It is much easier to change something which is only in the initial phase of the design process rather than try and change it later when the design is finalized.
It stands to reason that you should explore your idea and show the overall design concept so that stakeholders can get a “feel” of it before you go on and start investing time and above all money into development. It is much easier to change something which is only in the initial phase of the design process rather than try and change it later when the design is finalized.
This is why prototyping has grown in popularity in the last few years and prototyping designs have become an integral part of many UX workflows. Wireframes and mockups are static and the user cannot get the real picture of what the final product will look like or feel. A prototype will add to the functions of the product and the user will be able to roam freely while exploring all the functionalities and gaining a better understanding of the product itself.
A prototype is a powerful weapon because it:
- is a cost-effective way of testing your design.
- exposes the problems with the design very early.
- improves the efficiency of the design and minimizes the flaws.
- customizes the design - it makes sure that this solution does what it is supposed to do not what a developer/ designer thinks it should do.
- gives the idea to the stakeholders what the product will work like.
If you don’t prototype, you should probably give it a second thought now as it may be well worth extra effort.
