Prototyping Framework: A Guide to Testing New Ideas in Real Contexts

PROTOTYPING FRAMEWORK

A GUIDE TO PROTOTYPING NEW IDEAS

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Innovation
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CONTENTS

p 4 INTRODUCTION TO PROTOTYPING
p 6 CHECKLIST
p 8 THE PROCESS DIAGRAM
p 10 DOING THE GROUNDWORK
p 12 IDENTIFY OPPORTUNITY
p 14 BUILD YOUR TEAM
p 16 MAP EXISTING SERVICES
p 18 CHOOSE A LOCATION TO TEST
p 20 IDENTIFY TARGET USERS
p 22 GENERATE IDEAS
p 24 PAUSE POINT 1
p 26 PROTOTYPING PHASE 1
p 28 CREATE A SET OF PROTOTYPES
p 30 TEST PROTOTYPES
p 32 EVALUATE
p 34 PAUSE POINT 2
P 36 PROTOTYPING PHASE 2
p 38 LIVE PROTOTYPE PLANNING
p 40 ITERATE AS YOU PROTOTYPE
p 42 EVALUATE
p 44 PAUSE POINT 3
p 46 EVALUATE AND ENTERPRISE
p 48 CREATING A BLUEPRINT
p 51 FOR MORE INFORMATION
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WHAT ACTUALLY IS PROTOTYPING?

Prototyping is an approach to developing, testing, and improving ideas at an early stage
before large-scale resources are committed to implementation. It is a way of project and
team working which allows you to experiment, evaluate, learn, refine and adapt. Ensuring
that ideas are fully explored before any conclusions are drawn.

Prototyping:

• Involves relevant people at an early stage
• Develops ideas with the people who will help you find the answers
• Makes ideas tangible and tests them
• Refines those ideas
• Informs and improves any eventual project framework for change

WHY WOULD I USE A PROTOTYPING APPROACH?

• Prototyping allows you to try out your ideas without the pressure of getting everything
  right straight away.
• Prototyping also enables you to involve a wide range of stakeholders in the testing
  process, providing a better understanding of how your ideas will work.
• Compared to a pilot, prototyping is a low cost process and can be done within short to
  medium timescales.
• Prototyping also provides an iterative learning approach so ideas can develop as you
  go along.

You should think about prototyping before you start thinking about piloting. Prototyping is
not an alternative to piloting. It helps you build a better specification for what a pilot might
be. It may even help you see that your idea isn't going to work and save you the time and
cost of a pilot.

HOW DO I DO IT?

The prototyping process outlined in this
document was developed through the
Prototype Barnet project which used this
process to build and test a proposed new
service called Community Coaches.
Depending on what you are prototyping you
may find different stages of this process are
more relevant than others, but the diagram
provides a framework from which you can
structure your own approach.
During the Prototype Barnet project, many
of the stakeholders felt the language around
prototyping was inaccessible. So we asked
some people from the council to share a story
of where they had prototyped something in
their own life.5

"When cooking a new recipe I prototype. I try
the recipe on myself first, and make small
changes as I go along, adding more flavour
here and there, and writing in my recipe book
what I would change next time. I'd then try the
recipe out again with some friends making the
changes I'd learnt the first time, and see how
they like it.
I would probably just keep making small
changes to recipes until I found the perfect
combination of flavours. It is rare that you'd
get it right first time"

"I recently prototyped my journey to work. I
moved house and wanted to know the best route
in, so I tested out three modes of transport. The
first day I got the train, the second day I took
the bus, the third day I cycled. I wanted to know
which was quicker, cheaper, and which was most
enjoyable. Cycling turned out to be the cheapest
and the nicest, so I've opted for that, except on
Tuesdays when I need to be early, so I use the
train ... we test things out all the time, without
calling it prototyping"
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BEFORE YOU BEGIN

Role
MODEL
SPEAKERS.
Asses
VILLAGE
WHAT De
WE PROVIDE
AT - CHAN ROH
shore.
NE POT IN IS
On NES
POSITIVE
TONE.
OF SERVICE.
HOW DO
WE GET
PEOPLE TO

WHAT
THE IMPACT !
WE
TARGET
PEOPLE?
how might it work!
AROUND
AN
AUNIT.
1
HAPPEN!

