Before planning the final release of the product, it is crucial to take it through a prototype testing questions process. It means the product is offered to real users who assess it and provide opinions on whether it delivers the expected solutions. People describe their experience of interacting with the product and suggest improvements.
The process is experimental and intended to provide users with an early experience of interacting with the product. Prototype testing sheds light on inconsistencies with design, semantics, programming, precision, and other important user experience details. Before the start of production or development, the developers or manufacturers need to validate the product design carefully.
Types of prototypes that exist
There are different phases of the software development life cycle, but the earliest phase is prototype testing. The main goal is to discover more about the product so that necessary adjustments can be made. Sometimes users struggle not only to achieve certain goals with the downloaded apps but even delete them in the first place. This is a sign that the developer did not take user experience seriously. The user may require to completely uninstall apps that are annoying and hard to remove. On the other hand, developers need to come up with the quickest and most cost-effective way to do testing. Four main types of prototypes exist.
Concept proof
Developers/manufacturers use available resources or features to prove to users that their idea will work and that the cost of production will be reasonable. The new product may not even leave the lab or factory, but the aim to test it and remove any bugs is already a top priority. The prototype testing questions for this testing seek to prove that the features can work, although the data measurements could differ in accuracy.
Video/visual
This testing presents the product to users in the form of a video. The producer seeks to get user testing reviews based on what they see and hear. While creating new movies or consumer products, designers use this type of testing. The aim is to let the user visualize the product and provide feedback.
Working prototype
During one of the phases of the software development life cycle, developers test if the product works as intended. They take it through a working model testing where people use it and provide feedback on their experience.
Preproduction
This type of testing is done by producers before they begin mass production of products. The manufacturer needs to understand how to evaluate a prototype through testing in the preproduction phase before launching the testing. This testing uses factory samples of the real product.
10 prototype questions that designers need to ask
- Is the design user-centered? Having the user in mind is a great way for creating a marketable product. The designer needs to learn how to evaluate a prototype through testing to understand if it has the user in mind. The user must perceive it as a good product that will meet their needs.
- What problem is the product solving? Any type of product is created to solve specific or multiple problems. The prototype testing questions for this product revolve around finding out whether it solves the expected need.
- What kind of competition are you facing? When the designer understands who their competitors are, they will know the kind of product features to include. They will also know the type of user testing review to do.
- What would you suggest this tool is used for? These types of prototype testing questions seek to understand if the user knows what the product is for.
- What characteristics/features should the product have? The product characteristics form the basis of the prototype testing questions that need to be asked or the answers to look out for.
- How will user-focused research on the product be done? Product research is an important component in creating user-friendly designs.
- What criteria did you use to discover the problem you want to solve? Before you decide what the objectives of testing a prototype are, you first need to discover how you came to learn about the problem. You need solid information about it to create a product that truly solves the problem.
- What are the expected successes and failures? It is expected there will be successes and failures before perfecting the product. You need to anticipate them beforehand.
- What is the target market? The designer needs to understand the market to determine the stakeholders. These are people who will matter in decision-making and product approval. The prototype testing questions should be designed with the end-user and stakeholder in mind.
- What risk level are you willing to take to make your dream come true? Every product design or production phase involves a certain risk level. The designer must be willing to pay the cost or bear the pain of the process until they get a perfect product.
How prototype testing questions benefit developers
The process of creating new products is full of perils. Yet, consumers shouldn’t be aware of this fact. Therefore, developers take all the risks to ensure they avail a risk-free product to users. Prototype testing provides developers with an array of benefits.
Get feedback from users:
Developers might have made good decisions about a product, but they could not meet the needs of the users. Thus, getting feedback from users is an indispensable stage of product development.
Discover problems with a product:
It is necessary to discover all problems associated with a product before launching it into the market. So, prototype testing helps spot such problems and solve them before release.
Understand product usability better:
However developers start with an idea and a solution, but they might not know how usable the product will be once it hits the market. Testing helps designers assess the level of usability
Save money
It is much more expensive to recall a product and fix its problems once it’s released into the market. Preproduction testing helps developers save a lot of money.
Helps convince stakeholders to buy your ideas
Many stakeholders will not buy into an idea they are not certain is viable. Testing helps prove it is viable and convinces them to buy the idea.
Soft tools and techniques that can help specialists determine problems at the prototype testing stage
Tools for prototype testing help developers achieve better prototype digital testing. However, the testing focuses on functions such as launch, user interface, and back end. Here are some of the best prototyping tools in the market.
UXtweak
UXtweak is an all-rounded user interface research tool that makes prototype testing a simple process. Developers only need to upload the link, and the tool does the rest of the work. It generates a detailed report that gives developers unique insights.
InVision
InVision is a prototype testing platform that dwells in the cloud. It has several features that allow users to edit, restyle layers, and create presentations. It runs on Windows, web browsers, and OS X.
UsabilityHub
UsabilityHub is useful when developers want to validate their designs. Its main work is to test usability problems. It is an easy-to-use tool with a wide range of metrics.
Origami Studio
Origami Studio is a mobile-friendly prototyping tool developed to help designers test user interfaces and flows fast. Both iOS and Android can use it.
The best approach to prototype testing
- Decide what you want to test
- Decide your target users
- Develop your prototype
- Decide techniques for usability testing
- Choose your prototype testing tools wisely
- Provide users with clear objectives
- Choose your prototype testing questions
- Do the testing
- Use feedback to generate a detailed report
Conclusion
Prototype testing provides developers with a chance to research an alternative to their designs. It confirms whether their product is functional before they start production. The main goals are to explore the product, demonstrate usability, evaluate problem solutions, and verify goals. There are many types of product testing, but prototype testing forms the basis of all other testing work. Without it, most products would fail to provide intended solutions immediately after launching into the market.
