Project Brief: The Rapid Validation Prototype

Module: 3: Designing the Future: From Insight to AI-Powered Products Lesson: 3: From Hypothesis to High-Fidelity: Prototyping at the Speed of Thought

1. Objective

This project is the capstone of Module 3, designed to close the loop from foresight to a tangible, testable artifact. Your objective is to take the most promising future trend you identified in your "Future Signals Intelligence Report" (from Module 2) and build a high-fidelity, interactive prototype for a product or service that addresses it. This project will demonstrate your ability to not only identify a future opportunity but to execute on it with a compelling, user-centric vision.

2. The Mission

Imagine you have just presented your "Future Signals Intelligence Report" to the head of innovation at your company. She is intrigued by the trend you identified and has given you one week to come back with something more tangible than a report. "Show me what this looks like," she says. "I want to feel what it's like to use a product from this future."

Your mission is to build a rapid validation prototype that brings your chosen trend to life and validates its core value proposition.

3. Your Task

You will choose the most compelling trend from your previous project and design a key workflow for a product or service that exists in the world defined by that trend. You will then build a high-fidelity, interactive prototype of that workflow.

Your workflow should be:

1. Define the Core Hypothesis: Based on your trend, what is the single, most important belief or assumption that needs to be true for your product idea to succeed? (e.g., "We believe people will be willing to share their real-time location in exchange for personalized, hyper-local news."). This is what your prototype will test.
2. Map the Key User Flow: What is the critical path a user would take to experience the core value of your product? Map out these 3-5 key screens.
3. Design the UI: Create a visually polished and coherent user interface for these screens. The design should feel futuristic and aligned with the world of your trend.
4. Build the Interactive Prototype: Using a tool like Figma's prototyping features, link your screens together to create a clickable, interactive prototype that allows a user to go through the key user flow.
5. Articulate the Vision: Prepare a short, written description that explains your prototype, the trend it's based on, and the hypothesis it's designed to test.

4. Key Requirements

Your submission must include two parts:

Part 1: The Interactive Prototype

• A link to a high-fidelity, interactive prototype (built in Figma or a similar tool).
• The prototype must consist of at least 3-5 interconnected screens.
• It must allow a user to complete a single, coherent key user flow.
• The visual design should be polished and professional.

Part 2: The Prototype Description

A brief Markdown document that includes:

1. The Future Trend: A one-paragraph summary of the trend from your Module 2 project that this prototype is based on.
2. The Product Concept: A one-paragraph description of your product idea.
3. The Core Hypothesis: A clear, single-sentence statement of the primary assumption your prototype is designed to test.
4. The User Flow: A brief description of the workflow that a user can go through in your prototype.

5. Format and Deliverable

• Deliverable 1: A shareable link to your interactive prototype.
• Deliverable 2: A single .md file named Prototype_Description.md containing the written part of your submission.

7. Tips for Success

• Strong Connection to Trend: Ensure your prototype clearly and compellingly embodies the future trend you selected from Module 2. The "why" behind your design should be evident.
• Focus on the Core Flow: Don't try to prototype every feature. Identify the single most important user flow that demonstrates your core hypothesis and make that perfect.
• Visual Storytelling: Use the visual design of your prototype to tell the story of your future world. Consider colors, typography, and imagery that evoke the feeling of that future.
• Practice Your Pitch: Be ready to articulate your vision clearly and concisely. Your written description is your pitch deck.

6. Evaluation Criteria

Your project will be evaluated on the following criteria:

• Strategic Alignment (40%):
  • How well does your product concept and prototype align with the future trend you identified in Module 2?
  • Does it feel like a plausible, insightful, and innovative response to that future?
  • Is the core hypothesis clearly derived from the trend?
• Execution & Craft (40%):
  • The overall quality of your prototype. Is the visual design polished, coherent, and appropriate for the future context?
  • Are the interactions smooth, intuitive, and does the prototype effectively simulate the key user flow?
  • Does the prototype feel like a real, desirable product from the future?
• Clarity of Vision (20%):
  • How clearly and concisely does your written description articulate the future trend, the product concept, and the core hypothesis you are testing?
  • Does it effectively communicate the "story" of your prototype?