A prototype simulates the user experience of a product or service and helps test usability, interactivity, and feasibility. It does not need to be perfect, just fit for its purpose of validating assumptions within given budget and time constraints. There are different types of prototypes for different stages including paper prototypes, experience prototypes, software and hardware tools, storyboards, and physical prototypes. Prototypes range from early, low-fidelity prototypes to refined alpha and beta prototypes used for further development and testing before full production.

1. Prototyping
Aditya Sakhuja @aditya_sakhuja

2. Imperial Create Lab
Imperial Hub
Imperial Entrepreneurs
Electronic and Information
Engineering

3. What is a prototype?
proto + typos
meaning ‘first impression’

4. What is not a prototype?
Sketches - explore ideas quickly
Wireframes - map out structure
Mockups - refined representation of final
static

5. a good prototype should ...
simulate the user-experience of your product or service
help experience usability
interactivity
feasibility
not be perfect, just fit for purpose
assumptions
budget
time constraint

6. a good prototype should ...
simulate the user-experience of your product or service
help experience usability
interactivity
feasibility
not be perfect, just fit for purpose
looks like, behaves like, works like

7. Types of Prototypes

8. Determined by the
purpose
Assumptions Budget Time Constraints

9. Early stage and ‘lo-fi’

10. PaperPrototyping

11. A person plays the ‘computer’,
acting out responses to the
user’s actions on the drawing.
Excerpted from: Snyder, C., Paper Prototyping: The Fast and Easy Way
to Design and Refine User Interfaces, Morgan Kaufmann, 2003.

12. Experience Prototyping
Approximate simulation of user experience
Less refined
than the actual
product

13. Nokia and IDEO - Maypole Experiment
Early market test for concept of photo sharing via mobile
communication

14. Nokia and IDEO - Maypole Experiment
Early market test for concept of photo sharing via mobile
communication
➔ prototype required a power pack and transceiver that
children had to carry around in a rucksack
➔ “Despite heavy backpacks... the children were happy
to integrate picture-sending and receiving into their
daily activity”
➔ confirmed the potential of the proposition

15. Tools for early stage
prototyping

16. Software Tools
Hardware Tools
Raspberry Pi

17. Service Prototyping

18. Storyboard
Role play, Video, Animation

19. Service Design Tools
http://www.servicedesigntools.org/

20. Type of physical prototyping
➢ Concept Models
➢ Industrial Design Prototypes
➢ Developmental Prototypes
➢ Alpha prototype
➢ Beta prototype
➢ Pre-production prototype
➢ Computer-aided prototyping

22. Thank you!
aditya.sakhuja@live.com
@aditya_sakhuja