Stop Guessing, Start Prototyping: A Better Way to Solve Problems

Data? ✅

Subject Matter Expertise? ✅

Best Intentions? ✅

Then why does the solution still fall flat?

Let's face it: We’ve all been there.

Leaders and teams pour months into crafting the "right" solution, only to discover it does not solve the problem.

The problem is not typically the approach itself but rather the failure to truly test it.

Queue prototyping. Not as a step. As a mindset.

Typically, people view prototyping as just one linear stage in a longer process: ideate, design, prototype (maybe), develop, and then launch. In many cases, we check the box and then move on. 

But think of prototyping as a mindset embedded in everything you do, from the very beginning to the very end. 

Let’s be clear: expertise matters. But when it dominates the early stages of design, it has the potential to narrow our perspective. We rely on assumptions, models, and secondhand insight when what we need is direct interaction with the very people for whom we are designing.

Here is the irony: the quicker you build something rough, the faster you arrive at something real.

Think of prototyping as applied curiosity.

• It's how we test ideas before we overbuild them. 

• It's how we invite feedback before people disengage. 

• And critically, it's how we fail on purpose so we don't fail when it truly matters.

Instead of saying, "Here is how it should work," you ask, "What happens when we try this?"

The shift from presumption to curiosity changes everything:

• People feel involved, not chained to a new process.

• Teams spot flaws early when it is easier to adjust.

• Feedback incorporates real use, not hypothetical scenarios.

A pretty prototype is not the goal.

Helping people engage with your idea so you can learn is. 

For example, 

• A leader wants to revamp the onboarding process. Instead of creating a full training deck and rollout plan, they mock up the first two days in a doc, share it with a few new hires, and gather reactions. Three small changes make a big difference.

• A team is designing a new workflow. They draw it on a whiteboard and walk through the process with the people (or proxies) who will use it. A key bottleneck gets revealed before it ever goes live.

In a world of limited time and shrinking budgets, prototyping is not extra work; it is innovative work. It reduces waste, increases clarity, and builds buy-in before you ever launch.

And most importantly, it keeps people at the center of your design process, not just as recipients but as co-creators.

Prototyping protects the big picture. That is ROI in real time.

ROI Checkpoint

Reflection: Are you assuming, or are you asking?

Take a look at a process or solution currently in development. Is it built primarily on internal expertise, or does real user feedback genuinely shape it? When was the last time you tested a solution with the people you designed it for?

Observation. Where is the friction hiding?

Look closely. Where do your teams slow down? Where do problems keep popping up, or where does tension seem to hang in the air? These are often the most evident signs that your solution is not solving the problem people have.

Implementation. What can you prototype this week?

Pick one idea in progress and create a quick, rough version. It could be a simple sketch, a detailed map, or even a basic mock-up. Then, get it in front of someone who will use it. Ask: What works? What does not? And what would they do differently?

The faster you learn, the quicker you lead.

Start small. Stay curious. Build what's needed.