Prototyping and user testing is the best way to create successful products, but many designers skip this important step and use gut instinct instead. By explaining the goals and methodologies behind prototyping--and demonstrating how to prototype for both physical and digital products--this practical guide helps beginning and intermediate designers become more comfortable with creating and testing prototypes early and often in the process.

Author Kathryn McElroy explains various prototyping methods, from fast and dirty to high fidelity and refined, and reveals ways to test your prototypes with users. You'll gain valuable insights for improving your product, whether it's a smartphone app or a new electronic gadget.

• Learn similarities and differences between prototyping for physical and digital products
• Know what fidelity level is needed for different prototypes
• Get best practices for prototyping in a variety of mediums, and choose which prototyping software or components to use
• Learn electronics prototyping basics and resources for getting started
• Write basic pseudocode and translate it into usable code for Arduino
• Conduct user tests to gain insights from prototypes

Kathryn McElroy is an Advisory Designer for the IBM Mobile Innovation Lab, in Austin, Texas. She is an award-winning designer and photographer, and is passionate about near-future technology and building electronics and smart objects. She has published tutorials and articles about her projects in Make Magazine, Fast Company, and Timeout New York, and she regularly speaks about design thinking, prototyping, and user experience design.