Let\u2019s begin. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
What is a prototype in design thinking?<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
In design thinking, a prototype is a model that represents the idea, solution, concept, or product you want to test. Design thinking prototypes can be digital or physical, and the level of detail varies depending on how well-developed an idea is. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
We\u2019ll explore the different types of design thinking prototypes in section three of this guide. For now, let\u2019s recap on what design thinking is and where prototyping fits into the process. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Design thinking is an iterative, empathy-driven approach to solving problems and coming up with solutions. <\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n It prioritizes the end user throughout, encouraging you to understand and define the problem users need you to solve, and then to brainstorm, prototype, and test your ideas before you go ahead and develop them.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n This helps to determine whether or not your proposed solutions are actually effective and feasible \u2014 before you spend time, money, and resources building and implementing them.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n There are five main phases in the design thinking process<\/a>:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n That\u2019s design thinking in brief. For a more detailed exploration of the topic, refer to our full guide: What is Design Thinking? Everything You Need To Know<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The main purpose of a prototype in design thinking is to visualize and represent your ideas. This enables you to:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Let\u2019s say you\u2019re designing an app to help newly retired people connect with fellow retirees and find local opportunities to socialize and get involved in the community. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n You think you know enough about your target audience to design the app without prototyping and testing. You brainstorm all the features you believe the app should include, discuss them with your team and key business stakeholders who give you the thumbs-up, and then go right ahead and design the app in its entirety. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n You\u2019re certain you\u2019ve created an outstanding product \u2014 but, when you launch the app, it doesn\u2019t quite resonate with your target audience in the way you\u2019d hoped. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Your users report feeling overwhelmed by the vast array of features and functions available. At the same time, they point out that there are certain missing features that they would have liked the app to include. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n With prototyping and testing, this scenario could have been avoided. By creating prototypes to model how the app would look and function, and testing those prototypes on target users, you would have discovered the issues with your designs before getting them developed and launched. Based on user feedback, you could have focused on the features your users really wanted and launched a product that hit the mark. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Ultimately, prototyping in design thinking is an important safeguard against designing and building products that fail to meet your end users\u2019 needs. <\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n There are several different types of design thinking prototypes, and they vary in terms of both detail and format. Prototypes can be digital or physical and can range from low-fidelity (i.e. low-detail) models to more realistic high-fidelity representations. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Here are the main types of design thinking prototypes. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Low-fidelity prototypes are highly simplistic representations of your ideas. They\u2019re not concerned with the finer details; rather, they\u2019re used to visualize the broader overall concept. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Low-fidelity prototypes used in design thinking include:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Low-fidelity prototypes are used to capture and hash out very early-stage ideas and concepts. They can be more experimental and unformed, allowing you to explore multiple concepts before committing to a specific idea or design direction. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Mid-fidelity or medium-fidelity prototypes depict your ideas in more detail, but they\u2019re still not fully functional or entirely representative of how the final product might look or behave. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Just like their low-fidelity counterparts, mid-fidelity prototypes can also be created physically or digitally. Some common versions of mid-fidelity prototypes used in design thinking include:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n As your ideas advance and the finer details come into focus, you\u2019ll create high-fidelity prototypes. These closely resemble the final product in terms of visual appearance and functionality, and they\u2019re often used for late-stage testing just before the product is developed. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Examples of high-fidelity prototypes used in design thinking include: <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n While we often think of web design and mobile app design<\/a> when exploring design thinking, it\u2019s important to bear in mind that it also relates to the design of intangible solutions and services. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Prototyping for services focuses on the user journey and their interaction with the service \u2014 at specific touchpoints, for example, or holistically across the entire service experience. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Some common design thinking prototypes used in service design<\/a> include:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n As you can see, design thinking prototypes increase in detail and fidelity as your ideas and concepts evolve and become more refined. The closer you get to a final solution, the more complex and realistic your prototypes will become. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Want to get hands-on with prototyping? Here are some fun exercises to help you get creative, experiment with building different types of prototypes, and experience first-hand why prototyping is so useful. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Creating rapid, low-fidelity prototypes helps to prevent overthinking and encourages creativity. The goal is to sketch out a simple visualization of an idea using just pen and paper \u2014 with the timer set for one minute. