Multiple rounds of reviews, several rework efforts, unpredictable project delay, and the agitated minds of the project team – it is possible to prevent these unwanted experiences by focusing on prototyping. It is distressing to face them when it is the time to finalize the product.
They are usually the result of lack of comprehension of the requirements, which signifies the failure to fulfill the goals or objectives. So, wouldn’t it be ideal to show a prototype to the client in the initial stage of development so that the exact product comes out at the end?
A prototype is a sample of the product to be created and delivered to the client. When you show it to the client, you obtain a proper feedback to understand better what the client requires or a proper approval. In other words, you implement all the feedback during the development stage of the product.
This means that all rework after making the product is avoided, which saves both time and money of your team. Well, there are some more benefits that prototyping gives you.
Exact and Efficient Development under the Client’s Supervision and Coordination
Many times, words via mouth are more comprehensible than the words on paper. So, while a plan is there, evaluation by the client in person is more effective in efficiently making the product. When the client is there at every step to guide and feed what is required, it becomes more efficient to make the exact product.
Timely Communication
When you are showing the prototype to the client, the entire team is there to see and listen. The team can easily and directly ask their questions to solve their doubts or get clarification for further development. The biggest benefit is that the risk of untimely and incomplete communication is eliminated. The team hears exactly what the client wants and consequently proceeds as per what they heard.
Better Teamwork
With a proper prototyping tool, you can make a good prototype. However, without a prototype, you cannot achieve better or improved teamwork. This is because for making a prototype and converting it into the actual product, collaboration and brainstorming are essential across all the relevant functional levels, ranging right from the designers to the testers and quality check team.
Each member of the team is involved right from the prototyping stage. This simply boosts team spirit for teamwork, which lasts until the end of the project. Even the chosen prototyping tool contributes to it, as everybody gains an insight of the product to be developed, in advance. This is likely to contribute to brainstorming and planning in the presence of the entire team, instead of just a few members.
Conclusion
Include prototyping wherever possible, as it is simple and fast to make a prototype. For example, for making an electronic device, you can develop a prototype for its Printed Circuit Board (PCB) designby using the right tool and then for the device having that approved board. One such tool to choose is the Altium PCB tool. Similarly, in case of a chip required for making a smart watch, you can opt to create appropriate prototypes.