WHAT IS PROTOTYPING AND WHY YOU NEED START YOUR WEBSITE WITH A PROTOTYPE

Imagine your website developer presents to you your final project, and it looks like trash. The color, fonts, the layout does not correlate with your brand or after putting efforts into getting your application ready and it’s not delivering and after a series of investigations, you discovered the user experience was poorly designed and you need go back to the drawing board. This is time-consuming and in business, every time matters a lot. The success of every project depends on a lot of things, so many are out of your control while some are avoidable just by getting a prototype for your website or app development.

After deciding you want a fully functional website or app for your business, you must have stated your business goals. Whether you want to increase your online sales, create more brand awareness, to create room for a strong connection between your customers and brand, or even solve a particular business problem, whatever the case maybe you do need to start your website or app with a prototype so as to get a good website or app in order to achieve all your business goals. 

So, therefore starting your website with a prototype is of great importance which will allow you to avoid unwanted issues in the nearest future.

As we all know, there is a beginning to everything we do in life. The very first step in developing a website or app is creating the prototype, a detailed structure. Sketching on paper is the easiest way but sometimes the project might be complex or the client might be more demanding and tasking. The higher the expectation in developing something unique, you will need more than just a paper for your sketch. 

WHAT IS PROTOTYPING

This is the experimental stage of software, web app, and website release in which a group of designers or developers comes together to implement ideas into a valuable form from scratch to the final product. The development process and error fixing occur at this stage before the final project is built, it also gives room for end-user or customers to provide their own idea to the team of developers or designers before the full project begins.

Prototyping helps to point out and put together the directions of a design which also saves significant time.

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WEBSITE PROTOTYPE

A prototype is a rough work or model of the final website or app to test the concept before the website or app is built. It allows customers and companies to give feedback and to see how the site will work. 

REASON TO MAKE PROTOTYPE

There are several reasons to make a prototype before carrying the full project which are:

• It allows the customer to have an idea of how the final site will look like.
• Focusing on the important part of the element by streamlining the design process
• Well-planned prototyping creates the possibility to avoid any changes in the final project.
• Create an opportunity for users to give feedback to help identify which elements will work best.
• It saves time and reduces the workload for developers when designing the final project
• It also saves customer’s money
• It gives room for spotting unnecessary elements that can be avoided before the final project is done.

We at Netwalkers NG, an Ikorodu – Lagos based website, app development, and digital marketing company will provide you with a well-structured prototype for your website so as to achieve your business goals.

ADVANTAGES OF PROTOTYPING

Getting a prototype is an important step to take before you embark on the final project. Prototyping has several advantages which are:

• INCREASE THE QUALITY OF YOUR WEBSITE

Prototyping brings out the quality of a website or app, it allows you to check the navigability of the site, check the usability of the site, and correct placement of content which allows easy access to information on the site. With all this in place, you can be sure to get a quality website.

• CLEAR PRESENTATION OF IDEAS TO CUSTOMERS

A good prototype makes it possible to present how the future output will look to customers in a concrete way and also gives the customer a clear understanding of the final project. By doing so you have the recommendations, testimonials, and opinions of the customer.

• RISK REDUCTION

Having a project with a well-structured prototype reduces the risk of failure than a project without a prototype. Prototypes affect the most crucial part of a project which are time, resources, and budget. 

After getting a prototype for a project, it reveals most of the deficiency and the useful parts are found.

• FAST AND EASY TO CREATE

Providing a simple sketch on paper allows the designer to better understand the logic and functionality of the project. This simple sketch, with detailed buttons for a website, will be modified by an experienced developer or designer into a full project.

• ESTIMATE TECHNICAL FEASIBILITY

It allows for the actualization of an idea and to know which aspect of this idea will be difficult or impossible to carry out. Creating a prototype for a website can highlight any unwanted physical, technical, and financial constraints.

• ENCOURAGES COLLABORATION

Prototypes allow everyone involved to come on board early on in the process. From the customers to the employers, the design team can have a rough preview of what you are going to build and can provide valuable feedback and decisions before you carry out the full project.

TYPES OF PROTOTYPING

• Low-fidelity Prototyping 

These are often paper-based and do not give room for user interactions. They range from series of hand sketches to print-out and are quicker to create. They enable early visualization of alternate design solutions, which produce innovation and improvement. Low-fidelity prototypes are cheap, disposable, and easy to make changes.

• High-fidelity Prototyping

They are digital prototypes created using software such as Figma, Adobe XD, etc. which allows realistic user interactions. It gives you a close representation of how the final project will look like. They are more effective when it comes to collecting true human data performance e.g., the time it will take to complete a task and also in the presentation of the project to the clients, management, and others.

With all these, it is important to start your website with a prototype so as to avoid a costly mistake in the nearest future and also for you to get a good, quality, and functional website that will meet your business goals.

Are you confused about how to get started? Contact us today at Netwalkers NG an Ikorodu – Lagos based website, app development, and digital marketing agency.