Prototype: make it tangible
Something people can react to.
Prototype makes an idea tangible enough for people to react to, before anyone builds it. The methods run from storyboards and concept posters to hand-simulated AI sessions where a person plays the AI solution. The rule is to prototype to learn, and to label every prototype as a prototype.
You leave with: Something people can react to.
6 Prototype methods
- StoryboardAn idea told as a sequence of frames45 minutes · 2 to 8 people
- Concept PosterThe idea on one page, as a pitch40 minutes · 2 to 6 people
- Hand-Simulated AI SessionA person plays the AI solution behind the screen90 minutes · 3 to 6 people
- Prompt Prototype SheetThe AI solution’s behaviour written down and tried out60 minutes · 2 to 6 people
- Process BlueprintVisible and hidden steps, person and AI solution60 minutes · 3 to 8 people
- Role-Play ScriptThe new process acted out45 minutes · 4 to 12 people
In the Prototype and Test Pack
The Prototype methods have a guide page and printable canvas in the Prototype and Test Facilitator Guide.
See the packQuestions
What is the Prototype phase of a design thinking workshop?
Prototype makes an idea tangible enough for people to react to, before anyone builds it. The methods run from storyboards and concept posters to hand-simulated AI sessions where a person plays the AI solution. The rule is to prototype to learn, and to label every prototype as a prototype.
What do you leave the Prototype phase with?
Something people can react to.
How many methods are there in the Prototype phase?
There are 6 methods in the Prototype phase: Storyboard, Concept Poster, Hand-Simulated AI Session, Prompt Prototype Sheet, Process Blueprint, Role-Play Script. Together they take about 340 minutes if you run them all.
See also design thinking for AI projects and how to run a workshop.