“Do We Have To Prototype?”

I get this question a lot.

Especially from teams that build products with a “project mindset”.

Many of them view prototyping as an extra step that will slow them down. After all, the thinking goes, why build a prototype (or even do discovery) when the features have already been identified. Wouldn’t it be better to just hand the list to IT so that they can launch it as soon as possible.

When all you care about is getting to launch as fast as possible, this perspective makes sense.

But if you are outcome driven, where the goal is to discover and confirm that you are building the “right” solution, prototyping is absolutely critical.

The benefits far outweighs the costs.

Here is why.

Five Reasons Why Prototyping Helps You Build Great Products.

If you are wondering what makes a product great vs. just mediocre, I encourage you to read this first.  It will put things into context.

As for the reasons,

#1. Prototyping Helps You Think Out Loud

It is easy to come up with great product ideas and solutions in your head.  

Up there, everything works.  

But when you sit down and draw the experience on paper it forces you to get more specific.  You can’t just say “build a compelling user experience” and leave it at that. You have to make your ideas more concrete. 

And in this process of drawing, you begin to realize what will work and what will not work. You start to notice where the user journey breaks down. And (more importantly) you begin to refine your ideas to overcome these challenges. 

In other words, prototyping forces you to think through your idea, identify it’s flaws, and make it better.

#2. Prototyping Helps You Experiment & Learn

At Google, product teams build prototypes to solicit user feedback.

It is not uncommon for a team to,

1. Build multiple variations of an idea (experiments)
2. Show it to the users and gather feedback
3. Take what works and make a better prototype (learning)
4. Continue the above cycle till they are satisfied that the idea will work (data driven)

Check out this great story about how the Gmail team started off with 100 prototypes, narrowed it down to 8, and then finally to 1 solution. All for just 1 feature.

It is because of this iterative process, is why companies like Google can consistently build great products.  

They use prototypes to experiment and learn.  So that when they are ready to build the actual product, they know it will be a hit with the users.

#3. Prototyping Helps You Save Time & Money

It is true…you don’t really have to prototype. 

You could continue to do what you are currently doing – have an idea, write requirements, build product, and launch.  

And, to be candid, you will gain the same learnings as you would have if you had prototyped. You will learn what your users like, what makes an impact, and what you need to be build next.

The only difference is that the traditional “lets get as many features out as possible” approach will take 1 – 2 years and a ton of money for one iteration.

Whereas, prototyping will take a few weeks (4 – 6 weeks at most), for multiple iterations, at a fraction of the cost.

You can choose to skip prototyping and waste time and money.  Or you can leverage prototyping and save a ton of time and money in the long run.

You decide.

#4. Prototyping Helps You Communicate Better

How many times have you asked the UX developer to build a “red” button.  Only to find out that the shape is all wrong, the placement is awkward, and the shade of red is nauseating.  

Mistakes like these are common when you are communicating with words.  But when you visualize what you want.  It cuts down on the misunderstanding.  So that the development team can deliver what you want.  

But the benefit does not stop here.

Prototypes can also help us describe new, first of a kind, products and services.  Imagine trying to describe a Google Search, before there was search.  

In both examples, prototypes can help us communicate more effectively.

#5. Prototyping Helps You Get Started Quickly

Analysis paralysis is a real problem in any size organization.

Way too often, I see product teams stuck. Trying to decide which ideas, features, opinions, and options to pursue.   

Prototyping can help you overcome this paralysis.

No need for deep analysis on which idea to begin with.

Since prototyping lowers the bar dramatically – most prototypes start with paper and pencil. You can start with any idea, prototype it, and see if it works.  If it does, work on it to make it better.  If not, discard it, and move on.

Plus you can do all this on your own. There is no need to request for funding, or designers, or developers. 

Prototyping makes the first step less dramatic.  Allowing you to get started quickly and keeping the momentum going.

So What Next?

If you are serious about transforming your team from feature led to outcome based product development (aka projects to products), prototyping is a must.

Here is how you can get started,

1. Have the team identify the top 3 – 5 most critical users journey.
2. Ask them to build rudimentary prototypes (paper & pencil). At a minimum you will enjoy the benefits of thinking out loud and getting started quickly.
3. As the team starts to get their sea legs, use the prototypes as a way to better communicate with IT. A picture is worth a thousand words.
4. And when you are truly ready to switch to outcome based development, have the team build prototypes to gather feedback, learn rapidly, and discover the right solution. That is really when you start to enjoy the true benefits.

With prototyping the barrier to entry is so low. Leveraging it, regardless of where you are in your transformation journey, is almost a no brainer.

It is a gift that keeps on giving.

Happy Building!!