It’s no secret that people are getting more demanding in the services they are paying for. Indeed, a recent study from Microsoft found the fact that 55% people believe they will experience improved CX each year. These numbers are higher for customers who are under 34. The number is at 70 percent.
What does better customer experiences refer to, really? It’s about creating products that meet the needs of users and desires. One bad experience could be enough to cause them to switch to competitors.
To ensure that you’re keeping on top of the trends and produce products that stand out it is crucial to get involved in prototyping your product.
In this article, we’ll try explore the question ‘what’s an initial prototype’, the reasons it’s an essential tool for business and the best way to start.
Let’s begin!
What is an example of a prototype?
Have you ever been unable to convey a thought that you had in your head to other people? If so, you’re aware of how frustrating it is to have people who can’t comprehend or see your idea. The most effective way to overcome this issue is to create an initial prototype that will allow you to make your vision come to life.
A prototype product is a prototype of the final product that can help you evaluate the marketability of your product. It’s an excellent start point before taking on mvp development. You can build prototypes for both digital and physical products In this article, we’ll focus only on the latter.
It is possible to build two kinds of prototypes that you can construct:
- Prototypes with low-fidelity
Low-fidelity prototypes are essentially wireframes which can be drawn by hand or digitally since they lack details and colors, all you need is a piece of paper and a pen to begin. Also called lo-fi prototypes they are ideal for illustrating simple functions or whole user flows, including paying for items or adding them to an wishlist.
These kinds of prototypes are ideal for testing quickly, and can help designers gather feedback and participate in product discussions prior to making a decision on a single vision.
- Prototypes of high-quality
High-fidelity prototypes enable designers to design mock-ups that faithfully reflect your ideas. While they cost more than low-fidelity designs High-fidelity prototypes are vivid and engaging. They also contain interactive elements including hyperlinks as well as CTA buttons. The precise functionality provides you with access to more useful information from both stakeholders and users.
Four reasons to make a product prototype
Let’s take a closer review of the benefits prototype development can bring:
- Finding your product-market fit
A prototype allows you to evaluate the potential of a product, without having to spend excessive time and money creating something that isn’t meeting the requirements of the users. Instead of rushing to launch the product, you can take a step back to take a look, reflect and see how the market reacts. It is then possible to improve your designs and work on products that have an upcoming.
- Adding value for users
Prototyping is about the user. It’s about developing an improved product for the users (otherwise what reason do they want to be using the product?). Your design should be subjected to extensive user testing. It’s not possible to create value by making their experience memorable and make their moods happy without knowing the people the users are, and also what would like to achieve. Every piece of feedback you get will provide you with information on what you need to work on to address those needs requirements head-on.
- Attract investors
If you’re looking for investment to develop a product, prototypes are crucial for securing financing. Investors want to see a functioning version of your concept. In addition to gaining the support of the key people in your Prototyping Companies can help investors envision the end product, which makes it an even more appealing product.
- Refining your designs
The phenomenon of feature creep (or missions creep) is a reality. It’s also costly. As you begin your design process it’s easy to become lost in your thoughts. While prototyping, you’ll be able to quickly determine how users react to these additional features, and if they’re worth investing in. Also it’s important to remove everything that’s hindering the most optimal user experience.
How to approach prototyping development
You’re probably thinking the best way to make sure of an effective prototyping. Here are some suggestions that can be used:
The parties agree on the initial requirements
If the team and you establish the foundation then you must decide what you’ll require to begin defining the concept. Consider the preparation for your MVP development like any other business initiative.
Select the team and the required skills. What tools will they require? Are there any guidelines for companies to be followed? What are the preferred interfaces in place?
In essence, you’re trying to plan. You might not be sure what you’ll be doing at the beginning, but at the time you’ve finished this phase you’ll know the things you’ll need to know to begin.
Determine what you would like to accomplish
Creative concepts. Overcoming challenges. Making enhancements. These are just a few of the motives to try prototyping. What’s yours?
The next step is to communicate your vision. The prototyping process is very much a tool for communication as they are a tool for design with a clearly defined goal will result in greater effectiveness. It’s not getting duplicated or continually modified to meet the original idea since everyone in the team is aware of what’s required from them. If you can, bring important stakeholders in the early discussions and planning stages. This will increase the internal support and reduce opposition.
When you’ve got an established goal You can establish your goals and follow through on your goals.
One way to visualize this is to think of it as a management triangle. The triangle is composed of the points of durability, Functionality as well as aestheticsat every point.
So far so clear? Nowimagine putting an object in the triangle, close to those that are vital to the plan. The star you choose is the one you want to focus on.
Imagine that you’re redesigning an online landing page. Aesthetics and Functionality are your primary priority. But, you’ll probably begin focusing more attention on Aesthetics after you’ve you’ve addressed all functional aspects.
The Triangle of Project Management as your reference will help you determine the best method to begin with prototyping.
Remember about wireframing
Include wireframing as a fundamental element the design procedure. It’s tempting to skip the wireframing stage. With an idea, you’re eager to begin prototyping your idea. It’s an exciting time. However, building prototypes is an exercise in applying brakes. At each stage, we must be asking”is this the best way to build our product is this the right thing to do?’.
Wireframes can be created quickly and offer more business uses than just keeping everything in your mind. Wireframes can serve as a guide to develop concepts, or to discard ideas that aren’t feasible before spending time working on them. Therefore, by spending the time to create wireframes the process of developing your product will improve performance and effectiveness.
Collect feedback
As we mentioned before prototyping is a process that is user-centered. It is important to know what people actuallythink to design the most effective product. Honesty is always the best policy. Even though it can be harmful (and hinder your product launch) it’s far more beneficial to suffer a beating from potential customers and respond to their feedback rather than launching an app that doesn’t satisfy the needs of users.
Be sure to make sure you ask questions that can provide concrete information. Seek out areas where users are able to expand upon their input. The more data you can collect the better the final product will be. A few methods to get feedback are:
The focus groups
Get users together to talk about their experiences in a public forum. Discussions in focus groups often trigger responses that would otherwise be unspoken. But, it’s crucial to pick your attendees with care. It should be an assortment of attendees to create a greater view.
Surveys
Platforms such as Typeform and Survey Monkey or platforms like Survey Monkey and Typeform allow you to create simple surveys using data on the back-end that will help you get the most out of the feedback you receive. One of the most difficult things in obtaining people’s permission to take action. Utilize social media and email. Make sure that surveys are in a familiar design and on the short end. Inform users that they can expect them to be completed after testing, and then follow up with anyone who isn’t getting an answer. Give incentives to users if it will increase the rate of response!
Interviews with a phone
Hearing users’ comments about your product and observing the language they use could give valuable insights into your target audience. But, it’s not always simple to contact people via the phone. In the beginning make sure to contact them with an email, giving the information of your desire to contact them and discuss your design. Make sure you have your questions prepared to be a prompt, but don’t be scared to allow the conversation to flow and sometimes it’s informative.
Use the appropriate tools
The right tools are vital – no company would like to spend money on software that does not perform in the way it is expected to or, more importantly is, it’s not utilized in any way.
Tools such as UXPin merge can assist you in improving the process of prototyping by facilitating cooperation and efficiency. Consider it the bridge between development and design. Designers create prototypes using the same interactive and ‘live code’ tools which your developers utilize to create products.
In this way, both the concept as well as the execution are both consistent. What you see is what you will receive. This makes it much simpler to collaborate on projects because everyone is’speaking in the same way’.