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Set a timer for one minute and sketch out the home screen layout for an app of your choice (say, a dating app, a language-learning app, or a recipe app). After the minute is up, review what you\u2019ve created. Then repeat the same exercise four more times (creating four more prototypes, with one minute for each). At the end, you\u2019ll have five low-fidelity prototypes to explore. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Prototyping doesn\u2019t necessarily need to be a solo activity. If you want to leverage a variety of perspectives and ideas, try creating prototypes as a group. You might invite stakeholders from different departments, for example, to see how they each envision your idea taking shape. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Once you\u2019ve defined the user problem you want to solve and come up with solutions you want to explore (as per stages two and three of the design thinking process), gather a small group of team members or stakeholders and ask each person to create a simple, hand-drawn sketch of how the solution should look. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Give each participant paper and pens\/pencils, set a timer for 15 minutes, and have everybody focus on creating their prototypes. Once the 15 minutes are up, invite each member of the group to present their prototype and answer questions. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Once everybody has presented their prototypes, work together as a group to create a single prototype that combines the best ideas from each. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n If you want to get a feel for the prototyping process, consider building a prototype for a physical product. Experimenting with different materials is a great way to spark your creativity and explore the different forms and functions a product might take.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Gather a variety of different materials such as cardboard, tin foil, foam, clay, string, buttons \u2014 anything you can get your hands on \u2014 and choose a random physical product to prototype. You might prototype a kitchen appliance, a musical instrument, or something for your pet; anything that comes to mind. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The goal is not to create a polished, functional product, but rather, to explore the physical properties of product design and immerse yourself in the art of prototyping. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n For a truly immersive prototyping exercise, try role-playing and bodystorming. This is where you take on the perspective of your target users and act out different scenarios relating to the product or solution you\u2019re designing. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n This is a great way to cultivate empathy<\/a> throughout the prototyping process and to have a bit of fun with prototyping away from your computer screen. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Choose a scenario related to your design challenge \u2014 a customer trying to open a new bank account, for example, or a group of remote colleagues trying to improve the efficiency of their meetings. Assemble a small team to take part in the role-play, assign each member a specific role, and act out the scenario you want to explore. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n After the role-play, discuss the overall interaction, focusing on challenges and hurdles that came up, as well as any particularly successful or smooth moments. This will help steer you in the direction of an effective solution. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n If you\u2019re prototyping for digital products like apps and websites, experiment with a variety of digital prototyping tools to see what\u2019s possible with each platform. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n Tools like Figma<\/a>, Sketch, and Proto.io allow you to create fully interactive, high-fidelity prototypes that closely resemble how the finished product will look and function. Understanding how these tools work will elevate your prototyping process. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Choose two or three digital design thinking prototyping tools you want to focus on \u2014 say, Figma, Sketch, and Proto.io. Set yourself a specific prototyping challenge (or focus on a real prototyping task you\u2019ve got on your to-do list) and create a prototype in each of your chosen tools.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Explore all the different features and functionalities of each tool and see how they guide you through the prototyping process. This will not only help you to learn important industry-standard tools but will also encourage you to explore different approaches to creating high-fidelity prototypes. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Now that we\u2019ve explored design thinking prototypes in detail, here are some best practices to bear in mind when creating your own. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n There are many different types of prototypes in design thinking, ranging from low-fidelity<\/a> hand-drawn sketches to interactive digital prototypes, and everything else in between. It\u2019s important to choose the right kind of prototype depending on where you\u2019re at in the design process. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n If you\u2019re in the very early stages of coming up with ideas and concepts, focus first and foremost on low-fidelity prototypes. At this stage, it doesn\u2019t make sense to create high-fidelity prototypes as you\u2019re not yet thinking about the finer details of your product. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n If, on the other hand, your ideas are already well-developed and you\u2019re refining the final details, you\u2019ll want to create more complex, realistic prototypes. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n In design thinking, creating prototypes goes hand-in-hand with testing. So, as you create your prototypes, set clear goals and objectives for what you want to test. This will enable you to establish a benchmark for deeming whether or not an idea is worth pursuing further.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Let\u2019s say you\u2019re designing prototypes to test a new feature for a fitness app. The new feature you\u2019re creating should enable users to log their workouts and access key statistics such as how long they spent in each heart rate zone and how many calories they burned. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n When testing these prototypes, you might focus on one key objective: to determine whether or not the new feature is intuitive and easy to use. To measure this, you might time how long it takes for your users (or test participants) to locate the new feature, as well as how long it takes them to complete the action of tracking a new workout. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n You might also ask specific questions to gather relevant user feedback, such as \u201cHow easy was it to find the new feature?\u201d and \u201cHow did you feel while interacting with this new feature?