Simply put, prototyping is creating a functional and
easily modifiable model, simulation or demonstration of a product such
as a software.
Prototyping can be done before, during and later
stages of developing the product. It is conducted before the start of
the developing process to show that the concept is attainable, useful
for the intended clientele and beneficial for the company.
Also
by conducting prototyping at the beginning, the developers will know
what specifications are needed and what features are preferred to be
included in the final output.
Meanwhile, by conducting
prototyping during the developing process, the developers will have an
opportunity to check if the product is meeting all features and
specifications and will have a chance to evolve these product
characteristics into a better output.
When conducted in the later
stages, prototyping can determine problems and possible solutions on
the functionality of the product’s design. It allows changes to be made
and various solutions to be implemented just before the full product
version is released.
One uses prototyping in order to lessen the
communication gap between the developers and the target clients.
Prototyping improves the communication flow which can increase the
chance that the customers will accept the final product.
Prototyping
is also used to clarify misconceptions about the product, assure output
quality, manage alterations, increase user participation, gather valid
specifications, and address various product issues like visibility and
negative publications.
Even though prototyping can be done on
mostly any project endeavor you will have to perform the process at the
right time, at the right place and using the appropriate tools to
achieve a successful and usable prototype. A successful prototype
should be able to test the functionality of the product and evaluate a
suggested product interface.
Prototyping also has a higher rate
of success if it is utilized to compare various product designs, to
explore results of design alterations, to identify market needs, to
involve end users in the designing workflow, to draw out any fresh,
possible or unexpected elements into the design, and if it is used
later on to construct a larger and more complex model.
On the
other hand, when your prototyping proved to be unsuccessful it’s most
likely that you failed to create a clear set of criteria that would
have determined when to end the prototyping process.
Prototyping
failure also means that the consumer’s expectations were all
accommodated which allowed it to go out of hand. If you applied all the
operational functions of the prototype to the larger and final product
and you find them lacking or did not meet product expectations then it
means you made some errors during the prototyping process. It is also
wrong to use prototyping to measure the future performance of a system
that is still in the planning stage or use it as a marketing tool for a
product that exists only on paper.
Subscribe to this comment's feed