The Anatomy of Prototypes

Summary

Lim, Stolterman, and Tenenberg propose a conceptual framework for understanding prototypes beyond the common low-fidelity versus high-fidelity distinction. They describe prototypes as filters and manifestations. As filters, prototypes intentionally select which aspects of a design idea to explore or evaluate. As manifestations, prototypes give design ideas a concrete form that designers and stakeholders can inspect, discuss, and transform. The framework emphasizes prototypes as generative tools for exploring design space, not only as evaluation instruments.

Important Keywords

• Prototype: a concrete representation of a design idea used to support reflection, exploration, communication, or evaluation.
• Filter: the aspect of a design idea that a prototype intentionally selects for attention, such as appearance, functionality, interactivity, or spatial structure.
• Manifestation: the concrete form through which a prototype embodies a design idea.
• Design idea: the possible future design that a prototype makes available for inspection and transformation.
• Design space: the range of possible design directions that prototypes help designers explore.
• Fidelity: the degree of resemblance to a finished product, which the authors treat as less precise than analyzing filters and manifestations.
• Design exploration: using prototypes generatively to investigate and transform possibilities, not only to test a nearly finished solution.

Important Concepts

• A prototype should be understood by what it filters: appearance, data, functionality, interactivity, spatial structure, or other dimensions.
• A prototype should also be understood by how it manifests an idea: as a sketch, model, mock-up, working system, scenario, or other concrete representation.
• Fidelity alone is too blunt to explain what a prototype is good for.
• Prototypes help designers think because they externalize ideas and make consequences visible.

Examples

• A paper mock-up may filter interaction flow while ignoring visual polish and implementation details.
• A physical model may manifest size, form, and spatial relationships while leaving computation or data behavior unresolved.