Question

When and how should you use rapid prototyping in the agile process? Please answer it based on using scrum agile process and with complete detail about 1 page

Answer 1

There are many processes within the Agile framework, from Lean to Extreme programming, and more. There are even other frameworks, such as Scrum. Many of these processes and frameworks have unique characteristics that will guide specific answers to your questions.

When should you use rapid prototyping?

As early as possible and as often as needed. In Scrum, rapid prototyping can be used by the Product Owner in clarifying requirements/features with the customer and end-users while the Prioritized Product Backlog is being created. During the create deliverables process, the Scrum Team may have questions about feature designs that must be clarified before more work is done. Using a rapid prototype to explain their questions to the PO and then the PO using the prototype to get clarifications from the customer would be appropriate.

How should you use rapid prototyping?

It should be used to create clear communications and to imagine and re-imagine solutions/features and so on.

Rapid prototyping is useful for iterating design concepts in a lo-fi manner to get fast feedback from users/stakeholders. The rapid nature of these designs allows you to experiment with several ideas, and as such the earlier you do this in the delivery lifecycle the better.

We have used rapid prototyping in a continuous delivery/improvement fashion on projects, incorporating them at the point of feature design, and incrementing early on to help us settle on the overall UI/UX of the software. We have also used the same prototypes in early user testing before building any software, to use the feedback to drive the design. We gained some useful and at times unexpected feedback, which helped us to hone our concepts in an efficient and inexpensive way.