W
HAVE YOU COME UP WITH
IDEAS FOR CHANGE BUT
YOU WANT TO EXPLORE
AND TEST THESE IDEAS?
Yes
No
If you have answered no, you are not ready
to prototype. You should only prototype
once you have an idea or opportunity
in mind.
HAVE YOU GOT LOTS
OF QUESTIONS ABOUT
YOUR IDEA?
Yes
No
If you have answered no, stop thinking you
have all the answers, the chances are you
don't know it all. Prototyping will help you
learn from others and build on your existing
knowledge.
ARE YOU OPEN TO LEARNING
ABOUT THE GOOD, AND THE
BAD BITS OF YOUR IDEA?
Yes
No
If you have answered no, then you are not
yet ready to prototype. Prototyping demands
a mind-set that is open to learning and open
to change.
ARE YOU COMFORTABLE
WITH THE IDEA IT MIGHT
NOT WORK?
Yes
No
If you have answered no, then you are
definitely not yet ready to prototype. When
prototyping, learning what doesn't work is
just as valuable as learning what does.
HAVE YOU GOT TIME AND
RESOURCE TO ENABLE YOU
TO PROTOTYPE YOUR IDEA
APPROPRIATELY ?
Yes
No
If you have answered no, you will need time
and you will need resources. Talk to your
manager or the people you work with to
ensure that you can secure the time and
support required and run a prototyping
project.
OmMS.
HOW DO
POSITIVE
Experiences.
A REGULAR
CONTACT .
.
A
SKILS.HAVE YOU GOT PERMISSION
FROM SENIOR MANAGEMENT
TO START THIS PROJECT?
Yes
No
If you have answered no, it is really important
you are supported to prototype. It is
important to get their support at the start
so plan a conversation with your senior
management into the process.
EMBRACE IT.
KEEP GOING.
ENJOY THE PROCESS.
ARE YOU OPEN TO TRYING A
NEW WAY OF WORKING AND
PERSISTING WHEN IT GETS
DIFFICULT?
Yes
No
If you have answered no, toughen up. It'll be
hard, but it should be fun, and it'll definitely
be interesting!
ARE YOU READY TO GET
CREATIVE AND MAKE THINGS
HAPPEN?
Yes
No
If you have answered no make sure you
or someone on your team has the creative
3
-------
HOWT
-----
WHAT!
What do we want
to test?
What do we want
to learn?
FIRAT THE MOTHERS.
WHO IS
The
. Another to be
Service
for
Aswith People.
What we we
PROVIDING
THROUGH The
Seave.
Phone calls calling in
LOCAL BANKSSES.
WHERE We DO IT ?-
FIND VEINES TO RET.
SUPPORT
-ARNICAS
BUSINESS
I PLUS
Barnet Council staff and partners prototyping boats.
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7

PROTOTYPE PLANNING:

PLAN: when we seeć to de thinge
Week 3
Week I Quidväret Week 2
WHO
Whe do we want to Next
it with
2 TARDES
GROUPS.
assessed .
energy to drive the project forward. It is important
to approach prototyping with a proactive 'can do'
attitude. Less talk, more doing.
If you answered yes to most or all of those questions
then you are ready to crack on.THE

PROTOTYPING PROCESS

This document is to help you to use a prototyping
approach in project and change work. It should be
useful for any organisation or individual with a new
untested idea.
It will provide some background information on why
to use prototyping, when, what and how to do it,
and who to do it with.
i think
public
OIL
i think
kaublieDOING THE GROUNDWORK
Doing upfront work to get people and ideas ready

