Prototype Development and Evaluation
How a prototype is built to test a design and judged against the brief for function, look, innovation and marketability, then improved through feedback and iteration and evaluated for fitness for purpose.
Justify the choices, the way you are assessed
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Test it before you make it for real
A design on paper is only a guess until it is built and tried. A prototype is an early working model made to test whether a design really does the job. This module works through how a prototype is judged against the brief, how a designer improves it from feedback, and how to evaluate whether it is fit for purpose.
Prototype words to know
Learn these before you build and test.
Developing against evaluating
The two halves of working with a prototype do different jobs.
Judge by criteria, act on feedback
In the exam, judge a prototype against the brief, not your taste. Work through the same set of criteria every time: how well it functions, how it looks and feels, how fresh the idea is, and whether it would find buyers. Then turn user feedback into specific changes, and state plainly whether it is fit for the job it was set. Improve by iteration, testing once more after each change.
Match the term
- prototype
- design brief
- fitness for purpose
- iteration
- an early model made to test a design
- what the client wants the product to do
- how well it does its job
- repeating make, test and improve
Match the criterion
- functionality
- aesthetics
- innovation
- marketability
- does it do its job well
- does it look and feel right
- does it offer something new
- would people buy it
Why make a prototype?
What is the main reason a designer makes a prototype?
- To test the design before full production
- To sell it straight away as the final product
- To replace the final product completely
- To avoid ever making changes
True about prototypes
Select the TWO true statements about developing and evaluating prototypes.
- A prototype is tested against the design brief
- User feedback helps a designer improve a prototype
- A prototype must never be changed once it is built
- Fitness for purpose just means how cheap a product is
Find the mean rating
In testing, 6 users each rate a prototype out of 5 for how well it works, and their scores add up to 24. Divide 24 by 6 to find the mean rating. What is the answer?
Order the improve cycle
Put the steps of improving a prototype in order, earliest first.
- Make a first prototype from the brief
- Test it and gather user feedback
- Suggest and make modifications
- Test the improved prototype again
Complete the rules
An early working model made to test a design is a _____. It is judged against the design _____. How well a product does its job is its _____ for purpose. Improving a design by repeating make, test and improve is called _____.
Spot the evaluation checks
Tap the TWO things a designer checks when evaluating a prototype.
- whether it is fit for purpose
- what users say in their feedback
- the colour of the workshop walls
- how the designer happens to feel that day
Decide what to do
Read each case and choose the best answer.
- A prototype toy works, but children find it hard to grip. What should the designer do?
- You want to know whether a prototype does the job it was designed for. What are you checking?
- A designer builds a model, tests it, improves it, then tests it again. What is this process called?
Explain prototype development
Explain how a prototype is developed and evaluated against the design brief.
- Explain what a prototype is and why it is made
- Explain how a prototype is judged against the brief
- Explain how feedback and iteration improve a prototype