Week 6 Guide: Prototyping Basics
The Real Problem This Solves
Ideas in your head always seem to work. The moment you make them real, problems appear that you could not have predicted. A prototype turns a guess into something you can hold, show, and test. The goal is not a finished product. The goal is to learn as fast and cheaply as possible.
- Design track: the roll-up mat, caddy, or your chosen desk organiser concept.
- Architecture and spatial track: a scale or card model of your learning pod concept.
Key Ideas You Need First
1. Fidelity: rough is a feature, not a fault
A low-fidelity prototype is quick and rough: paper, card, tape, found objects. It is fast to change and invites honest feedback. A high-fidelity prototype looks close to final. This week you want low fidelity. If it looks finished, people are afraid to criticise it.
2. Prototype the riskiest part first
You cannot build everything. Decide the one question that most needs answering, and build only enough to test that. For the roll-up mat, the risk is: does it really pack away in under a minute and hold the tools securely?
3. Make it testable
A prototype someone can pick up and try teaches you far more than a drawing. Build for hands, not for display.
Tools And Materials Needed
- Cheap, fast materials: paper, card, tape, scissors, string, foil, clay, or reused packaging.
- For digital concepts: paper wireframes or a free tool such as Figma or slides.
- The Prototype Planning Sheet.
- Your phone camera.
Step-By-Step Walkthrough
- Name the question. Write the one thing this prototype must test. Everything else can be faked.
- Plan on the sheet. List what you will build, what materials, and what "working" would look like.
- Choose the lowest fidelity that answers the question. Card and tape often beat a week of careful making.
- Build the core, fake the rest. Build only the risky part properly. Represent the rest simply.
- Try it yourself. Use it as the user would. Time it, load it, fold it. Note what breaks.
- Photograph and note. Take clear photos or a short video. Write down every question the build raised for next week's testing.
Demonstrated Example
Concept: roll-up fabric mat with tool pockets (desk organiser).
Question to test: can it be rolled away in under a minute and hold five tools without them falling out?
Prototype: a piece of felt with fabric pockets stapled on, and a ribbon tie. Built in ninety minutes from craft materials.
What the build revealed: deep pockets held tools well, but the mat curled at the edges, so tools near the ends slid. Note for testing: try a stiffer edge or a fold-over flap.
Why this is strong: it is rough, cheap, and answers the real question. The curl problem would never have shown up in a sketch.
Your Task This Week
- Write the one question your prototype must answer.
- Plan it on the sheet, then build a low-fidelity version.
- Try it as the user would and note what breaks.
- Photograph or film it and list questions for testing.
Submission Checklist
| Upload item | Pass standard |
|---|---|
| Prototype photo or video | Shows a real, made object or model, rough is fine. |
| Planning sheet | States the question, materials, and what working looks like. |
| Notes from trying it | Lists at least two things you learned or that broke. |
Assessment And Pass Criteria
- A physical or digital prototype actually exists and is testable.
- It targets the riskiest part of the concept, not decoration.
- The learner tried it and recorded honest results.
- The fidelity suits the stage: quick and changeable, not over-polished.
Common Mistakes
- Polishing too early. A pretty prototype hides problems and blocks feedback.
- Building everything. Test one risk, fake the rest.
- Only drawing it. A drawing is not a prototype you can try.
- Hiding the flaws. The flaws are the value. Record them.
Extension Challenge
Build a second, quite different version of the same concept in thirty minutes. Comparing two rough prototypes teaches you more than perfecting one.