What is a pretotype?

No, that’s not a typo.

‘Pretotype’ is a term coined by Alberto Savoia, joyously explained in his video that explains both it and his concept of ‘the right it’.

A pretotype is a fast, low fidelity version of your concept - be it a product, service or business - that is just complete enough for you to generate real, data-driven validation.

It generally differs from a prototype in that it seeks to answer the question of ‘should’ it be built, not ‘can’ it.

Pretotypes are so effective someone turned it into a business - you might have heard of it…

Kickstarter encapsulates the very essence of using pretotypes to ask the question - should we build this?

Before any engineering drawings are finalised, moulds created, patents filed, users can validate their idea with the most effective metric ever - other people’s money.

Image from Kickstarter.com

Key to being a ‘strategic’ designer is to think critically about the work you are either proposing or being asked to do.

Pretotypes can help you quickly answer if you are working on the right opportunity or idea, reducing the risk of wasted time and money on a solution destined for failure.

How can you use pretotypes in your work?