PROTOTYPING PHASE 1

To build a specification

PROTOTYPING PHASE 2

Testing the specification

LEARN AND EVALUATE

You have ideas but are unsure how each element
or touchpoint of the service would function,
you need to test, learn and refine the service.
You have a clear idea about the way the service
should function and feel, and are ready to test that
in the real world.
Do the models
and visuals
created
communicate my
ideas effectively?
Does gathering
this information
change or affect
my original
opportunity?
TEST THE
PROTOTYPES
WITH USERS
RUN SMALL
LIVE
PROTOTYPE
CREATE A
BUSINESS
CASE.
OPPORTUNITIES
IDENTIFIED
BUILD
YOUR
TEAM
IDENTIFY
TARGET
USERS
GENERATE
IDEAS
CREATE
SET OF
PROTOTYPES
OBSERVE
AND GAIN
FEEDBACK
PROTOTYPE
PLANNING
GET REGULAR
FEEDBACK
MEASURE
THE
IMPACT
Has your team
got the right
skills, ?
CHOOSE
LOCATION
TO TEST
EVALUATE
THE
TESTS AND
FEEDBACK
EVALUATE
SERVICE
IMPACT
ITERATE AS
APPROPRIATE
Do you
understand how
each element of
the service will
function?
PAUSE POINT 1
Proof of Concept
PAUSE POINT 2
Build for wider engagement
Are there
changes that
can be made
and tested out
along the way?
PAUSE POINT 3
Decision Making
PROTOTYPING THE BUSINESS MODEL
MAP
PEOPLE
AND
PLACES10

DOING THE GROUND WORK

Getting people and ideas ready to prototype

I11
WHERE YOU ARE
MAP
PEOPLE
AND
PLACES
OPPORTUNITIES
IDENTIFIED
BUILD
YOUR
TEAM
IDENTIFY
TARGET
USERS
GENERATE
IDEAS
CHOOSE
LOCATION
TO TEST
NESTA | thinkpublic12

IDENTIFY OPPORTUNITY

WHY?

• Before you start a prototyping project
  you must have identified an opportunity.
  You need to be able to explain what you
  want to change, why you want to change
  it, and how it will benefit service users.
• Better still if you can also identify what will
  be different as a result of the prototype.
• This will help you get the project off to
  a good start and help shape the vision
  and objectives for your project team.

HOW?

• Give yourself time to read through any
  previous research, and talk to any relevant
  experts to make sure you fully understand
  the context of this opportunity.
• You might want to turn the opportunity
  into a question or mission statement to
  help you frame your work.

TOP TIP

Don't rush into prototyping before
you are ready. To make it work you
need a good solid starting point and
a clear vision for what you are
trying to achieve.13
ALR
ON !
HOW DO WE USE A LIN
COACHING APPROACH TO
BUILD THE RESILIENCE
OF HIGH NEEDS
FAMILIES AND REDUCE
THEIR DEPENDENCY
ON STATE SERVICES?"
CON
DEFINIT
WHAT
SERVICES
ARE THEY
1-7
NESTA | thinkpublic14

BUILD YOUR TEAM

BUILDING A TEAM AROUND THE OPPORTUNITY

WHY:

It is important to build a strong and diverse
team around your opportunity, involving
people who can offer different and relevant
expertise.
You may need to involve certain community
groups to ensure they are involved in the
project from the start. You may need to
involve commissioners or decision makers to
ensure ideas respond to the need and will be
affordable. You may want to involve people
who have previous experience of the subject
or of prototyping.
All of these people will help give you feedback
to make your prototyping a success.

HOW:

• Think about who needs to be involved from
  all angles; service users, service deliverers,
  experts, senior leaders.
• Who has knowledge and expertise in the
  subject?
• Who are the commissioners or decision
  makers who will be key to making your
  idea happen?
• Who will be using or delivering this idea in
  the future?
• Who has the passion, creativity, and drive
  to make this project a success?

WHO SHOULD I PROTOTYPE WITH?

Try to involve everyone who will be affected.
Service users
Deliverers

• Commissioners
• Relevant community organisations

DOWNLOADABLE TOOLS

1: WHO TO INVOLVE
1.1 TEAM PERSONA CARDS
1.2 ACTIVITY SHEET
See Additional Resources on page 51

TOP TIP

Make sure you keep the Core Project
team quite small. This team need to get
their hands dirty doing the work,
not just sit in a room talking.
It is important you get people involved
who have the right values and attitude,
this is as important as their skills and
experience. We created three team
persona cards to help you identify the
right people for the job.