Prototyping is the fourth phase in the design process. A prototype is a mockup of the idea that you plan on creating.  In this phase, designers explore to make sure they have tackled the problem they have set out to solve. Prototyping helps bring the ideas to life, test the practicality of the current design along with identifying how a sample of users think and feel about a product.  The prototype can also help to inspire the users/ clients to help collect more data about what works and what needs to be improved.  It also helps to open conversation about what the product is and what the product needs in order to improve.

In the prototyping phase, designers may come across many obstacles and discover things about the product that needs to be changed.  Failure is expected in the phase of the design process and should be accepted and worked through in order to make the design even better.  Iteration is also an important part of this design phase, producing in large quantity and variation is a useful step to finding a better end product.

The research conducted during the early stages of the project does not tell you everything you need to know in order to create the best design. Design teams can easily become fixated on the research they have gathered during the earlier phases of exploration, creating a bias towards their ideas. With the help of prototyping and testing, you can reveal the assumptions and biases you have towards your ideas, which allows you to uncover insights about your users that can improve either improve upon or help create new solutions.

When a prototype fails, it may be necessary to go back and revisit some of the previous phases in the design process; empathy, define, or ideation.

Ways of prototyping include paper prototypes, animatics, comprehensives, low fidelity, high fidelity, wireframes, walk-throughs, and maquettes.  Paper prototypes are very useful for websites and mobile applications. In animatics, we need to test to figure out whether the motion is smooth and the story is effective.  Comprehensives are used for paper designs and allow for an idea of what a final product, such as a brochure, will look like. Low-fidelity prototyping involves the use of basic models or examples of the product being tested, such as an incomplete model that utilizes just a few of the features that will be available in the final design. On the other hand, high-fidelity prototypes look and operate closer to the finished product, such as a 3D plastic model with movable parts.  Walk-through is an actual test of whether or not the process works. Lastly, maquettes are the mock-up of a certain point of purchase design.

The main things to keep in mind while prototyping, according to the interaction design foundation, would be to just start building, don’t spend too much time, remember what you’re testing for, and build with the user in mind.

The prototyping phase can be very exciting, as you see your ideas blossom to life, but it is important to never get too caught up in your ideas.  Fail is expected and should be accepted, so we can make our designs even better.

Sources:

https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/stage-4-in-the-design-thinking-process-prototype

https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/design-thinking-get-started-with-prototyping

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4MzT2MEDHA&ab_channel=MindfulMarks