What is a Prototype and Why Prototyping is Important?

What Is a Prototype?

A prototype is an unfinished version of any product used for user testing. A prototype must incorporate all the features and functions of the final product but without the final design elements. 

Although it is unfinished, it should appear to the user as a finished product to garner honest feedback.

The primary purpose of testing any prototype is to ensure that the design remains intuitive and engaging for the audience.

Prototypes enable the companies to assess the product’s value, proposition, and quality before its final launch.

What Is Prototyping?

Prototyping is the stage of design thinking and sprints that usually follows after ideation. It is an experimental process and model where teams bring ideas into reality. 

Prototype product development is a complex and intricate process, but it is essential to the success of any new product.

The ideation process will be efficient if you could just save all the ideas in one place, isn’t it?

Chisel’s idea box feature lets you jot down all the ideas received from team members and customers in one place.

What better approach to improve your product, right?

The teams then check these prototypes and see if they match users’ product needs. 

What Are the Benefits of Prototyping?

• Prototyping tools help find black holes in the product design before launching it.
• Prototyping makes it easier for you to confirm or disprove the hypotheses.
• It helps in getting access to early feedback from your customers.

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• Saves time and money on building products fully.
• Convince stakeholders with accurate data gathered from users during prototyping.

What Are the Stages of Prototyping?

Prototype product development is the process of taking a product from initial conception to marketable form. It includes market research, product design, prototyping, testing, production, and packaging. prototype product development is a key part of bringing a new product to market and is often one of the most difficult and expensive stages of the process.

There are a number of factors to consider during the prototype development process, such as function, form, manufacturability, and cost.

Stages of prototype development:

Set a Clear Objective for the Prototype

It is necessary to set a vision in a sketch or verbal description. You will have to answer the following questions:

• What market are you targeting?
• What problem will your prototype solve?
• What are the resources and labor required to build the prototype?
• Have we explored other options for problem-solving?
• What are the prices?

Also, the prototype of the product must be designed to meet the needs of the customer and the requirements of the market. It must also be able to be manufactured at a reasonable cost.

Include Only Selected Features 

Remember not to build your prototype precisely like the final product. Focus on only a few features in the prototype. You can look at other features later on unless they focus on prototyping.

Building Prototype

Once you consider the above two pointers, teams can build the prototype. Some of the prototyping methods you can use are CNC machining, 3D printing, casting, and power bed fusions.

Testing 

After developing the prototype, the developer must go through the entire process. It is necessary to check options, evaluate the design, and make the changes before presenting them to stakeholders. Regular testing and updating are essential.

The Presentation 

The final stage in prototyping is to present the prototype to:

• Consumers
• Investors
• Send for patenting

The presentation stage will help you know if the product needs to be mass-produced or used on a small scale. 

What Are Data-Driven Prototyping Tools?

Some of the Prototyping Tools That You Can Use To Build Successful Prototypes Are:

• Invision
• Webflow
• Axure
• Sketch
• Adobe XD
• Justinmind

Why Is Prototyping Important for Product Teams?

For any type of product prototyping, digital or physical, prototyping can yield invaluable results that any product team can otherwise be hard to detect.

Firstly, it encourages the product team to view the idea differently by transforming it into a more realized form than just a concept. 

Something may seem reasonable on paper but may not seem as relevant and valuable when it becomes a reality.

Next, introducing the prototype to different types of users brings a new perspective into the development process. 

Prototyping can also help companies save money in the long run. By prototyping a product, companies can identify any potential problems with the design before mass production. This can help avoid costly mistakes and delays further down the road.

Finally, by soliciting feedback from customers during the prototyping stage, companies can make changes to the design that will result in a better final product. This depicts the importance of prototyping.

That’s because the participants have not seen the product in its development stages beforehand. Hence, they could provide valuable insights that the team may have overlooked. 

The participants are not biased and view the product objectively rather than from the perspective of someone who has spent months working on it.

Furthermore, they can flag even the most minute flaws in the product design or any other inconvenience that could impact the product’s overall usability and user experience.

Product teams may overlook these basic details or even underestimate the potential harm they can cause to the product. 

No matter what method you choose, developing a successful product is a crucial step; that is why prototyping is important.

Thus, prototyping helps the teams dive deeper into users’ expectations. A product management system can help you in the process of prototyping. Hence, make sure you invest in the best one that fits your bill.

What Are the Types of Prototyping?

Sketching 

The simplest form of a prototype is sketching. 

Designers can pick up a sheet of paper and start roughing their ideas. Ideally, this should represent the core functions and features of the product. 

That is the best approach to introducing your idea to the investors and other stakeholders.

Paper Prototype

Another more advanced form of sketching is a paper prototype. 

These clarify how all the product’s elements work together to provide a fruitful and engaging user experience. These are essential for outlining the core structure and navigation of digital products.

Low-fidelity Prototype

Basic wireframe models, useful for testing the flow and design, are low-fidelity prototypes. That’s where you can accurately locate any functionality issues and change them accordingly.

High Fidelity Prototype

On the other hand, a high-fidelity prototype closely resembles the product’s final design and functionalities. However, remember that it is without the final finishing touches.

A high-fidelity prototype represents the product’s final form and performance, though it is without the final finishing touches.

Live Data Prototypes

Nowadays, companies use live data prototypes for more advanced testing. They use analytics to determine the product’s success or failure.