VideoClipper: Rapid Prototyping with the "Editing-in-the-Camera" Method

Although video is extremely useful for expressing interaction, post-hoc editing makes it impractical for rapid prototyping. We present an early-stage video-based design method — “editing-in-the-camera” — where title cards guide video capture and label video clips. This method lets designers easily create video prototypes that can be discussed within the same design session, without further editing. We present VideoClipper, a mobile app that incorporates this method by transforming sequences of title cards into an interactive storyboard that designers can shoot into directly. VideoClipper offers simple special effects to better illustrate user interaction with paper prototypes, including ghosting and stop-motion animation. We also present Collaborative VideoClipper, which was created during the COVID-19 pandemic to support multi-user, multi-device rapid prototyping with remote participants. We describe evaluation results of both applications and describe our experiences in diverse educational and professional settings, including brainstorming, interviewing, video prototyping, user studies and participatory design workshops.