The Power of Prototyping
Creed prides ourselves on having amazing clients with innovative ideas, but they often run into the same problem: not being able to clearly express their problem or their ideas. This is why we offer prototyping, a creative solution that allows us to showcase our vision before any development is even written. Prototyping allows the user to interact with the project, even at a low fidelity level, as if it’s a fully functioning website! Our UX / IA Researcher, Bridget Fitzpatrick, created a video outlining the benefits of prototyping, and how Creed approaches this technique.
Watch our video or read the transcript below!
“In this presentation, we’ll be talking about the power of prototyping. Clients often come to us with great ideas for websites and other digital products, but they sometimes have difficulty communicating their vision. Sometimes they have difficulty envisioning the final product. Maybe they only have part of the picture, or they have an idea but they aren’t sure if it’s even feasible. We can help to bridge the gap between a client’s vision and reality by using tools like wireframes and static mockups. We work with clients to develop requirements documentation, but these tools can sometimes miss the mark or lead to differences in interpretation. Miscommunication can lead to long delays, extra work, and extra project costs. Teams can start to feel frustrated or confused, and clients can wind up disappointed and dissatisfied. A solution to this challenge is prototyping. Prototyping is a dynamic tool that lets clients see and interact with their vision before any development work gets underway. Clients can try out their website or application before any code is written. Low-fidelity prototypes can be used to quickly explore a variety of design solutions. Designers can demonstrate important features and interactions, and make sure that a website functions as expected.
In our experience, prototyping really helps to clarify a client’s goals and vision for a project. Prototypes can be shared with stakeholders to generate their support and build excitement around a client’s vision. We also use prototypes for user testing, so we can uncover and fix problems before the developers begin their work. Prototyping is not without its challenge. changes. The destination can sometimes feel less certain when we approach a project this way, but it’s all about trying out new ideas to see what works quickly and with lower risks involved. When we incorporate prototyping into our process, there’s more opportunity for flexibility. Instead of waiting until the end of a project, we can iterate and test designs throughout the project, preventing costly rebuilds and moving a project forward more quickly. Making design changes becomes more expensive once development gets underway, so it’s more cost-effective to explore changes early on through prototyping. Prototypes provide a lot of value on their own, or they can serve as a source of truth throughout a project’s lifespan.
To summarize, the benefits of prototyping include the ability to quickly explore alternative designs, to test those designs early on and respond to people’s feedback. Prototypes can be used to get stakeholders involved and generate support for a project, which can be key to getting investors on board. Prototyping often yields better products with lower risk. Clients can save time and money, and they often feel more confident and satisfied with project outcomes.
Ready to try prototyping for your next project? Give Creed a call!”
Explore more about our research and Discovery process here!
