Prototype Testing in Software Testing

Prototype testing is an important part of software development. It involves testing an early version or model of a product with real users to see how it works. This step helps you confirm your design ideas, find any issues, and improve them before fully developing the product.

In this article, we will explore what prototype testing is, the different types, its benefits, and how to do it effectively. Let's discuss each of these topics in detail.

Read More: Software Development Process

What is Prototype Testing?

Prototype testing is the Process of Testing early versions of a product with real users to gather feedback. These prototypes don’t need to be fully functional, but they should have enough basic features to give users a sense of how the product will work.

The goal is to find design issues, improve User Experience (UX), and make sure the final product meets users' needs before starting full development.

Characteristics of Prototype Testing

• It provides a better idea about the exact requirements.
• It helps in identifying related problems to the product earlier.
• It ensures future final delivery will be easy to use, meeting user requirements.
• It helps in achieving an overall idea about the actual product.

The below figure illustrates the prototype testing model.

Why is Prototype Testing Important?

• Prototype testing plays a very important role in a developer's life. It is an easier and cheaper way of testing a product's feasibility before launch. 
• The prototype testing helps each member of the team to understand the process. By building a prototype everyone can get a clear idea of the exact requirements.
• With the help of prototype testing, the development team can get an initial idea about the possible challenges that may come.
• It helps the developers to estimate the total cost of building a product.
• Testing the prototype of a product helps the developer to improve the viability of the original product before launch.  
• The modifications made to the product reduce the risk of failure while launching the product.
• Prototype testing also helps in providing positive or negative feedback from its audience.

Types of Prototype Testing

Prototype testing can be classified based on the level of fidelity, the method of testing, and the purpose of the test. Here's a breakdown of the different types of prototype testing:

1. Low-Fidelity Prototypes

Low-fidelity prototypes are simple, often hand-drawn sketches that show the basic layout of a product. These prototypes are used early in the design process to visualize how the main components will be arranged without focusing on details or interactivity. For example, a hand-drawn sketch of a website's dashboard layout might show where the navigation menu, buttons, and content will go, but without specifying their exact functions or features.

2. High-Fidelity Prototypes

High-fidelity prototypes are more advanced and interactive. They closely resemble the final product in both look and functionality. These prototypes include all the features that will appear in the final version, such as clickable buttons, page transitions, and interactive elements. For example, a high-fidelity prototype of a mobile app created with tools like Figma or Sketch lets users navigate through the app, providing a realistic preview of how the final product will work.

3. Live Data Prototypes

Live data prototypes are dynamic and use real user data to simulate how the product will behave in a live environment. They are often developed using code to test how the system handles real-time data. For example, an e-commerce website prototype that shows live product information like prices, stock levels, and reviews allows you to see how the product performs with actual data before moving on to full development.

4. Feasibility Prototypes

Feasibility prototypes are used to test a specific feature or function of the product to check if it can be developed as intended. These prototypes focus on testing technical aspects of a particular feature. For example, a prototype for a facial recognition feature in a mobile banking app could be created to test how well the technology works under different conditions. Users can interact with the feature, and developers can assess its accuracy and performance before proceeding with full development.

How To Test a Prototype?

Prototype Testing is a very complex operation. The type of the product determines the user’s interactions with the product. A developer should know the testing’s objective. Knowing the objective of it helps in developing the testing methods, etc.

Steps of Prototype Testing:

• Collecting and analyzing the user’s experience: After the user has provided the verdict on the product, the developer can decide on the steps needed to fulfill the requirements to improve the product. 
• Building a Prototype: Making a prototype is a common step one needs to do after collecting the information. A product’s type and phase determine the building of a prototype. The prototype data given by the users has a very vital role in this step. 
• Determine what is needed to be tested: This step most obviously focuses on the developer or the tester. Hence, you should know what needs to be tested before putting the first draft as a prototype. 
• Prepare a preparatory design of the product: Preparing an introductory design helps you in many ways. The rough outline of the product will provide you with an accurate prototype. It will obstruct further mistakes and also offers a reference for the final product.
• Assessment of user’s experience: In this step, conduct an assessment with the audience on the proposed prototype. The evaluation made of the proposed prototype will help the developer in recognizing the flaws. Furthermore, feedback will help in creating the product as user-friendly with the best user flow. 

Tools for Prototype Testing

Here is Top Tools for Prototype Testing

• Maze: Maze is a user research platform that helps you test interactive prototypes created with design tools like Figma, Sketch, and Adobe XD. It provides real-time feedback, heatmaps, and other important metrics to help you evaluate usability and improve the design.
• Lookback: Lookback is a platform for conducting live, moderated tests. It lets you run in-depth interviews with users while recording their screens, allowing you to observe and understand how they interact with your prototype.
• UsabilityHub: UsabilityHub is a tool that collects feedback from real users on your designs. It’s great for testing everything from website layouts to app navigation, providing valuable insights to refine your design.
• InVision: InVision lets you create interactive prototypes and test them with users. It’s particularly useful for high-fidelity prototypes, helping you simulate real interactions and gather feedback to improve user experience.

Best Practices For Prototype Testing

Below are some of the best practices that can be followed for Prototype Testing:

1. Know the requirements and reason for testing.
2. Use the right resources and required tools in the testing process.
3. Make sure involved people in the process take it as a prototype, not as a final product.
4. Show prototype and collect feedback from a wide variety of users.

When To Do Prototype Testing?

The following are some situations when prototype testing can be done:

1. When user requirements are unclear.
2. When the test concept is not designed.
3. When the product is complex.
4. When you need to identify associated issues.
5. When thinking about the actual product is unclear.
6. When it is required to identify areas of challenge and improvement

Benefits of Prototype Testing

There are many advantages to doing prototype testing before launching a product. Some advantages of Prototype testing are as follows:

• Identify Issues in Design & Development: It helps in pointing out defects in your design. Knowing the defects of the design will help you to patch them up. 
• Get an Idea about Resource Requirement: Prototype testing helps you to estimate materials needed, manufacturing time, manpower and technologies required, etc. 
• Gather Feedback and Implement: The audience’s feedback will help in avoiding a bad user experience. Moreover, the preliminary tests are very valuable before launching the final product. 
• Build a Quality Product: A defect-free development results in a quality product. It's affordable to solve the defects in a product before the launch.

Drawbacks of Prototype Testing

• Time-consuming: Creating a prototype requires a significant amount of time and effort, which can impact the overall project schedule.
• May be too simplistic: Prototypes may not always capture the full complexity of the software requirements, leading to an oversimplified version of the final product.
• May lead to scope creep: Stakeholders may become attached to certain aspects of the prototype and request additional features or changes, leading to scope creep.
• Lack of documentation: Prototypes are typically not fully documented, making it difficult to reproduce or maintain them in the long term.
• Potential for misunderstandings: Stakeholders may misunderstand the purpose of the prototype and assume it is the final product, leading to confusion and miscommunication.
• May be costly: Depending on the complexity of the software, creating a prototype can be costly, requiring additional resources and time.

Conclusion

Prototype testing comes in different types, each serving a unique purpose at various stages of the design process. Early-stage prototypes, like low-fidelity designs, help explore ideas and flow, while high-fidelity prototypes focus on detailed user interactions. Paper and digital prototypes offer different ways to test, and specialized prototypes, such as feasibility and live data, help assess functionality before full development.

Knowing which type of prototype testing to use at the right time is key to gathering useful feedback and ensuring your product is ready for a successful launch.