What is Web or Rapid Prototyping?

Finding only frustration with standard technical specs, we sought to create a design system where we could demonstrate to both our clients and our programming team exactly how a web-based application would work and look. Our method is a designed series of hyper linked HTML/CSS documents that visually represent how a web-based program or application should appear and actually function. It’s like a set of blueprints for your application.

Prototyping has become the best practice web application development. To reduce the risk of any web application design and development projects it’s become the standard to design partly or fully-functional prototypes. From the earliest stages in the design process we work with our clients to create prototypes that behave like a released version of the web application. To the untrained eye they look and feel like the finished product except for the fact that they don’t connect to any underlying application or database technology.

The finished product has so many advantages it would be hard to list them all here. Primarily the prototype will be used as a user testing platform, a visual spec for the development team and a working demo for client and investor presentations. Our clients have used prototypes to raise money, manage development, close client agreements and get executive buy-in for high profile projects.

The prototype is so important to the process that it will likely span several phases of the project. In our previous and current engagements we have discovered that the web prototype not only speeds up development but reduces the likelihood of errors and mistakes. Some well-known clients that use our prototyping services include, EnerNOC, GE Healthcare, Communispace, Accion International and Harvard University.