\u201d <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Don\u2019t wait until an idea is well-formed before you prototype and test it. The whole point of design thinking is to prototype and test early and often \u2014 to gather vital feedback before you invest too much time and energy into a single solution. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Also, you shouldn\u2019t be prototyping and testing your ideas just once. Prototype and test your initial ideas, refine them (or come up with entirely new ideas) based on what you learn, then prototype and test those new ideas or iterations, and so on. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n By continuously prototyping and testing, you can progressively work towards the most effective, user-friendly solution. This reduces the risk of costly redesigns after the product has been developed and launched. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n It\u2019s important to make sure that you\u2019re not just putting your prototypes in front of people who can validate your ideas or tell you what you want to hear. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Test your prototypes on a diverse audience \u2014 including stakeholders and users who have existing knowledge of the product, as well as those who have no expectations whatsoever as to how the product should work. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Different users will approach your product or solution with different needs, expectations, and perspectives, so diversity in testing is crucial for gathering a broad range of insights. And, of course, it also plays a critical role in designing products that are accessible and inclusive. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Prototyping is a crucial step in the design thinking process, allowing you to visualize and test your ideas before developing them. This ensures that you\u2019re focusing on the right solutions to your users\u2019 problems, and designing them in a way that resonates with your target audience. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Without prototyping and testing, you run the risk of creating products that don\u2019t actually address a real user need \u2014 or products that require extensive (and expensive) redesigns after they\u2019ve been launched. Not only is that bad for the user experience; it costs unnecessary time, money, and resources. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n So, prototype early and often to explore, validate, and refine your ideas, and create truly user-centric products that your audience will love. If you\u2019d like to learn more about design thinking, check out these additional guides:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n If you are interested in learning more about prototypes in design thinking, we highly recommend checking out this UX Design project<\/a> by AND learner Abhishekh Singh. For further information, here are some additional resources you can refer to:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Note: All information and\/or data from external sources is believed to be accurate as of the date of publication<\/em>.<\/em><\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If you want to create products that truly resonate with your users, you can\u2019t just jump straight from \u2018idea\u2019 to \u2018design\u2019. You first need to test your ideas to make sure that they\u2019re really worth developing. This is where design thinking prototypes come in. Prototypes enable you to visualize and communicate your ideas, and test […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":13704,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[31],"class_list":["post-13657","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ui-ux-design","tag-emily-stevens"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.andacademy.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/image6-2-1024x453.gif\")
<\/figure><\/a>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nWhat is design thinking? A quick recap<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nWhat is the purpose of a prototype in design thinking?<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.andacademy.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/22-1.webp\" "\\"A")
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Why prototyping is so important in design thinking: A hypothetical example<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
The different types of design thinking prototypes<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Low-fidelity prototypes<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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Mid-fidelity prototypes<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.andacademy.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/2.webp\" "\\"A")
<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nHigh-fidelity prototypes<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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Service prototypes\u00a0<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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Ideas and inspiration for creating design thinking prototypes<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Create 1-minute prototypes\u00a0<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Give it a go:<\/h4>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Prototype collaboratively\u00a0<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Give it a go:<\/h4>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
![\"Designers](\"https:\/\/www.andacademy.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/1-12.webp\" "\\"Designers")
<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nExperiment with different materials<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Give it a go:<\/h4>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Try role-playing and body storming\u00a0<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Give it a go:<\/h4>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Use digital design thinking prototyping tools<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Give it a go:<\/h4>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Prototyping best practices<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Prototype based on where you\u2019re at in the design process<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.andacademy.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/4.webp\" "\\"A")
<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nSet clear goals and objectives\u00a0<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Prototype (and test) early and often<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Test your prototypes on a diverse audience\u00a0<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
The takeaway<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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Next Steps<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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