How Rapid Prototyping Helps You Design Faster And Better?

When the product team in a company is looking to make a new feature or product, prototyping is a minimum risk way to inspect and validate the ideas through users. Such a concept is called rapid prototyping, which is a process that helps teams to test their product ideas rapidly. It is the design workflow of mocking up the system’s future state in a faster way.

The process also includes validation with numerous users, developers, designers, and stakeholders. A Rapid Prototyping company does this process iteratively and quickly to generate feedback and improve the final design while reducing the requirement for any changes during development.

Prototypes can range from paper sketches to simulations with the same function and look like a final feature or product. Rapid prototyping becomes successful when you revise quicker based on feedback and utilize the correct prototyping approach. The process of rapid prototyping aids teams in experimenting with several ideas and approaches. It also facilitates discussion using visuals rather than words and decreases risk by avoiding missed requirements to result in an improved design quickly.

Also Read: What Is Rapid Prototyping? The Essential Guide For Rapid Prototyping

Rapid Prototyping includes several iterations of the three-step process:

       1. Prototyping

The rapid prototyping service has an important role as it converts the description of the users of that solution into a mock-up.

       2. Review

This step includes sharing the prototype with many users to evaluate whether the prototype fulfills the requirements and expectations.

       3. Refining

Here based on feedback, you can identify different areas which need refining or further clarification and defining.

When you hire a rapid prototyping agency, they create a small prototype with few areas mocked up. It gradually grows up in-depth and breadth after multiple iterations. After that, finalizing the prototype happens, and then it is handed off so that the final product will be developed. The process speediness is evident in multiple iterations ranging from real-time transformation to iteration cycles depending on prototype scope.

       1. Low Fidelity Prototype

The fastest way to begin prototyping is by putting ideas into the paper. Sketching is one low-fidelity approach, and no experience with special tools is required. These are used in the design cycle’s early stages. Paper prototyping becomes necessary for conceptualization. These are static and have very low visual as well as content fidelity. It forces the users to concentrate on how they will utilize the system rather than what it may look like in the future.  It makes designers open to any changes after receiving feedback.

       2. Medium Fidelity Prototype

Wireframes, workflows, and scenarios are made with tools to make them look formal and more refined. While visual branding elements, style, and colors can be introduced, the rapid prototyping company often ignores them while focusing more on demonstrating the application behavior.

Connecting screens or pages stimulate interactivity, and these prototypes determine well whether the needs of users are met or not. It also determines whether the experience of users is optimal. The speed in this prototype is increased with the usage of stencils, templates, and reusing elements or widgets. It becomes faster with the right tool choice.

       3. High Fidelity Prototype

This is more realistic and is often mistaken as the final solution or product. Earlier, codes using programming languages were done in these prototypes. But now, application-simulation tools enable even non-technical users to utilize UI widgets for making high-fidelity prototypes. It stimulates the final product’s functionality for database interactions. These prototypes are useful to conduct usability testing as well as training users.

Also Read: Which is the best UI/UX Prototyping Tools for Designers In 2021?

       1. Exploring Better Ideas and Concepts

In the rapid prototyping service, exploring newer ideas or concepts becomes quicker. After research, the team may notice some trend, or you may desire to refine certain features based on customer feedback. No matter what the idea is, rapid prototyping helps explore several solutions and quickly understand whether the idea will work. It also answers whether the new products add value to users.

       2. Minimizes Development Costs

After you hire a rapid prototyping agency, they ensure that the need for more iterations reduces the development costs. When products or features get validated by users during the designing stage, the possible risk of creating something invaluable becomes minimum. The cost of issue fixing after the product release is way more than fixing it during design.

       3. Successful Launching

Rapid prototyping becomes extremely necessary for a successful product launch. There are many benefits of including users during product development and from creating one engaged community to identify proponent customers. In addition, launching becomes more successful with existing customers.

Rapid Prototyping is valuable at every stage of the development process. Here are certain use cases of it.

       1. New Concept and Idea Validation

Prototypes are used for testing concepts or ideas in the early stage to determine what is valuable for users. It helps in focusing on solution-building, which fulfills the expectations and needs of users before product development begins. It saves resources and time.

       2. Market Validation

With rapid prototyping, market validation can be done as users directly interact with the prototype and give insights into the things that work best.

       3. Testing of New Things with Users

Prototype creation is perfect for testing new features as users identify issues after the interaction. This helps in understanding the things that need iteration and attention.

       4. Evaluation of Product-Market Fit

By sharing the prototype with potential users, you collect valuable feedback and access the product-market fit. This enables you to view whether the product meets the target audience’s needs and discover growth opportunities.

       5. Feedback from Stakeholders

Prototyping is turning an idea into a tangible element and giving it to stakeholders and the team. The prototypes encourage communications and let stakeholders give feedback which can be valuable for making future decisions.

Conclusion

Rapid Prototyping leads to the creation of an excellent product. With the feedback from users during the earlier stage, you get to know about the issues and fix them, which saves your money that may be spent after product development is completed. It not only makes the design process faster and nicer but also guarantees to provide some actionable insights.

With a close focus on Rapid Prototyping designs, Uaxe Labs is your best partner to deliver Rapid Prototyping service that would make your development journey far more predictable and hassle free.