DEUTSCH

Step-by-Step

Prototyping is an iterative process from design thinking that is performed at various points throughout a project to optimize your product/service. There are different types of prototyping here. You will need to choose the method that is right for you depending on the progress of the project, the materials you have, and the type of project.

1. First, ask yourself what insights you want to gain from creating your prototype. This should be your focus.

2. Create a rough draft of your prototype on paper. Think about how you want your prototype to be tested by users or how you want to receive feedback.

3. Now design an actual prototype based on the information gathered from the quick draft. This is a small working model of the required system. It does not have to be, or should not be, a perfect product. You can try different types of prototyping e.g.

a. Rough drawing on paper

b. Full size drawing

c. Digital prototype using an online tool

d. 3D prototype etc.


4. During the prototyping process you should keep the following principles in mind:

a. Fail often and early: Fast and iterative cycles allow difficulties to be identified early.

b. Fail forward: Accept failures as part of the process. Thus, to fail is to learn quickly.

c. Make it tangible: Develop your prototype as tangible as possible.

d. Test with customers and users: Test your prototype with your target group. Validation by users should be done as early as possible to learn as quickly as possible. Use the insights gained for your next prototype.

More about the tool

Advantages and Disadvantages

Advantages:

  • Prototyping makes it possible to make a product/service more tangible.
  • Prototyping uncovers problems and challenges at an early stage.
  • Prototyping can save costs by not entering the market with a product/service that does not meet user needs.
  • Prototyping enables both efficient product design as well as higher user acceptance.

Disadvantages:

  • Prototyping takes a lot of time for recurrent development and for gathering feedback.
  • The worst-case scenario of any prototype is that users mistake it for the finished project and may not understand that it is not the finished product.
  • Users may also be excited about features of the prototype that are not part of the final system.

Application into practice

The sub-project "Mobile Innovation Trailer (opentruck)" addresses challenges in münster.land.leben that affect rural regions with regard to health care, participation and well-being now and in the future. In order to be able to cover a region as large as possible, a permanently installed or located innovation workshop does not seem to make sense. Instead, citizens should be picked up in their daily environment - in the village, at the weekly market, at festivals. This gave rise to the idea of a mobile innovation trailer. The trailer serves as an information and communication platform: topics and questions in the context of health, participation and well-being are supported by multimedia and are dealt with and presented informatively, dialogically and creatively in the innovation trailer in the form of an exhibition. In order to design such an "opentruck" tailored to the target group, the subproject has produced various prototypes. In the "opentruck" subproject, different forms were used: from paper prototypes to model construction and digital 3D models to floor plans in original size of the entire trailer. After developing the concept in terms of content, it was first important to gain an impression of the interior of the trailer. A trailer that is 13 meters long and about 2.5 meters wide requires an exhibition concept that takes these rather untypical dimensions into account. To illustrate the size, a floor plan is sufficient at the beginning, which can be used to estimate walkways and the general space available. Using cardboard and tape, creating such a prototype took little effort. A scaled (detailed) model also helped to gain a spatial and visual impression of the project. In addition, design decisions could be quickly reviewed and alternatives explored. Using a cell phone camera, the first visual impressions from the visitor's perspective were quickly created on this model. At the same time, a three-dimensional model was very well suited to visualize the progress of the project to stakeholders in a lively and impressive way.

Hints from practice

  • Start prototyping early so that your product/service will be best adapted to the needs of the users in the end.
  • Internalize the principle of "fail forward". See failure as part of the process because it's the failures that allow you to adapt quickly during the process, reducing overall risk.
  • There are different types of prototyping. Educate yourself on them and choose the method that works for you.
  • Start with simple and small features of the product/service and add new features only over time.
  • Perfection is poison for any prototyping process.

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