3 Reasons to Prototype an App or Website Before Development

How our clients benefit from prototyping and you should too

Prototyping is particularly helpful, if not essential, in app and software development. This article will draw from my 6 years of experience as an entrepreneur and developer and outline the benefits of prototyping, as well as the 3 main reasons why every business should consider focusing on this stage before diving into the final development of a solution.

First off, what is a prototype? The word comes from ancient Greek “prōto” (first) and “túpos” (type) and was used to describe the first model or sample of a product to test and try before investing more time (in addition to energy and money!) into building the final version.

Imagine you come up with a brilliant idea for a solution that could make people’s life easier. Excited about the prospect, you would like to introduce it to the market as soon as possible. You therefore begin to create it and realize too late that a crucial aspect of the project (which should have been executed at the very beginning) is missing… Unfortunately, this is a very common scenario. The good news is that this can be avoided by creating a functional prototype that developers, users, and stakeholders can easily test and improve.

At Appybros, prototyping is an essential element of the creation process. Thanks to our experience, we were able to identify the 3 main reasons why one should make an application, website, or software prototype before investing in its final development. Using specific examples, we’ll share with you each reason to understand its importance.

1 – Save money by prototyping

It doesn’t matter whether you work for a startup or a multinational company, there are thousands of ways to invest your money that are more profitable than spending billable hours on misguided web development. Regardless of how fast and competent your tech team may be, if it veers in the wrong direction, the precious work accomplished will be a waste of time and money.

This is what happened to our client Ontime.menu/. Because his previous provider (before Appybros) had not created any wireframe or prototype to validate with the client, most of the development had been carried out according to incorrect assumptions; the launch would have consequently been delayed if it were not for Appybros intervening and building a prototype beforehand.

2 – Perform user tests and receive early-stage feedback with prototypes

Prototypes help you save time and money because they can be built in no time as a result of today’s available tools. While the result won’t be ready for the market like that of the final product, a prototype is just as tangible and clickable.

The first prototype for Ontime.menu/ allowed our team to ensure we fully responded to our client’s requirements. This guaranteed that we were all on the same track and gave our client the chance to test the solution with potential users. This additionally provided us with important feedback, which we were able to implement at a very early stage, allowing us to subsequently plan the development more accurately to avoid hours of expensive work.

3 – Prototypes can be used as presentation tools

Need approval from your stakeholders? Looking for an investor? Whatever the reason, presenting your idea is much easier when you have a functional version to demonstrate how it works! Once the prototype is ready and approved, our team dives into the development of the final market version while the client benefits from a presentation tool to pitch to potential investors, customers and partners.

Are you considering creating a prototype for your next project? Contact us now to see how we can help!