Before you think of making that order for prototyping services, you should do a little research about the job they will be doing.
It is best to understand the processes that will occur with your design and decide if you should increase or limit your expectations on what the end product will look like.
You have discussed your ideas extensively with the design team, you have also shown all the sketches made and revealed the objective of the design to the design team. What next?
You were supposed to hold on to the first line, but that is ok. It is not too late to do a little reading on the prototyping.
You can do a little digging on topics that relate directly to prototyping and prototypes. You could check out what a prototyping model is.
What is the prototyping model? what does it involve? What are the steps of the prototyping model? you will only find the answers to these questions if you keep reading.
What is a Prototyping Model?
A prototyping model is a method of systems development where a prototype is built. The system development method is also there for testing the product.
This development method is also partially responsible for testing and refining wherever and whenever it is necessary.
This refinement is done over and over again until the prototype has reached an acceptable standard and is ready to be developed into the final product.
The prototyping model is a trial-and-error method. This method works best when the requirements are not all known from the beginning of the project.
The prototyping model method is accomplished with iterations and adjustments based on the feedback received from users about the prototype.
So how does the prototyping model work? What are the steps of the prototyping model?
Steps Of a Prototyping Model
The steps may not follow a particular order, but many cases of using the prototyping model have shown that there is a pattern such as the following.
- The prototyping model system has very detailed requirements. The requirements usually questioning all users in all aspects of the system.
- Then a simple introductory design is made for the system. This design is only preliminary but is sufficient for an early stage.
- The preliminary design gives way for the first prototype of the new system to be created. This new creation is made from the preliminary design.
This preliminary design is usually an approximation of what the final product will be. So, it is scaled down since it is only a representation.
- After the first design, a rough evaluation of the prototype is done. Notes are then made about its strengths and weaknesses.
The developers and designers also take note of what needs to be adjusted either to remove or to add. They also analyze the feedback from users.
- That first design is then modified to meet the expectation of the users based on the feedback received. Here marks the creation of the second prototype.
- Just like the first prototype, the second prototype is evaluated.
- The next step continues with iterations as many times as possible until user satisfaction is achieved.
- When the final system is constructed, it is evaluated thoroughly and testing is done. To prevent future failure, routine maintenance Is done continuously.
Conclusion
The iteration of the prototyping model system is only complete when the users are satisfied. Preventive maintenance needs to be carried out regularly to prevent downtime of the product and potential failure.
