Prototyping means giving a temporary and cost-effective form to an idea to test it early; iterating means starting again, integrating everything learned from the test. A prototype is not an answer, but rather a question made tangible!
This spirit is perfectly captured by IDEO's formula: enlightened trial and error, which always triumphs over the planning of a solitary genius. Tom and David Kelley turned this into a real culture: to navigate uncertainty, an imperfect object placed in people's hands is far better than a flawless specification on paper. Eric Ries’ Lean Startup (2011) systematizes this cycle: build, measure, learn, and repeat.
The masterstroke here lies in how we view failure. Prototyping gives us the freedom to make mistakes early when it is still very inexpensive, rather than late when everything is committed. "Fail fast" does not celebrate failure itself, but rather the rapid learning it unlocks. A failed prototype that teaches a valuable lesson is worth infinitely more than an untested certainty!
The key is to truly learn. The cult of "fail fast" derails when we chain trials together without extracting insights, or when the MVP—meant to be a test—is rushed out as the final product. True iteration is not just busyness: it is drawing clear conclusions from every loop and having the courage, at times, to kill an idea.
In our practice: we prototype early, targeting just the right level of fidelity to test hypotheses against real-world situations. And we treat every single iteration as a strategic decision, never just a simple tweak. Doing is our way of thinking; the prototype is where the idea proudly meets its truth!
What happens next: design doing, design thinking, user testing, the double diamond (the second diamond), and creativity.
References: T. Kelley (IDEO), enlightened trial and error; E. Ries, The Lean Startup (2011).
Rémi
Gréau
Director of Design
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