Assigning tangibility to design through prototyping is a format generative process. We prototype to create and test volumes of those formats, make mistakes, learn from them, adapt and move on quickly by reducing waste and saving time.
Inherit capacity of rapid prototyping to replace requirements novels which are open to misinterpretation, which take a very long time to write, revise and “finalize”, which are often filled with non-essential requirements and features that will never see the light of day with something that the entire team can experience, work through, and use to test assumptions is invaluable in rapidly moving forward.
Screenshots and wireframes interlaced with detailed interaction notes, may do a better job at show and tell than requirements can. However, aside from the fact that they are “throwaway” artifacts (will not be included in production) gaps are still left in experiencing and understanding the design. Cross-functional collaboration and ability to adapt rapidly is still very limited.
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