stage-four
Published: 2024-01-15 06:54:19

 

## Prototype Development (3 months) January - March 

## Minimum Viable Product (MVP) Design: 
Design a basic prototype of the solution that demonstrates its core functionalities.
Technical Development: Utilize coding skills, hardware prototyping tools, and design software to build the MVP.
Testing & Iteration: Conduct user testing to gather feedback and iterate on the prototype to improve its usability and effectiveness.

## Prototyping:
A prototype is an early model of something be it either hardware or software. There are two main types of prototypes; cardboard prototypes and  paper prototypes.
Cardboard prototypes: Are you producing a physical three dimensional invention, building  a prototype to begin will be ideal. You can begin by drawing your invention on paper and then using your sketches you can turn it into a physical model using cardboard

## Paper prototypes:
 Suitable for software projects especially mobile apps and webapps. When producing a paper prototype, it is important to take into consideration the user interface, that is include items such as buttons, sliders that enable the users to move from one page of your app or website to another. For mobile apps, the paper prototype must contain all the pages found in the app.
Students with AI inventions can produce paper or cardboard prototypes depending on the type of invention. AI inventions could either be of hardware type or software type.

## Minimum Viable Product (MVP):
Before producing your prototype, it will be ideal producing an MVP for a start.
A minimum Viable product is an app, website, AI project or hardware device that has just enough features to satisfy your customers while collecting feedback so that improvements could be done later. It prioritizes only those things that solve the actual problems in the project. For example, to solve the problem of transportation, you could begin by producing a skateboard which solves the problem and then improving your invention by producing a scooter, a bike and later a car. The skateboard in this case is actually your MVP since it is the first product you produced and it has enough features to solve the problem of transportation.
Below is an in depth video to increase your understanding of MVP
(Understanding MVP)

## Prototyping mobile apps
A mobile app, is a software application designed to run on a mobile device, such as a smartphone or tablet. Mobile apps could be built using the MIT app inventor platform or the Thunkable bee platform.If you are thinking about developing a mobile app, there are a few things you should keep in mind:
● Your target audience: Who are you building the app for? What are their needs and wants?
● The app's purpose: What will the app do? What features will it have?
● The app's design: How will the app look and feel? What kind of user experience do you want to create?
● The app's development: How will you develop the app? What programming languages and tools will you use?
● The app's marketing and promotion: How will you get people to download and use your app?
Below are in depthindepth video to enhance your understanding as you navigate through the MIT app inventor or Thunkable bee platform.
How to create mobile apps using MIT app inventor 
How to create mobile apps using the Thunkable bee platform 
Prototyping Web apps 
A web application is a computer program that utilizes web browsers ( a web browser is a type of software that allows you to find and view websites on the Internet.) and web technology to perform tasks over the Internet.
There are several platforms on which web apps could be built. We have 
- Netlify:Netlify is a cloud platform that allows you to deploy static websites and web apps. This is a great platform for students who want to build web apps that are simple and easy to deploy.
- Heroku:Heroku is a cloud platform that allows you to deploy web apps. This is a great platform for students who want to build web apps that are easy to deploy and scale.
- Firebase:Firebase is a mobile platform that provides a variety of services for developing and deploying web apps. This is a great platform for students who want to build scalable and reliable web apps.
- Figma:Figma is a web-based interface design tool that consists of powerful and exciting features for web design. This tool provides a collaborative and cost-effective platform for creating fascinating web designs.
Figma is one of the most preferred platforms for secondary school students to create web apps prototypes. Below is a video that can help you as you create your web app in the figma platform.
How to build websites using figma

## Prototyping AI inventions.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a branch of computer science that deals with the creation of intelligent agents, which are systems that can reason, learn, and act autonomously. AI research has been highly successful in developing effective techniques for solving a wide range of problems, from game playing to medical diagnosis.
Teachable machine  is the most suitable platform to use when developing an AI invention. It is a web-based platform that allows you to create AI models without any coding. This makes it a great platform for children who are new to programming. Teachable Machine can be used to create a variety of AI projects, such as image recognition systems and chatbots. Below is a video that will guide you as you use theusethe Teachable Machine to create your AI.
How to create AI inventions using Teachable machine 

