In the manufacturing world, rapid prototyping is much quicker than traditional prototyping, which may take months or even years. In digital design, rapid prototyping is the process of iteratively mocking up an interface and validating it with users, stakeholders, and even your teammates.īut what makes it rapid compared to standard prototyping? In much the same way, designers in the digital world have adopted rapid prototyping as a quick and cost-effective way to build and test a working version of their product. The prototype can be tested before the product or part is manufactured in larger quantities. In manufacturing, rapid prototyping is used to create a 3D model of a product, or a single part of a product. The term “rapid prototyping” actually originates from the manufacturing industry. In order to understand rapid prototyping, it is useful to consider where the term comes from. Now, though, let’s get back to the focus of this guide: rapid prototyping! 2. You can learn more about prototyping and all the different kinds of prototypes in this guide. You’ll see how users interact with the product, discover any usability issues and design flaws, and identify areas in need of improvement. Once you’ve created a prototype, you’ll test it on some target users. Prototypes can range from simple paper models to fully functional digital prototypes that the user can interact with. To do this, you create a scaled-down version of your product-be it an app, a website, or a piece of software. You’ll want to test it to ensure that it’s user-friendly and bug-free, and that it helps the user to complete their desired actions. What is prototyping? A recapīefore you spend time and money developing an idea or building a product, you need to make sure that it works as intended. In this guide, we’ll explore one of the most useful yet intimidating prototyping techniques in the field: rapid prototyping. We create them with everything from pencil and paper to fancy design software. Prototypes are one of the most important deliverables of our discipline.