What’s the Catch to Build a Software Prototype?
Is your legacy software crashing? Are you stuck with the software development process? Know that software prototyping is the solution to speed up your development process and achieve rapid, quality, and timely results. Many people want to upgrade their legacy software systems and others want to automate things by creating software solutions. But the real question stands handing, where does one start?
Well, let’s make it easier for you. Start by building a prototype to simplify the process.
Let’s see what we have in store for us?
Know all about Software Prototyping
Software Prototyping is defined in the simplest ways as the process to create prototypes during the development process. It allows you to display and demonstrate the product functions and features without the original logic of the primary product.
It doesn’t have to be the exact replica of the product that you want to create, but it must convey the real demonstration of the product. It involves creating different types of prototypes that include static prototypes, discardable prototypes, video prototypes, 3D prototype models, paper-based prototypes, and even functional prototypes to run a usability testing.
With software prototypes, you can build apps, software systems and automate your workflow at a much faster rate. It can help you save thousands of dollars, countless hours, and resources.
But how to get started with Rapid prototyping in software development?
Let’s dive into the top methods that we know.
Leverage 4 Methods for Rapid Software Prototyping in Development
Software development is often deemed as a complex process because you have to carry out the development by choosing the right tech stack, maintaining a strong framework of the product, and then keeping in view your own budget. Minimum Viable Product (MVP) is considered a cost-effective way to go about it and it involves prototypes.
You can create a basic demonstration of your product using the top methods for rapid software prototyping. This way, you are able to validate the product idea and take it to the next step. The only remaining step after prototyping is to transform the idea into a product. It is an ongoing process to gather user’s feedback, make improvements and deliver. It makes it easier for you to see what the consumer wants.
Once you offer a product to your targeted users and customers, then you are trying to solve their problem. Think of this prototyping as solving problems, and here your target consumer could be anyone. It can be a prototype for an educational mobile app, a software idea to pitch in front of your investors, or even enterprise-level software solutions to automate your work.
In order to meet your desired expectation, a prototype has to serve its purpose. If you have decided to create a prototype, then let’s see the options to go about it.
1- Leverage Versatility with Incremental Prototyping
It is evident from the very name that this method involves additions, improvements, and increments in the prototypes. But the most interesting thing is that different versions of the software prototypes are created during the development process.
Once the improvements and changes are made, all the prototype versions are combined to create one prototype to proceed with the development. It is said that this can push the development process to go at a faster rate and you can also weigh in the pros and cons to carefully mitigate the possible risks.
2- Throwaway Prototyping – Is it cost-effective or hoax?
As you can guess that once the throwaway prototype serves its purpose, it is oftentimes discarded or thrown away. It means that on a temporary basis, you can just use it during the development process and once you get the idea for the product, you can throw it. Although it can be seen as a cost-effective way to test the product ideas and their vitality.
But is it really beneficial in the long run? For example, if you created a 3D prototype or a paper prototype using this method. If it’s gone, you will have to start again from the scratch as compared to the digital mockup, where you can make the changes along with the development process. Even if it involves coding, and you discarded it. What’s the point?
3- Follow Systematic way with Extreme Prototyping
When you create innovative solutions especially using technology, think with a ‘problem-solving approach.’ Therefore the advent of the wireframe software industry, mockup industry, and rapid prototyping in software development is here to solve those problems for independent businesses, enterprises, and large industries. Once you get into this extreme method, it basically takes you step by step.
It can be regarded as a process that involves:
- Low Fidelity Prototyping
- Medium Fidelity Prototyping
- High Fidelity Prototyping
Here you know how things are going step by step, where you can see a sketch-based simple, and basic demonstration of your product. Then some changes, additions, and improvements are made to turn it into a mockup with a better UI design. Now is the next step where you can create a functional prototype to get a product simulation and run tests for usability effectiveness. When it is approved, the very next step is to develop it. You see it going from one phase to the next.
4- Stick to Basics with Evolutionary Prototyping
In this, the software development is done following the ‘evolutionary process.’ It means that the additions, changes, and improvements are done over a significant period of time during various stages over the course of the evolutionary prototype.
It’s like you have to maintain the prototype changes as the development process moves along.
Overall, now you must have a clear idea about the methods that you can follow to go for the rapid software prototyping in development. However, it definitely gives you major advantages to achieve your business goals and build products. That also involves the benefits with prototyping to:
- Get User Feedback + consumer response
- Get Timely Reviews and updates
- Reduce overhead cost and manage budget
- Save Time and start rapid development
- Test the usability and functional effectiveness
- Improve the existing product prototype and identify the missing gaps
So what are you waiting for?
Get into automation with software prototype-based development.
Automate your life with Software Prototyping
Do you have an idea that you’d like to validate? An idea to turn into an app, website, or software product, then check the sample scenarios on mockup machine. You can share your own unique idea with the team to get started. Software prototyping is the future of software development and it is the right way to save yourself the extra hassle and protect from risks.
Test your Software idea to build a Prototype with Mockup Machine.
Don’t wait any longer, let’s discuss it today!
