What to prototype

A question that often arises when discussing prototyping is – "Can I prototype my service?". The short answer is yes, aspects of it. As with products, there are elements of the concept that are most suitable to prototyping. In prototyping you are observing how users experience pivotal elements of your product or service in a safe space. You pull out and isolate important features of your idea, simplify them into testable models, and observe your users interacting with this simplified model. This uncluttered environment allows you to understand what needs to be modified or improved about this isolated element of your experience.

Prototyping is most often associated with testing user interfaces of digital products but other areas you could test include:

• Materials your user will interact with (course materials, pamphlets, sales pages)

• Language and copy

• Methods of reaching a market – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Snapchat posts, visiting people in person to sell your service, email newsletters

• Physical products

• Service interactions