How to Do Website Prototyping For Your Future Website

Are you thinking about creating a new website? If so, you're in luck, because website prototyping will help!?

Website prototyping involves creating a mockup of your website allowing you to test out its design and functionality before you launch. This helps you avoid costly mistakes and ensure that your website is user-friendly and meets your needs.

In this blog post, we will walk you through the process of creating a website prototype. We will cover everything from choosing the right tools to testing your prototype with users.?

Whether you're a complete beginner or an experienced web developer, this post has something for you!

So what are you waiting for? Let's get started!

What is website prototyping?

We marvel quite frequently at well-crafted websites that we tend to forget how they are created. Part of that process involves website prototyping. So, what is it?

Website prototyping is the process of creating a preliminary version of your site in order to test its design and functionality. This can be done using a variety of tools and methods, such as wireframing, mockups, and interactive prototypes.

The goal is to get feedback from users and stakeholders in the preliminary design stages to edit and alter accordingly before the final version. This can save time and money in the long run by avoiding costly mistakes.?

If you’re building a website, it’s an important step to take!?

Why draft a website prototype first

As you build your future website, drafting its prototype helps you for these reasons:

It improves the design of a website by allowing users to interact with it and provide feedback.

• It identifies potential problems before the launch
• It saves time and money by avoiding pricey mistakes.
• It helps get stakeholders on board with a website project.

How to make the website prototype

Now that you’ve learned how valuable prototyping is to your website design and development journey, it’s time to learn how to do it the right way!?

Define the purpose of the prototype.?

What are you trying to achieve with the prototype? Are you trying to test a new feature? Are you trying to get feedback on the overall design??

These are some questions you must answer before grabbing your pen, paper, or any prototyping software you have.?

It helps give clear direction and ensure that you are aligned with your website design and development goals, whether you're building a new one or redesigning your current site.

Research and brainstorm for your prototype.?

Researching and brainstorming are essential to guarantee a successful process. By identifying your target audience and brainstorming ideas, you can create a prototype that is both user-friendly and effective.

Determining your target audience is important because it allows you to understand their needs and wants, and their personas. This can be achieved by conducting surveys, interviews, and focus groups. Once you understand your target audience, you can start brainstorming ideas for your website prototype.

When you brainstorm, you create new and innovative ways for? prototyping. Regardless of how odd an idea may seem at the moment, be sure to list them and eventually narrow them down until you’ve selected the most viable and effective ones.?

Create a wireframe or mockup of the prototype.?

Now, this is where the dirty work begins - starting off with sketching the wireframe or mockup of your website prototype.?

Wireframes and mockups are basic sketches of the website that will help you visualise its layout and functionality. Usually, you can start with a pen and paper to draw your ideas without worrying too much about their details.?

Then, you can implement sketching templates or grids to better structure and organise your layout. Numerous tools like the 8-point grid system will prove helpful in this process.?

Experimenting with different layouts also gives you freedom on what works best for your website prototype. Keep in mind its user experience, overall flow, and content hierarchy.?

Test the prototype with users.?

After building the website prototype, test it out and get feedback from users on the usability and design. It's helpful to determine if they can navigate the prototype with ease or if you need to alter certain areas to better satisfy their needs.?

After implementing the changes, return the prototype back to the users and see if they are satisfied with the adjustments. Repeat the process until you find the best website prototype that will lead to your functional website.

Ways to build a website prototype

There are many different ways you can build a website prototype, from mere scratch paper to the most advanced tools. Here are some ways you can start!?

• Pen and paper. This is the simplest and most low-tech method, but it can be effective for brainstorming ideas and getting a rough sketch of your website's layout.
• Wireframing tools. There are a number of free and paid wireframing tools available, such as Balsamiq Mockups and Axure. These tools allow you to create more detailed prototypes that show the layout and functionality of your website.
• Prototyping software. Prototyping software, such as InVision and Marvel, allows you to create interactive prototypes that users can click through. From there, you can gain instant feedback from the users.?
• Lo-fi prototyping. Lo-fi prototyping uses simple materials to prototype, such as paper, cardboard, and sticky notes. This can be a great way to quickly test out ideas and get feedback from users.
• Hi-fi prototyping. Hi-fi prototyping is a method of creating a prototype that’s similar to the final product. This provides an opportunity to gain feedback on the design, functionality, and overall user experience of your website.

Build your prototype now!?

Website design and development is never easy to take on, but with website prototyping, half your workload can be reduced. Provided you have clear goals, research-based ideas, a workable wireframe or mockup, and public feedback, your website prototype will bring you closer to your dream website!?

And that's what our Melbourne-based website design and development agency is good at! Take your site to unimaginable levels with Elephant in the Boardroom! Let's get started at www.elephantintheboardroom.com.au!