Prototyping should occur prior to committing resources to build something, allowing you to detect any issues early and save money. Usually it looks like a sequence of screens or artboards connected by arrows or links. Prototypes can help predict the most likely paths through a system.
Your team can ascertain the user-friendliness of your design concept by using a prototype to simulate genuine software, create scenarios to evaluate and verify user scenarios, needs, and personas, and gather comprehensive product feedback in the usability testing stage. This feedback should come from both your team and business stakeholders.
Prototypes can be a cooperative and cyclical method for specifying user requirements. At a high-precision stage, prototypes sync user investigation with commercial objectives. At a low-accuracy level, prototypes conserve teams' time and resources.
When to use a prototype
Teams employ prototypes to better understand their users during the prototyping and testing phases of the design process. These two stages involve experimenting with and constructing scaled-down models of a product or service, followed by evaluating them to identify the most optimal solutions.
Prototypes help teams think in terms of actual outcomes instead of abstract concepts.
High-fidelity prototypes – interactive mock-ups that look and act as close as possible to the final product – can be used for stakeholder engagement and acceptance. A prototype resembling a completed product can also help a team build trust in how users interact and feel about the design. A realistic prototype template can also assist couples in obtaining more accurate feedback. This will enable your team to confront obstacles or unrealistic expectations early in development.