A prototype in tech is a pre-release version of an application or piece of software that enables developers to test the performance and functionality before making the final version available to users.
What are the benefits of building a prototype first?
- Enhanced understanding of customer needs: Building a prototype helps to identify areas where the product can be improved or altered to better meet the customer’s needs.
- Reduced development costs: Developing a prototype first enables teams to find solutions and make adjustments quickly, before incurring costly developmental changes later in the process.
- Improved efficiency: Prototyping early allows users and testers to engage with the design, enabling designers and developers to make quick iterations that lead to greater efficiency in delivery timescales.
- Clarity on scope of work: It is easier for teams to accurately estimate resources needed when they have an existing working model as opposed to trying to plan without a reference point or basic understanding of what will eventually be built
- Enhance user experience testing possibilities: Creating interactive prototypes gives users a real-world experience which is invaluable when designing applications and products as it allows them to test features, usability and performance more effectively than through purely conceptual approaches.