Product Prototyping
A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and software programming. A prototype is generally used to evaluate a new design to enhance precision by system analysts and users. Prototyping serves to provide specifications for a real, working system rather than a theoretical one. In some design workflow models, creating a prototype (a process sometimes called materialization) is the step between the formalization and the evaluation of an idea.
Basic Prototype Categories
Prototypes explore different aspects of an intended design:
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A Proof-of-Principle Prototype serves to verify some key functional aspects of the intended design but usually does not have all the functionality of the final product.
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A Working Prototype represents all or nearly all of the functionality of the final product.
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A Visual Prototype represents the size and appearance, but not the functionality, of the intended design. A Form Study Prototype is a preliminary type of visual prototype in which the geometric features of a design are emphasized, with less concern for colour, texture, or other aspects of the final appearance.
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A User Experience Prototype represents enough of the appearance and function of the product that it can be used for user research.
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A Functional Prototype captures both function and appearance of the intended design, though it may be created with different techniques and even different scale from final design.
