Audience and participants

Deciding why you are prototyping and for whom is an important step in the prototyping process. You might be prototyping to test a new product or service or to improve an existing product or service based on user feedback. Depending on your goals, you’ll need to select your prototyping session participants. When doing so, consider the following factors:

• Relevance: The audience should be relevant to the concept you are prototyping. Identify the stakeholders directly interested in the concept, such as project team members, colleagues, current staff, internal/external experts, clients, potential users, customers, and future staff.
• Proximity: As a rule of thumb, recruiting participants who are closer to the project team is easier and faster. These individuals may include project team members, colleagues, and current staff. They are more readily available and have a better understanding of the project context.
• Diversity: Include a diverse range of participants to ensure a well-rounded perspective. Aim to involve individuals from different backgrounds, expertise, and roles within the organization. This diversity will provide valuable insights and help identify a wider range of potential issues or improvements.
• Users and customers: Your ultimate goal should be to involve actual users and customers in the prototyping sessions as early as possible. Their feedback and reactions will be crucial in refining and improving the concept. Actively seek out representatives from your target user group to participate in the prototyping activities.

Develop a sampling strategy based on the above considerations. This strategy should outline the criteria for selecting participants, such as their relevance, proximity, diversity, and availability. Consider using a mix of purposive sampling (selecting individuals with specific characteristics or expertise) and convenience sampling (recruiting participants who are easily accessible).