Prototyping is used to validate design assumptions and the collection of feedback to understand a product before investing and developing in the product. Prototypes provide help in identifying user-friendliness and making changes to the design.
Products in their most experimental form are referred to as prototypes. Teams construct a prototype for the purpose of testing user-friendliness and giving feedback on the functionality of the prototype. These methods provide valuable insight into what the end product could be.
Types of Prototyping
Prototyping can vary in the different types and methods used depending on which necessary steps are required. Below are some examples of different types of prototyping.
Form – Prototyping forms serve a very specific purpose which is to gather the necessary data from the users to the database. Although it is challenging to create this, a form that users can complete quickly is one of the most vital steps in prototyping.
Interactivity – Interactivity serves as a means to understand how users can interact with the prototype and navigate between screens or viewing. A digital interactive prototype is an interactive wireframe that can interact with low-tech tools such as PowerPoint and Excel.
They share a hand with paper prototypes in a way that they can be rapidly generated and can be used early in the software creation process. They can be employed to be used in early usability testing and investor evaluations.
Fidelity – Low-fidelity prototypes are not faithful representations of the details of look, functionality, and feel. They provide more abstract impressions of the intentions of the end product.
High-Fidelity prototypes are more detailed representations of designs and include details of the look, feel, and functionality of the end product. It’s required in evaluating design details and showcases the complete and realistic design of the product. These prototypes can also be used as advanced sales demos to market demos for raising finances for the company and product.
Life Cycle – The life cycle is used to determine whether the prototype is a disposable version that will be replaced with improved versions or whether it would work for a longer type period. Using the prototype for a longer period means it could still be built and improved over overtime. Sometimes it could also end up as the end product.
These types of prototyping are vital in developing the start and finish of achieving the perfect prototype in means of getting an idea of the final product and its functionality.
