Prototyping is the process of developing a draft version of a design or product; basically a tangible/visual form of your ideas (prototype), that allows a developer to explore ideas and show the intention behind a feature or a design concept to users before investing time and/or money in the development. It provides ways for testing and exploring ideas before too many resources are used.

Prototyping is a fundamental part of the design process as it allows a developer to test ideas much faster and improve on them in a timely fashion. A developed prototype can either be whole or part to test a specific part of the solution.

Prototyping is about bringing conceptual or theoretical ideas to life and exploring their real-world impact before finally executing them (Dam and Siang 2020); through prototyping developers are able to test their ideas an reveal assumptions and biases as well as uncover new insights for a creators ideas that can improve an already existing project or create new ones.

Qualities of a Good Prototype

• Representation — a prototype is a rudimentary representation of the actual product; its look, feel and working modalities should be the same to that of the final design.
• Precision — the fidelity of the prototype, meaning its level of detail, polish, and realism, equals better response and feedback.
• Interactivity — should perform the key functions of the actual product; the capabilities of the prototype should be clearly outlined whether fully functional or partially functional.
• Improvision – one which can be adjusted with minimum effort. It is important as a prototype is subject to improvisions to develop it into the final design/product

Reasons and/or Importance of Prototyping

Prototyping is essential in resolving usability issues prior to launch of a product or design. It reveals areas that may need improvement, some of the reasons as to why prototyping is important include:

• Inexpensive: It is cheaper to change a product early in the development phase than it is after completion.
• Limits failure: Provides a developer room to streamline their development process, focusing on important interface elements, allowing a developer to adjust earlier in the process and avoid errors.
• Saves time: Proper planning during the prototyping phase makes it possible for the developer to elude major changes in the finished layout. During prototyping it is possible to identify unnecessary elements, hence creating time to polish the final design based on what is required.
• Efficient feedback and improved & increased user involvement: Prototyping requires user involvement and allows user/client to interact with a working model of the project. Clients/users are provided with room to give immediate feedback, request project changes and alter specifications; enabling the developer to eliminate misunderstandings and miscommunications during the development process.
• Better understanding of the intended design/product: Provides a strong visualization of the design/product, hence creating an understanding of the look and feel of the final product. It therefore helps the developer to better understand why they are designing/developing, what they are creating and for whom they are creating.