Rapid prototyping process
Rapid prototyping begins with defining the clear goal of the product/feature to validate. The customer and the provider agree on the final result. The finished product needs to fit the ideal customer, which is why rapid prototyping is a crucial part of the process. The question of this step is: “How does our product solve the user’s pain/problem”? Often you can answer this question by applying story mapping.
To get closer to the desired outcome, the customer and the provider brainstorm on the features and prepare the flow description in words. This will bring you closer to the users’ needs — outlining the decision-making process in the shape of user stories is an excellent way to proceed with this step.
During the next step of rapid prototyping, the designer takes on the job and designs a fully functional clickable prototype. He includes the features which the customer and the provider have agreed on.
The following step of the cycle is sharing the prototype with the team, the customer, the client, and the target groups.
A crucial step is to accept that it is very hard to hit the jackpot with the first design. Most likely, there will be adjustments, resets, changes, and pivots. This is not an obstacle — it is a detour in the right direction towards the ideal product.
The prototyping analysis can take shape in different forms. Think of it as finding the perfect road to get to your final destination: you want it to be efficient, fast and with as little bumps as possible.
For example, the provider and the client may decide on A/B testing. If there are two options presented for a feature, the best way to pick one is to test them both, where A is the first option and B is the second one. By removing the less relevant options, you narrow down the features of your product to the perfect customer fit.
Another way to receive feedback on the prototype would be to collect the user data. Seeing whether the software is used in the expected way and how it is used allows to drop redundant functions and stick with the ones that smoothly bring the user to the final destination.
Contacting users directly for an interview and getting first-hand feedback is a very valid way to go. Make sure your interviewees are not your friends or relatives — you want to get objective, unbiased feedback. We have covered the subject of the feedback process and how to avoid being trapped in the ‘Mom phenomenon’ in our recent interview with Ewoud Uphof.
Once the feedback on the rapid prototype has been received, it is time to implement it. If the feedback corresponds with the initial vision of the goal, the team can proceed. In case if there are alterations needed, the team agrees on them and the designer creates a new version of the rapid prototype.