Prototyping
Building a concrete, disposable version of an idea to learn faster than discussion alone allows.
Illustrative conversation
- We disagree about whether continuous reading will feel natural. More meetings?
- Build a small prototype with real-length entries and test the transition before committing to the full architecture.
Definition
Prototyping means making a deliberately incomplete version of a product, interaction, or technical approach so the team can test an assumption and learn. A prototype may be a sketch, clickable flow, coded spike, or thin end-to-end slice, depending on the question. Its fidelity should match the uncertainty being tested; treating exploratory prototype code as production-ready can preserve shortcuts, missing states, and unexamined risk.
Reviewed