Developing quality software is not an easy task, but with the right tools and techniques, it is possible to create products that generate exponential results for customers.
One of those techniques is software prototyping: a tool designed to streamline the development cycle, reduce errors, and increase team productivity—among other important benefits.
If you don’t know what software prototyping is, its advantages, and what tools to use at this
development point, do not worry. Keep reading to learn all this and more!
What is software prototyping?
Software prototyping is a development technique for creating incomplete versions of a system, in which the goal is to validate an idea or demonstrate a particular functionality.
Software prototyping is essential, in many cases, in order to solve the development dilemmas that every developer, unfortunately, is likely to go through.
Whether for an entirely new system, or for a legacy product, prototyping is an Agile team alignment feature when it comes to the path that the evolution of the software as a whole is currently following.
Software prototyping lifecycle
As stated in the previous topic, prototyping allows the rapid validation of parts of the software, or even all of it – although the latter is quite rare.
Thus, the software prototyping lifecycle basically consists of:
- Understanding what needs to be analyzed
- Building a draft of the functionality to be validated
- Collecting feedback from users
- Aligning the project to prevent mistakes from
being made
After its validation, the prototype will be discarded so that the system is, in fact, developed through programming. However, if a new prototype is needed for some other functionality, it can be created normall.
In this sense, there are no rules or limits on the subject and its potential use. If a prototype helps the team see a needed functionality, validate a piece of the system and, especially, avoid errors in the design,
then prototyping as an option is always welcome.
In time, it is essential that the prototype is something quick to get off the ground, since the goal from the
get go is not to create something usable, but only minimaly understandable to stakeholders. With that
in mind, the feedback collected will be of great value to the devs.
Read also: What is Software Refactoring and When to Do It + 5 Refactoring Techniques
6 Advantages of Software Prototyping
Now that we have seen what software prototyping is and its life cycle, it is time to look at the main advantages of software prototyping, as listed below:
- Reduction of errors in the project
- Better understanding of the goals to be achieved
- Validation of customer requirements
- Alignment of expectations between the parties
- Higher system quality
- Reduction of waste of resources
These 6 items, when reached, will allow the final product to be released with more quality and definitely please all the needs of the customer.
Therefore, it is important to know what software prototyping is, as long as this concept is not just on paper.
Tools for software prototyping
The world of software prototyping is extremely rich and full of possibilities. Therefore, we highlight next the best paid and free tools available, so that your prototyping process comes out with extreme quality.
1. InVision
One of the pioneers of the software prototyping market, InVision is not only known for this task, as it has also become essential in the final versions of development.
Its main advantage is in the ease of its use, not only for the designer/dev responsible for the prototype, but also for the client who needs to validate the sketch.
2. Adobe XD
Adobe’s free system is also one of the best software prototyping tools on the market.
Like many of its competitors, Adobe XD is extremely easy to use and Agile in creating high-quality prototypes. Even those who are not used to interface designing can prototype an idea using Adobe XD without many barriers or issues.
3. Whimsical
Frameworks for apps and web pages are easy jobs for Whimsical. The tool, which also has a free version, is extremely competent for Agile teams that need to validate ideas without much effort.
In addition to the prototyping part, Whimsical also allows the creation of Kanban boards, mind maps and flowcharts; that is, providing a complete suite to manage software development projects.
4. Figma
Figma is one of the darlings of the prototyping market, not because it is free, but also for its competence when it comes to building sketches of software, apps and websites.
And the best thing about it all is that Figma is designed for teamwork. Thus, with more heads being able to think of and collaborate in a project at the same time, it is much easier to build a prototype in just a few hours.
In addition to the 4 best options we have shown here, there are many other useful tools in the process of software prototyping. Therefore, feel free to choose the one that most pleases the team and be sure to bet
on this technique in order to evolve and improve on the result of your software.
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