As you produce a prototype, it is ideal you test it's functionality with a few users, then collect feedback and improve upon the invention.
Certainly! Here are 20 multiple-choice questions you can use to assess students' understanding of the topics covered in Module 2 of your learning curriculum:

### Assessment Questions

1. What does MVP stand for in the context of product development?
   a) Most Valuable Product
   b) Minimum Viable Product
   c) Major Value Proposition
   d) Maximum Validated Prototype

2. What is the primary goal of creating a Minimum Viable Product (MVP)?
   a) To launch a fully-featured product
   b) To gather user feedback and validate assumptions
   c) To secure funding from investors
   d) To maximize revenue in the early stages

3. Which of the following is a characteristic of an MVP?
   a) It is a fully polished and feature-rich product
   b) It includes all possible functionalities
   c) It focuses on delivering the core value with minimal features
   d) It has a long development timeline

4. What is the purpose of prototyping in the product development process?
   a) To create a final, market-ready product
   b) To test the product with users and collect feedback
   c) To secure intellectual property rights
   d) To estimate the production costs accurately

5. Which statement best describes the purpose of user testing?
   a) To validate the assumptions made during the product development process
   b) To showcase the product to potential investors
   c) To generate media buzz and publicity
   d) To fix all the issues and bugs in the product

6. What is the benefit of collecting user feedback during the testing phase?
   a) It helps determine the final price of the product
   b) It provides insights for marketing and promotion strategies
   c) It helps identify areas for improvement and refinement
   d) It allows the team to celebrate their accomplishments

7. What is the recommended approach for selecting users for testing?
   a) Only target friends and family members
   b) Only select users who are experts in the field
   c) Include a diverse group of target users
   d) Exclude users who might provide negative feedback

8. Which of the following is NOT a common method for collecting user feedback?
   a) Observing users while they interact with the product
   b) Conducting surveys or questionnaires
   c) Analyzing social media comments about the product
   d) Consulting industry experts for their opinions

9. How can user feedback be used to improve a product?
   a) By disregarding any negative feedback
   b) By making changes based on user preferences only
   c) By prioritizing the most critical issues identified
   d) By delaying improvements until the next product version

10. What is the primary purpose of iterating on a product based on user feedback?
    a) To increase the production cost of the product
    b) To ensure the product meets all industry standards
    c) To continuously improve the product based on user needs
    d) To delay the product launch until all feedback is addressed

11. What is the main advantage of using prototypes in the product development process?
    a) They allow for a faster product launch
    b) They eliminate the need for user testing
    c) They minimize the risk of failure
    d) They serve as the final product version

12. Which of the following is a common prototyping method?
    a) Conducting market research
    b) Writing a business plan
    c) Building a physical mock-up
    d) Developing a marketing strategy

13. What is the purpose of conducting user testing with prototypes?
    a) To gather feedback on the product's aesthetics
    b) To estimate the manufacturing costs
    c) To validate the product's market potential
    d) To identify usability issues and gather user feedback

14. What is the key benefit of using an iterative approach in product development?
    a) It reduces the need for user feedback
    b) It speeds up the development process
    c) It allows for continuous improvement based on user input
    d) It eliminates the need for product testing

15. What is the primary focus of an MVP?
    a) Delivering the full range of product features
    b) Achieving perfection in design and aesthetics
    c) Demonstrating the product's potential to investors
    d) Providing the core value with minimal features

16. How does user testing contribute to the success of a product?
    a) It guarantees the product's market dominance
    b) It ensures the product meets all industry regulations
    c) It helps uncover usability issues and refine the product
    d) It eliminates the need for further development

17. What is the main purpose of a prototype?
    a) To secure intellectual property rights
    b) To demonstrate the product's functionality to investors
    c) To test and validate the product's design and features
    d) To generate media buzz and publicity