Putting ideas into practice, making solutions tangible.

This stage of “design thinking” requires to make the representations, concepts, and notions set in the stage of “devising” more and more tangible so that the proposal of solutions is seen as such and allows identifying failures requiring necessary adjustments to achieve effective solutions. The aim is to create models with consistent approaches able to solve the problem or meet a need.
In the beginning, prototypes can be high-level drafts quickly created in order to examine the assumptions made based on notions and understanding of the need or problem. An agile prototype will allow checking –even together with the own user– the drafted approach adjustment according to the user’s need, or exploring new solutions based on the feedback, which will help to gradually develop prototypes including more characteristics and functions, as required.
There is no established rule on how to create prototypes, nor which method or technique is the best of the many ones currently used. Therefore, prototypes can be represented as objects, drawings, diagrams, graphs, maps, etc. created on any material such as paper, cardboard, plasticine, Lego blocks or others.
Prototypes are tangible elements on which ideas translate into solutions. In short, they have become important learning tools which allow simplifying communication with users and customers, as well as understanding their perception.