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We can build a prototype of your data application or software with user and technical validation — in 90 days or less.
During this engagement, our teams will research, test, and vet the viability of solutions quickly. This will allow our experts to provide recommendations on the design, team makeup, and technical infrastructure you’ll need before moving into a more costly build.
But we don’t just design clickable screens. Conducting a software or data prototype begins with…
….and then creating a project plan on how to execute a build against those findings.
Discovery
In the first phase of our prototype project, we’ll jump head-first into research. By aligning with stakeholders around objectives, assessing user needs, and understanding the current workflow and environment, we’ll map out exactly what’s needed in our initial prototype.
Concept Testing
Next comes the fun part: designing and testing! We will build out wireframes and a visual concept (if applicable) to iterate on. We’ll use this concept in the wild to get real-world perspectives from users on what’s working and what’s not. From there, we’ll design a finalized prototype incorporating those findings.
Roadmapping / Project Plan
Don’t worry, we won’t leave you with just a prototype design and wish you well. After taking the time to understand your environment and constraints, we’ll work with you to develop a high-level roadmap with prioritized feature development. That way, you’ll know exactly what next steps you’ll need to take to start building your MVP (minimum viable product).
Depending on the type of prototype we’re building, there may be different deliverables. Below are some of the typical artifacts we deliver when we provide this service.
A large retail chain was throwing away food at times, while not meeting demand at others. They needed a way to empower their grocery employees with the right information to effectively meet demand with less waste. The only way employees could access this data was through a tool made for sales people that was difficult to understand.
The organization teamed up with RevUnit to understand what these employees needed in order to respond more quickly and accurately predict demand. Through our research, we were able to uncover the sales, throwaways, and production level metrics that would empower employees to adjust daily production on their own with more accuracy.
We built an initial prototype to give employees the information they needed to produce the optimal quantities of fresh products, at the right time, to boost sales in their store. This project eventually led to a larger rollout for employees across the sales floor.
A large food processor’s systems were disparate, slow, and often relied on tribal knowledge.
They brought RevUnit in to work with a supply chain planning team to address a specific use case: more efficiently and confidently getting to the operational data they needed about products to make planning decisions that impacted the company's bottom line. At the time, it was nearly impossible for quick decision-making and production shifts if there were unexpected changes in cost or supply.
We partnered with the client’s team to identify what kinds of questions they needed answered in their workflow, and used dimensional modeling to match the data structures to real-world use.
We built a data model prototype in reusable components, which the company is now using across their systems to gain faster access to operational data.
If you’re already using Google Cloud, or open to leveraging their services in a prototype, we know how to maximize the power of Google Cloud to meet your objectives. We’ve built reusable frameworks and components to speed up the prototyping process when building on Google Cloud Platform.
Whether you’re looking to accelerate operational efficiency, increase agility, or gain value from your data, we’ll put Google Cloud to work for you. With certified engineers, developers, and strategists, we harness the innovative power of Google Cloud solutions to unlock key business insights and drive value for your organization, faster.
A prototype is a first version, or test model of a solution. In our case, we are typically creating a clickable user interface that looks and feels like a live tool, in order to test our solution and assumptions. In the case of a model prototype, we may build an initial data model or ML/AI model from a small training set of data. Any prototype will lack refinement, but the point is to test a concept for feasibility.
Our prototyping service typically runs 8-12 weeks, depending on the solution.
You’ll need a prototype if…
This service varies in cost. Although we have a tried and tested process, the systems, environment, and challenges are different with every client. Reach out to us and we can get you an estimate.
Prototypes may seem like a lot of “discovery” before getting into the actual build. But in fact, they set you up for substantially better results, and give you a clear direction to move forward with. When you build a prototype, you validate ideas which in turn creates less risk that you’ll make a wrong decision with your solution. Prototypes can also give you a tangible “pitch” to use internally to show the ROI and get buy-in for the full build.
