Prototyping
“If a picture is worth a thousand words then a prototype is worth a thousand meetings.”
A prototype is an object or artifact that someone can touch, hold, see, or interact with in some way so that they can offer feedback. It is also an approach that moves a project toward action through the production of early, inexpensive, and scaled down versions of the product, program, or service to reveal problems with the current design.
Essentially prototypes help bring ideas to life and test their practicality. They can take many forms, but they should always be a tangible representation of an idea or solution. Simple sketches and storyboards, rough paper prototypes of online interfaces, or role-playing to act out a service are all examples of prototypes.
Prototyping Housing Ideas
In June 2021, we did some early prototyping with St. Joseph’s Continuing Care Centre, a Building with Mission demonstration site. A small group of interested stakeholders came together to prototype housing ideas for older adults that emerged from a problem and opportunity mapping workshop that had been held several weeks earlier. Learn more
SE Health, another Building with Mission demonstration site, developed a hi-fi housing prototype to showcase their innovative vision for affordable seniors’ housing and their commitment to a non-medical approach where residents can age in place. Unlike a low-fi counterpart, this prototype includes enough detail to create a realistic depiction of what the space would look like. Learn More
Designed by SvN Architects
Designed by SvN Architects
Designed by SvN Architects
Prototyping Service and Programming Ideas
In September 2021, we did some early prototyping with SE Health. The organization had already developed a hi-fi prototype of a building design (see above) and next wanted to begin prototyping an innovative operating model to offer residents access to a range of supportive programs and services. Prototyping helped the organization imagine a range of different models that could serve a diverse set of tenants, who were depicted using personas and who had low, moderate and higher care and support needs.
Through a series of several workshops the team:
Developed a comprehensive list of possible programs and services that could be offered and mapped these to each of the personas developed
Identified the type of resources that might be required to deliver the service (e.g. tenant initiated/run programs, facilitated programs, professionally delivered services)
Developed three lo-fi prototypes of housing + support models that could be offered
Created a high-level service blueprint detailing the experience of tenants throughout their housing journey
