Fomic Polytechnic University

MBA 1 in Accounting and Finance

Management Information System

Topics: Examine Prototyping as A Tool for

System Development and How Does Prototyping
Give Competitive Advantage to Organizations

Presenter: Tchoumba Audrey Princess

A) Examine Prototyping as A Tool for System Development

What is Prototyping?
Prototyping is an experimental process where design teams implement ideas into tangible forms
from paper to digital. Teams build prototypes of varying degrees of fidelity to capture design
concepts and test on users. With prototypes, you can refine and validate your designs so your
brand can release the right products.

What is a prototype
A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It
is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and software
programming. A prototype is generally used to evaluate a new design to enhance precision by
system analysts and users.

What is a prototype model?

Prototyping model is a systems development method in which a prototype is built, tested and
then reworked as necessary until an acceptable outcome is achieved from which the complete
system or product can be developed. This model works best in scenarios where not all of the
project requirements are known in detail ahead of time. It is an iterative, trial-and-error process
that takes place between the developers and the users.

Steps of the prototyping model

In most cases, the steps of the prototyping model are as follows:

1. The new system requirements are defined in as much detail as possible. This usually
involves interviewing a number of users representing all the departments or aspects of the
existing system.

2. A preliminary, simple design is created for the new system.

 3. A first prototype of the new system is constructed from the preliminary design. This is
usually a scaled-down system, and represents an approximation of the characteristics of
the final product.

4. The users thoroughly evaluate the first prototype and note its strengths and weaknesses,
what needs to be added and what should to be removed. The developer collects and
analyzes the remarks from the users.

5. The first prototype is modified, based on the comments supplied by the users, and a
second prototype of the new system is constructed.

6. The second prototype is evaluated in the same manner as was the first prototype.

7. The preceding steps are iterated as many times as necessary, until the users are satisfied
that the prototype represents the final product desired.

8. The final system is constructed, based on the final prototype.

9. The final system is thoroughly evaluated and tested. Routine maintenance is carried out
on a continuing basis to prevent large-scale failures and to minimize downtime.

Types of prototype models

There are a few types of prototype models that can be implemented by development teams based
on their needs:

 Rapid throwaway- This method involves exploring ideas by quickly developing a

prototype based on preliminary requirements that is then revised through customer
feedback. The name rapid throwaway refers to the fact that each prototype is completely
discarded and may not be a part of the final product.

 Evolutionary- This approach uses a continuous, working prototype that is refined after
each iteration of customer feedback. Because each prototype is not started from scratch,
this method saves time and effort.

 Incremental- This technique breaks the concept for the final product into smaller pieces,
and prototypes are created for each one. In the end, these prototypes are merged into the
final product.
  Extreme- This prototype model is used specifically for web development. All web
prototypes are built in an HTML format with a services layer and are then integrated into
the final product.

Advantages of the prototyping model

Using a prototype model can bring multiple advantages, including:

 Customers get a say in the product early on, increasing customer satisfaction.

 Missing functionality and errors are detected easily.

 Prototypes can be reused in future, more complicated projects.

 It emphasizes team communication and flexible design practices.

 Users have a better understanding of how the product works.

 Quicker customer feedback provides a better idea of customer needs.

Disadvantages of the prototyping model

The main disadvantage of this methodology is that it is costlier in terms of time and money when
compared to alternative development methods, such as the spiral or Waterfall model. Since in
most cases the prototype is discarded, some companies may not see the value in taking this
approach.

Additionally, inviting customer feedback so early on in the development lifecycle may cause
problems.

-There may be an excessive amount of change requests that may be hard to accommodate.

-Another issue could arise if after seeing the prototype, the customer demands a quicker final
release or becomes uninterested in the product.
B) HOW DOES PROTOTYPING BUILD COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE for AN
ORGANIZATION?

Here we will be looking at the advantages of prototyping and seeing how this advantages giving
an upper hand to companies developing prototype models over other companies using different

models like spiral and waterfall.

 Better understanding of the design intent: Prototyping not only presents a strong
visualization of the design to understand the look and feel of the final product but it also
helps the team to comprehend better why they are designing, what they are designing and
for whom they are designing.

 Early Feedback: One of the most important aspect of product building process is to gather
feedback. With prototyping you can collect reviews at every stage of developing the product
— whether adding new features or redesigning parts of the product. Test what is working for
the audience and what is not. Define goals with your team members, the management teams,
external stakeholders, SMEs etc. and come to the best collective decision.

 Early changes save time and cost: Changes towards the end would mean not just radical
restructuring but also more speculation and rework. With a preliminary model ready it is
always possible to make the desired changes early, because by that point no investment or
effort has gone into creating the full product. Thus, early changes help you achieve your
goals faster.

 Validation before development: Prototyping allows having multiple discussions between

iterations before getting into final development. This iterative process makes it easier for you
to have surety in what you are building is actually what is needed.

 User research and user testing: Users are supreme. So identifying your prospective user set
and collecting their ideas to serve them better is of utmost importance. Prototyping helps you
achieve that. In fact, the ultimate intent of creating a prototype is user testing which tells you
how usable and valuable your product is to the end user. You can gain inputs and insights
about how real users would actually use the product and what you can improve to address
their pain points.
 Improvements of Product Quality: In Prototype model, improvement of quality does
not increase the cost of product as compared to spiral model were, improvement of
quality increases the cost of product.
 It is best suited when the requirement of the client is not clear and it’s supposed to be
changed.