From vision to reality: Navigating prototyping in design thinking
This is where the magic happens in the design thinking process. It’s time to select the best ideas generated during the ideation phase and build prototypes to demonstrate how they could look.
Prototyping acts as a bridge between brainstorming and execution. When you create a prototype, you enable others to visualise and interact with your idea so that you can test your assumptions and iterate to a solution that will really work.
There are lots of ways to create prototypes – you could draw a sketch, ask AI to generate an image for you, shoot a quick video, make a 3D digital model, or build digital wireframes. Whatever you do, the key is to create something rough and ready that you can easily share to get fast feedback from users.
This is an iterative process, so your prototype is just your starting point. The solution you end up taking forward will likely be quite different from your initial prototype. Maintaining a design thinking mindset throughout the prototyping stage is key – staying curious, adaptable and resilient will help you get the outcome you need.
By going through the prototyping phase of design thinking, you’ll work out what does and doesn’t work about your idea before you’ve invested resources in building it. Through testing and iterating informed by people’s feedback, you’ll end up with an implementable solution that you know will meet user needs.
Watch our video to find out more about prototyping.
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