The most-voted-for "unconference" talk at UXPA 2015 in San Diego! The Minimum Viable Product has quickly become integral to the way we build and validate products. But what comes before the MVP? The MVP (Minimum Viable Prototype) of course! For two years I've hammered out prototype after prototype in our product innovation lab at Sabre. Along the way I've learned some secrets to creating Minimum Viable Prototypes, secrets that can help you apply the right amount of rigor and time to create a prototype that accelerates the development of your product. Don't waste your time: + Building the wrong type of prototype + Building functionality beyond the minimum + Applying rigor in the all the wrong places Learn the Sabre Labs secrets of Minimum Viable Prototyping!

1. Don’t Waste Your Time: Secrets of
Minimum Viable Prototyping
UXPA 2015 Unconference
@PhilipLikens

2. @PhilipLikens
Thank you all.

3. @PhilipLikens
Thank you Lean Startup for the idea
of proportional investment…

4. @PhilipLikens
…and the Minimum Viable Product.

5. @PhilipLikens
But sometimes you just
need a prototype.

6. @PhilipLikens
Sabre Labs makes
a lot of prototypes.

7. @PhilipLikens
And we’ve made a lot of mistakes.

8. @PhilipLikens
“A prototype is worth a
thousand meetings.”
-Ron Burgundy

9. @PhilipLikens
Yes.

10. @PhilipLikens
…And if the average meeting is an
hour long…

11. @PhilipLikens
…then I can spend 999 hours on my
pixel-perfect-printed-but-still-paper
prototype and still be in the black?

12. @PhilipLikens
No.

13. @PhilipLikens
Don’t wast your time.

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Building the wrong
type of prototype
Don’t waste your time…

15. @PhilipLikens
Fidelity.

16. @PhilipLikens
We all know,
Low fidelity prototype = Higher level feedback
High fidelity prototype = Nit-picky pixel-shifting

17. @PhilipLikens
Feedback matters…

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And so does fidelity…

19. @PhilipLikens
But our framing wrong.

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Type of Prototypes
Conceptual prototype
Work through a design–for designers and
developers, prototypes act as a way to
work through your design…
Technical prototype
Gauge technical feasibility–designers want to
do X, but can engineering do it? Do we have
the resources? Is it worth the effort?
Vision prototype
As a common communication platform–
using them to get everyone on the same
page…
Consensus prototype
Sell your idea internally–using them to sell
your design solution to internal stake
holders…
Demo
As a marketing tool–while similar to number
3, this is for an external audience.
Todd Zaki Warfel / Joe Lamantia

21. @PhilipLikens
Pick methods based
on outcome.
Secret 1:

22. @PhilipLikens
Communication
Conceptual prototype
Work through a design–for designers and
developers, prototypes act as a way to
work through your design…
Technical prototype
Gauge technical feasibility–designers want to
do X, but can engineering do it? Do we have
the resources? Is it worth the effort?
Vision prototype
As a common communication platform–
using them to get everyone on the same
page…
Consensus prototype
Sell your idea internally–using them to sell
your design solution to internal stake
holders…
Demo
As a marketing tool–while similar to number
3, this is for an external audience.
Evolve / Test

23. @PhilipLikens
So let’s say you do choose the right
prototype for the outcome…

24. @PhilipLikens
“Building” beyond the minimum
Don’t waste your time…

25. @PhilipLikens
Sometimes you can use paper.

26. @PhilipLikens
Sometimes you need to use code.

27. @PhilipLikens
For example.

28. @PhilipLikens
Sabre
Product
Product
we all
Love
Auth Auth

29. @PhilipLikens
The integration is the thing

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Make the one thing that
matters high(er) fidelity.
Secret 2:

31. @PhilipLikens
Sabre
Product
Product
we all
Love
Auth Auth

32. @PhilipLikens
Sabre
Product
Product
we all
Love
Auth Auth
Screenshot
with button

33. @PhilipLikens
Outcomes.

34. @PhilipLikens
Vision: How could these
products interact

35. @PhilipLikens
Technical: Viability of the integration

36. @PhilipLikens
If you’re setting vision, build only what
you need to tell your story (happy path).
Secret 3:

37. @PhilipLikens
Sabre
Product
Product
we all
Love
Auth Auth
Screenshot
with button
Error States
Sign Up

38. @PhilipLikens
That’s the minimum to tell the story.

39. @PhilipLikens
If you’re testing feasibility,
apply some rigor.
Secret 4:

40. @PhilipLikens
Applying rigor in the
all the wrong places
Don’t waste your time…

41. @PhilipLikens
We often say in the lab
“working code wins.”

42. @PhilipLikens
We didn’t build out the whole
integration.

43. @PhilipLikens
We thought they had
an awesome API.

44. @PhilipLikens
We fixed a bug in their API.

45. @PhilipLikens
And learned this integration may not
be as smooth as we thought.

46. @PhilipLikens
And that’s good enough for now.

47. @PhilipLikens
So that’s technical rigor. What
about design rigor?

48. @PhilipLikens
Ensure what you’re designing
is possible.
Secret 5:

49. @PhilipLikens
This may mean you dig through
technical documentation.

50. @PhilipLikens
APIs

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Design constraints

52. @PhilipLikens
Or you sketch wireframes
at actual size.

53. @PhilipLikens
Going back to our example…

54. @PhilipLikens
From a design perspective.

55. @PhilipLikens
The goals of the other company had
changed since I had looked.

56. @PhilipLikens
And no one else had looked.

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Time and time again

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Applying “just enough” rigor has
saved my…

59. @PhilipLikens
Reputation.

60. @PhilipLikens
Finally,

61. @PhilipLikens
The most important secret to
Minimum Viable Prototyping
is simply to have…

62. –Meghan Trainor
“…all the right junk in all
the right places.”

63. @PhilipLikens
Thank you for being a part of my
Minimum Viable (conference)
Presentation.

64. @PhilipLikens
Do the Minimum:
• Make the one thing that matters high(er) fidelity.
• If you’re setting vision, build only what you need
to tell your story (happy path).
Be sure it’s Viable:
• If you’re testing feasibility, apply some rigor.
• Ensure what you’re designing is possible.
Choose the right type of Prototype:
• Pick methods based on outcome.