We use prototyping as the philosophy on which we build all elements of the ProtoThink process. Prototyping is a concept that represents the best current understanding of the task at hand, something to go forward with and tweak as we go along.

With prototyping you eliminate the perception that it will work exactly as planned. The idea is that it you put something in place, get it working, and monitor it to see what changes need to be made. Eventually you’ll have a finished product that represents an improved version of the prototype.

The primary benefit of adopting a prototyping philosophy is that it eliminates the perception of failure which is associated with traditional thinking and development. In some lines of business people propose ideas and changes that don’t work as planned, and are beaten down for it. Prototyping changes expectations as the very word suggests future revision and improvement. As you progress, the level of fidelity through which we look at the problem becomes finer, however the philosophy remains the same from the start of the engagement all the way through to completion.

It’s not a pass/fail engagement, but one where we work alongside our clients and consumers to Co-Design differentiated business concepts, using the best information and knowledge we have at that time.

As we uncover new information or unarticulated consumer needs, we improve the prototype. And so it continues.