What is Prototyping?

Imagine developing a new product - be it a Software, a technical device or something else entirely. Before you invest a lot of time and money into final production, you want to be sure that everything works and meets your expectations. This is where prototyping comes into play.

Prototyping is a crucial step in the development process - especially in software development. It allows you to create an early version of your product that you can test and improve before the final product hits the market. These prototypes are like initial drafts that show you what your product will look like and how it will function. They can be simple or complex, depending on what you want to test and represent.

In this guide, you'll learn everything you need to know about prototyping - from the basics to specific techniques and tools in software development. We'll show you how prototyping can help you realize your ideas cost-effectively and how iterative testing and refining can create a final product that not only meets your requirements, but also excites your customers.

Prototyping in software development

Prototyping is an integral part of software development and plays a central role in designing user-friendly applications. It starts with visualizing ideas and concepts that go far beyond mere functionalities and focus heavily on user experience (User Experience, UX) and the user interface (User Interface, UI).

In software development, prototyping is used to bridge the gap between technical capabilities and user needs. A prototype can serve to illustrate the navigation and layout of an application, making it clear early on whether the application is intuitive to use. It allows developers and designers to explore interaction patterns and test how users will interact with the software.

The iterative nature of prototyping in software development means that a prototype is developed in cycles. After each test run, feedback is collected and incorporated into the next version of the prototype. This ensures that the final product not only works flawlessly technically, but also guarantees a high level of user satisfaction.

Another important aspect of prototyping in software development is testing functions. Prototypes can verify specific functions under real conditions to check if they meet the requirements of stakeholders and users. Mistakes and deficiencies can thus be identified and corrected early on, contributing to long-term cost reduction.

Prototyping also supports agile software development, in which the requirements and solutions progress through the collaboration of cross-functional teams. It is a dynamic process that requires adaptability and openness to change. The immediate feedback enabled by prototypes encourages a collaborative atmosphere and helps to continuously improve the product.

Types of prototyping

So, prototyping is a technique that allows you to take the first steps from idea to tangible product. But what exactly makes a prototype? A prototype is a preliminary version of your product, developed to test the concept and function before the final product is manufactured. Think of it like an initial draft that gives you important feedback to work with and improve your product. There are different types of prototypes:

Horizontal prototyping

Horizontal prototyping focuses on the breadth of product design, particularly on the user interface and user experience. Here you create a prototype that maps the various functions and menus, but does not yet go into depth in terms of how the individual features work. This method is particularly useful for testing the general layout and navigation of your product and ensuring that users intuitively understand how to interact with the product.

Vertical prototyping

In contrast to horizontal prototyping, vertical prototyping aims to provide a deep insight into specific features of the product. It's not about presenting a wide range of features, but rather about fully and detailed elaborating one or a few features. This allows you to verify technical feasibility and ensure that the core functions of your product work as planned.

Explorative prototyping

Exploratory prototyping is a methodical approach focusing on capturing and refining system requirements. The primary goal is to demonstrate the suitability of specifications or ideas. At this stage of prototyping, concepts and features of the future system are represented in preliminary form to define the requirements clearly and understandably. The goal is a robust requirement specification that lays the foundation for further development. Through explorative prototyping, unclear or not yet fully thought-out requirements can be identified and specified, creating a more solid basis for the system to be developed.

Experimental prototyping

Experimental prototyping aims at exploring and researching new possibilities and the feasibility of a system. The development of a prototype for research purposes is at the forefront, through which an intensive problem analysis and system specification takes place. This process serves to gain deep experience with the prototype and understand which aspects are feasible in realization. The most important outcome is an initial experimental prototype that does not necessarily serve as a direct precursor to the final product, but rather as a means of gaining valuable insights for the design and development of the final product. After this phase is completed, the prototype is usually discarded, as its main purpose was to learn through experiments, not necessarily to be used in its final form.

Evolutionary prototyping

Evolutionary prototyping is a process where the prototype is continuously developed and improved until it becomes the final product. This approach is particularly helpful in projects where the requirements are not clear from the start and can evolve during the development process. It allows for flexible development, where you can improve the product in real-time while receiving feedback from real users.

Pros and cons of prototyping

Like everything in life, prototyping has certain advantages, but also some drawbacks for you. Here are some aspects you should consider:

Advantages

• User feedback: Early testing of prototypes can gather direct feedback from users. This feedback is essential to adapt the product to the actual needs and desires of the target group.

• Risk reduction: Prototyping allows for identifying and mitigating risks by providing insights into technical feasibility and market acceptance before extensive resources are invested.

• Promotion of communication: Prototypes serve as a concrete basis for discussion for all stakeholders - from developers to designers to stakeholders. They facilitate communication and help create a shared understanding.

• Iterative development: The iterative nature of prototyping allows for continuous product improvement. Each iteration builds on the feedback from the previous one, leading to a more mature design.

Disadvantages

• Too many iterations: There can be a cycle of endless iterations if there is a constant search for improvements, which can delay development and increase costs.

• Costs for prototypes: Although prototyping saves costs in the long term, creating and testing prototypes can be expensive in the short term, especially if special materials or tools are needed.

5 softwares for prototyping

The software market is huge and Prototyping tools are correspondingly many. But not every software is automatically the right one for you. The functions and features of the individual tools vary greatly depending on the application. On OMR Reviews, you can therefore find detailed insights into the Prototyping-Softwares, giving you an overview of functions, prices and user experiences. We have brought you five tools that can help you with prototyping:

Figma

ProtoPie

Adobe XD

InVision

UXPin