Prototype & Test - Step 6 [Aug. 20, 2011, 9:05 p.m.]

WHAT is it?

"Prototyping is the iterative development of artifacts – digital, physical, or experiential – intended to elicit qualitative or quantitative feedback." (Geehr, 2008)

The act of prototyping implies "building", testing, and iterating and is, itself, both a flaring and a narrowing process. The flaring represents the proliferation of low-resolution prototypes developed as different aspects of the prototype are evaluated and the narrowing represents the refinement of the lower resolution models into increasingly complex and resolved models.

WHY do we teach it?

After the ideation phase, you have a mountain of ideas, some of which you'd like to pursue. Prototyping allows you to fully explore all of those concepts you want to evaluate. You prototype because you need to explore your options -- to try things and fail, further informing your design process. Prototyping is a way to do your due diligence on the concepts that came out of ideation. Get your hands dirty! Click that mouse! Bias toward action! If a picture is worth a thousand words, a prototype is worth a thousand pictures.

HOW do we teach it?

The "how" is largely dependent on the type of project you're working on. Building something physical? You should probably start by sketching, making low-resolution models out of foam core and hot glue, etc... Designing a classroom space? Make a small model. Approximate furniture with found objects. Find some users to test it out. There are myriad methods you can employ in your concept exploration -- but there are a few rules of thumb to follow:

The prototypes themselves aren't valuable -- at all -- but your learnings are. Treat them as a means to an end and not the end result.

Don't get emotionally attached to what you create. It'll only hinder your process.

Bias toward action! When in doubt, make something. Just do it! Thinking = Doing.

The description above comes from the d.school K12 wiki

Some suggestions

Use some of these free tools and more free tools to mock up/rapid prototype your classroom
Try 3D, Cartoons, Video or Storytelling
Make 3 or 4 slightly different versions to test
Try using some sustainable materials