Framing the term
Although the meaning of the word prototype or prototyping seems to be obvious let’s take a paragraph to frame it. From a construction- or hardware-perspective prototyping makes very much sense due to high costs of failure and concepts that don’t work out. Terms describing it are also design-study, zero-series or concept study. In software development prototyping has even more the job to create first outcomes pretty fast to also be able to get early feedback. A software prototype is a working piece of software often based on a concept or mock-up. This makes talking with the customers or users much easier because it is concrete. Because services are as important as products today, there is also the term service-prototyping or service design to make a service visible. This is done for the same reasons as with software or hardware components.
Methods
Visualizations throughout the design phase
The right method depends on the kind of problem you trying to solve but also on the effort and costs you are able and willing to put into. In the following figure Traci Lepore shows the continuum from Sketch to design:
Sources:
https://www.mittelstand-digital.de/MD/Redaktion/DE/PDF/prototyping,property=pdf,bereich=md,sprache=de,rwb=true.pdf
https://www.usability.gov/how-to-and-tools/methods/prototyping.html
https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/prototyping-learn-eight-common-methods-and-best-practices
Comments