6 Examples of Developing a Perfect Prototype of Your Startup
What are the main reasons to create a prototype, and which of the examples of prototyping is the best fit for your project?
Let’s compare the use cases of different prototype types to find a perfect match.
Such a simple step as making a prototype for your product can be game-changing for your solution. Following the best LEAN development practices, you are welcome to validate and test each of your new hypotheses using the methods of prototyping, market research, and user feedback analysis. Let’s find out the examples of using prototyping in startup development to suggest the option that suits your project best.
Prototype vs. Proof of Concept vs. MVP: What is the Difference
The concepts of a prototype, proof of concept, and Minimum Viable Product are frequently mixed up. Indeed, they have something in common, being the logical stages in startup idea validation and further development. But let’s define them separately to better explain how they differ, how they are interconnected, and what role a prototype plays in software development.
A proof of concept is a visual or technical confirmation that the idea behind the tech project can actually work as planned in a given environment. The proof of concept answers the question of whether the solution can technically solve its task in real life.
A prototype, in turn, is the first suggestion, the visual example of how the solution works. At this stage, we are already sure that it works and will work, but we need to visualize the way it works and show it to prospective users.
A Minimum Viable Product is already a kind of demo solution. It actually works, and the users can interact with it. Still, creating an effective and validatable MVP is impossible without proof of concept and further prototyping, so this is one of the stages of a startup’s evolution.
Main Reasons Why You Should Use Prototyping in Your Startup
Validate your idea one more time
The golden rule of the LEAN development methodology is to test any business, design, and tech idea before you invest in its realization. Creating a prototype for your startup is one of the most effective practices to make sure your future solution will fit the users’ expectations in terms of UI, UX, and design ideas.
Test with real users
The only way to develop a solution the users will enjoy is to fit their expectations and match their preferences. So, you are welcome to get in touch with the focus group already at the prototyping stage and ask for their impressions. In addition, asking for suggestions on improving or revising the current prototype to make the UI and UX more seamless and enjoyable is one of the best ways of using prototyping in product development.
Find the best design and tech solutions
One of the reasons for using prototyping in a startup is that you are welcome to create as many prototypes as you need to find the winning solution. Prototyping is a creative and brainstorming process that allows for coming up with effective suggestions and validating your hypothesis with the help of future users.
Avoid costly mistakes
An earlier mistake is always a cheaper mistake, so it is always better to suggest several poor prototypes than build one technically lame product. From this perspective, the importance of prototyping in creating a new product is the opportunity to avoid costly design mistakes via suggesting several prototypes and proceeding with the best one, in the opinion of the future users.
Test your team collaboration and communication
For those outsourcing the project creation, testing the way your design and tech teams work together is one of the benefits of a prototype in developing a startup. While hiring decisions are never easy, assigning a simple task to a team can be a winning tactic to make sure they are collaborative and match your project.
6 Examples of Prototyping for Bringing Your Idea to Life
Below are the most popular examples of prototyping, which can be tailored to the specific use case. Let’s review them step by step.
Wireframes
Wireframing is the simplest approach to thinking through your future website or mobile app architecture and user experience. Indeed, the technical development of any tech project begins with drawing wireframes and evaluating their usability. This is also a useful approach to find room for the essential features, possibly get rid of the ones that overload the product, and suggest the best possible structure of a future website or app.
Slidedeck
Wireframing is the simplest approach to thinking through your future website or mobile app architecture and user experience. Indeed, the technical development of any tech project begins with drawing wireframes and evaluating their usability. This is also a useful approach to find room for the essential features, possibly get rid of the ones that overload the product, and suggest the best possible structure of a future website or app.
Landing pages
Landing pages are two-in-one prototype examples. For instance, you can create a landing page and run PPC ads to find out whether there is an actual interest in your product or service (which is neither built nor can be delivered right now). Such a landing page will still be considered a kind of a future business prototype and idea validation tool. Or, you can start your complex project development by creating a simple landing page (the main screen) to validate the UI and design scheme.
Interactive frontend
This is already a more complex prototype, but it is still not an MVP. An interactive frontend is something like a future solution shell the users can interact with but can’t use the features set as it is intended. Sometimes, such prototypes use random data APIs to give the users the close-to-real impression and experience of working with the prototype.
As a rule, the developers analyze how the focus group participants behave with an interactive frontend using hot mapping and behavior capturing tools.
Working model (low fidelity product)
A low-fidelity product is a kind of MVP first and raw version. The best thing about it is that it works, and you can test it with the users one more time. Or, you can use it along with the next type of prototype to attract investments for further product development.
Video prototype
Most often, the startup initiators create video prototypes to attract investments. Being fully visual, dynamic, and engaging, videos make a good impression, showcasing the future product with all the angles, especially if 3D technology is used.
Feel like any of the prototypes above are what your project needs right now? Let us help you with its creation!
Consider Fayrix Your Trusted Partner for Implementing the Newest Technologies to Your Business
Fayrix is an offshore software development vendor with 12 years of experience in tech, research and development, and startup building. We support the statement that once upon a time, each great company was started with a winning idea — and that’s why we are here to assist startup companies on their way to industry recognition and market acceptance. We can help you with business analysis, idea validation, prototyping, development, and DevOps services delivered according to the tech industry quality standards.
Take a look at our recent startup projects, which are innovative but created with human needs in mind.
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Conclusion
Creating a prototype for your future products is one of the must-follow practices for successful and lean startup development. Make sure to do it, generating creative and winning ideas, validating your suggestions with your users, and finding ways to make your product better. Fayrix is right here to support your project growth with our full-cycle development services for startups.
