What is the purpose of creating a preliminary model of a product?

Creating a preliminary model of a product serves a crucial function in the design process, primarily for research and decision-making aimed at reducing risks. This initial model acts as a tangible representation of ideas, allowing designers and stakeholders to visualize concepts, explore functionalities, and identify potential issues early in the project. By engaging with this preliminary prototype, teams gather valuable feedback and insights from users and other stakeholders, which can inform subsequent design iterations and help mitigate risks related to usability and performance before investing considerable resources into a final design.

This approach emphasizes the iterative nature of UX design, where understanding user needs and refining ideas based on direct feedback is essential for creating effective and user-centered products. While the final design and branding strategies are important, they typically develop later in the process, informed by the insights gathered during the preliminary modeling phase. Additionally, initial models should encourage user testing rather than limit it, fostering a culture of experimentation and user engagement to drive better design outcomes.