Prototyping in product development
2 min read

A prototype is the first product version that allows you to test ideas and show the general concept of design and functionality. It can be a simple paper mockup with low fidelity, an interactive prototype, or a high-fidelity functional product.

There are different types of prototypes, including:

Low-fidelity prototypes: These are simple prototypes that are quick and easy to create. An additional advantage of this approach is that it is easy to make changes and test different hypotheses without spending much time. These can be either wireframes or sketches on paper.

High-quality prototypes are already more similar to the final product, especially thanks to tools like Figma. This tool helps create static mockups and add video and animation to maximize the experience.

This way, we can show workflows and functionality in action, which helps our team and customers better understand how the final product will look and work.

Benefits of prototyping:

Prototyping helps better understand user needs and meet them more efficiently, which, in turn, saves time and money during further product development.

  1. Testing ideas: Prototypes help you show your ideas to users before the product is fully developed. This enables you to check whether the interface is clear and whether the user hypothesis has been confirmed and get feedback and ideas for improvements at an early stage.
  2. Saving time and resources: Identifying problems at the early stages of development saves time and money on subsequent fixes.
  3. Modeling the final product: Allows you to demonstrate to potential customers and investors how the product will look like and get their support.
  4. Understanding user needs: The feedback users provide during prototype testing helps you find out what is important or unimportant to them, what satisfies or dissatisfies them, and allows you to make appropriate changes to improve the product.
  5. Avoiding mistakes: During the prototyping process, it's much easier for a designer to spot unrendered states or skipped screens, which creates a great opportunity to add them.
  6. Transferring design to developers: A high-fidelity prototype allows developers to see how the product will work, making it easier to transfer it to production.

Prototyping may be unnecessary if:

  1. The project is small and simple: For example, a simple web page without advanced functionality.
  2. The project requirements are clearly defined: If the functionality is detailed and approved.
  3. There is a large amount of preliminary data: If there are ready-made solutions, for example, you are not creating a product from scratch but redesigning an existing one.
  4. Known technologies are used: When you are using techniques and methods that are already known and can be predicted, such as a registration path or password recovery.


Conclusion

A prototype helps you create a more well-thought-out interface, considering different states and effects, which makes it more convenient to use than wireframes. Prototyping makes it easier to demonstrate and visualize your design ideas, which simplifies communication and understanding of concepts between project participants.

Thus, prototyping is an essential tool that helps create a quality product that meets the audience's needs and expectations.

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