Advantages of Prototyping

The team that prototypes together wins together. 
 
Ive come to this conclusion after working with more product teams than I can count and seeing what makes or breaks success. 
 
Prototyping ideas is a central part of our design process. We do it early and often after defining our strategy.
 
A prototype is a simple proof of concept that allows users to quickly validate assumptions and generate new ideas. Typically non-functional, a prototype  is NOT the “final version”, rather a quick and inexpensive solution to communicate ideas. 
 
A prototype is essentially your dress rehearsal. You work out all the kinks and learn what’s working and not working before you invest in development. 
 
It facilitates communication, provides clarity, team wide transparency and uncovers hidden obstacles that you can’t imagine unless you actually walk through the experience. 
 
Heres some of the key benefits

Validates Ideas

If this is a new product or feature a great to visualize and show value early on is to build a low cost prototype and let real users play with it. Take in their feedback and objectively analyze the findings or trends.  If the feedback wasn’t what you expected, redesign and retest until you get enough positive feedback to justify building it. 

Aligns cross-functional teams

Your prototype acts as a visual aid that ensures everyone is talking the same language.  It will act as the universal source of truth for what is proposed and planned. Socialize it early on and encourage feedback. The idea is to encourage a conversation around it. If everyone feels apart of the process it makes it a lot easier later to get buy in and approval from key stakeholders.

Uncovers unknowns

With so many conversations with different stakeholders/users that have different concerns, every button and input will be analyzed.  You have to think through the details of your project in great depth. You get into the nitty-gritty.  Different perspectives will produce questions, theories or motivations that may not have been considered during discovery. Embrace this process.

Saves time and money

Development time is expensive.  Starting with a prototyping phase allows you to receive accurate feedback from technical stakeholders on feasibility and effort creates a clear path forward with minimal surprises.  It helps minimizing confusion when it’s time to begin coding. Catching mistakes upfront is critical.  In the long run, it’ll cost you a lot more.

Key Takeaways

Keep in mind, a prototype is not fully functioning product but a tool to communicate ideas and to gather feedback. Think in terms of weeks not months and prioritize gathering information over the presentation.
 
Common methods
  • pen & paper prototype
  • software (Adobe XD, Sketch, etc)
  • 3D printer
 

Related Insight

×
×

Cart