systems that use gestures, touch interfaces and speech recognition systems to manage user input.

What is paper Prototyping?

“Paper prototyping is a variation of usability testing where representative users perform realistic tasks by interacting with a paper version of the interface that is manipulated by a person ‘playing computer,’ who doesn’t explain how the interface is intended to work.”

What kinds of interfaces can you prototype?

Paper prototyping can be used for virtually any type of human-computer interface – software, Web site, hand-held device, or even hardware. Its purpose is to get quick feedback from users while the design is still (literally) “on the drawing board.” Some paper prototypes are hand-drawn, while others use printed-out screen shots.

How is paper prototyping related to usability testing? The above definition of paper prototyping overlaps with usability testing, but the two concepts are not quite the same. It’s possible to conduct usability tests on real interfaces, not just paper prototypes. And paper prototypes can be used for purposes other than usability testing – some product teams find them helpful in generating design ideas and conducting internal interface reviews.

What skills do you need? You do not need to be a graphic artist or software engineer to create a paper prototype, though those skills might come in handy when you’re ready to build the real thing. If you have ideas for your interface and can draw them – rough sketches will do – then you can create a paper prototype.