Why prototyping

But, with technology comes its own set of consequences and setbacks. In reality, though most designers can create a digital design of their product, they bypass important steps during the design process. For example, traditionally, designers start with a product idea, create sketches, 3D CAD models, and prototypes to work towards creating the final result.

These steps are naturally repeated until the product is refined and ready for production. However, the practice of creating a physical prototype is slowly fading, being lost to the digital world. Prototypes are early mock-ups of a proposed product. By creating a physical prototype, designers and investors can physically feel and see the outcome; understanding its functionality and improving the product based on feedback.

Various studies have shown the different behavior between novice designers and expert designers in areas of general design strategy, problem scoping, and time spent during individual phases. Students lack procedural knowledge and strategy when creating a product , thus prolonging the design process. However, we cannot fully place the blame on them.

When asked, most students state their reasons for not using prototypes are due to the effort required to create a prototype, and the pressure to deliver results in a short timeframe.

These reasons stem from a lack of education. Designing prototypes is one part of the process. But there are various approaches to prototyping and it is always necessary to select the correct approach to your product which fits into the time and resource constraints. Low Fidelity : Lo-fi are the paper prototypes which are perfect at the early stages and are refined throughout the process. This type of prototype helps to make changes easily and quickly.

It focuses more on the way of using the system instead of what it will looks like, which makes designers and developers more open to changes based on user feedback. With lo-fi it gets easier for the team and audience to understand the product well.

But, as the complexity of the product increases it becomes difficult to maintain lo-fi prototypes further into the development cycle. This makes paper prototypes ineffective at keeping up with the required depth in design. Medium Fidelity : Medium fi prototype is the one with the product is created with practical functionalities, albeit limited, based upon the storyboard and user scenarios. Best for the intermediate stages of your product development when you are moving from lo-fi to hi-fi.

High Fidelity: Hi fi are highly mistaken for the final product as they are the closest prototypes to what the actual finished product would be. Hi-fi prototypes are best to give a near realistic experience of the product with actual functionalities.

Although it can be really costly and time consuming. Hi fidelity is ideal for discussing the complex parts of a product. But presenting the hi-fi prototype at the beginning may even confuse the viewers and would not be able to give them the basic knowledge and thus, they lose themselves in the complexity of the product. Prototyping helps you to build a better MVP minimum viable product. Starting with the low-fi generally works because it gets easy to understand and then move on to the medium fi or hi-fi depending on the complexity of the product.

I prototype mainly in two environments: the browser and the TV rendering engine. My choice depends on the aim of the prototype. That helps test assumptions. And from there, once we are starting to develop higher refined ideas, we put real working prototypes in front of users to get reactions.

If it looks positive then we will roll it out to everybody. The best way to reach the final level with minimum rework lies with, prototyping and user testing. Unfortunately, ideas and drawings of a design can sometimes be a far cry from the real world in which the product will be used. By creating a prototype, it is possible to sit down with a real version of the product and determine which aspects are worthwhile and which parts need to be revised or discarded.

Additionally, creating a prototype will allow the design team to not only evaluate, but also test the product before going into full production. If corporate giants can make mistakes, it is all the more important for smaller companies to not forget the importance of prototyping before beginning production.

By prototyping before production begins, it is possible to take a glimpse at the production process and see if any steps can be changed, combined or even removed. This not only streamlines production, but keeps the cost of the actual production to a minimum. Subsequently, if there are any difficulties in production or perhaps processes that can create problems for the final product, it is much better to see these before production starts.

Prototyping can also help the design team ascertain the optimal method for production: injection molding, silicone molds, die cast, stamped metal, etc. Just like it is far easier to see if there are any problems with a design by holding an actual working model, it is also far easier to sell to potential customers when they have a prototype to hold and manipulate at a marketing presentation.

It can be difficult to get a potential client to commit to the purchase of a concept.