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Rapid Prototyping: The Key to Faster SaaS Product Launches

April 6, 2023

Mieke Houbrechts

Want to reduce your development time for new features by 50%? Harness the power of rapid prototyping to launch new SaaS products faster!

Are you tired of spending months developing a product feature, only to discover it doesn’t meet your customers’ needs? Do you want to build impactful features from the start instead? Then it’s time to explore the power of rapid prototyping for SaaS.

Software prototyping can reduce development time by up to 50%. Learn how to speed up product development, and gain a competitive edge!

What is rapid prototyping?

Rapid prototyping is a desirable method for SaaS product managers. It involves creating quick, simple versions of your product to test its functionalities. First, you’ll focus on creating the most essential features. The result is a stripped-down prototype you can test and refine quickly. With this iterative process, you’ll identify any issues or areas for improvement early on. And that’s saving you time and money!

What does a rapid prototyping process look like?

The rapid prototyping process for SaaS is simple, yet effective.

  1. Create a low-fidelity sketch, wireframe, or interactive prototype of your product.
  2. Test it with a small group of users and gather feedback on its functionality and user experience.
  3. Refine your prototype and create a new version for further testing.
Diagram showing the rapid prototyping process for SaaS

No-code software tools have made prototyping easier and quicker for product teams. With a visual interface, users can drag and drop components to create functional prototypes. All without having to write a single line of code!

Product designers, entrepreneurs, and other non-technical users can now quickly test their ideas. They can create tangible prototypes, all without burdening their development team. With fast iterations, SaaS companies like Greenly drastically shortened the feedback loop from idea to final product. Creating a software prototype is no longer a lengthy, expensive project.

Repeat this iterative process until you reach the quality and functionality you desire. Once you’re happy with the prototype, you can pass it off to engineering for development. This method saves your engineering team time during exploration. Instead, they can focus on building the products you know will create impact.

The benefits of rapid prototyping for SaaS

Rapid prototyping methods have many benefits for SaaS product managers.

  • Reducing development costs and time
  • Launching your product faster
  • Creating more user-centric products

Rapid prototyping involves users in the testing process. As a result, product managers understand their customers’ needs and preferences better. With a more user-centric product, your customer satisfaction will skyrocket!

Traditional product development processes are costly. In comparison, rapid prototyping will reduce the costs and the risk of a poor investment. With no-code prototyping tools, product managers have more freedom to build MVPs with simple drag and drop. You no longer need to hire expensive engineers to translate ideas into a first MVP. Instead, engineers can focus on complex features that will set your product apart.

Besides saving money, rapid prototyping is an overlooked lever of growing revenue. The sooner you take a functional product to market, the faster you can generate new revenue. Even if the product is limited at first, you don’t have to charge customers full price immediately. Start with modest pricing, and increase as you add more value. Imagine you’d wait to launch the full product 8 months later. You’d be losing out on 8 months of potential revenue!

Rapid Prototyping Tools and Software for SaaS

Rapid prototyping tools can save time during the development process. Some software tools can even replace certain steps in the product development cycle!

Prototyping tools

Product designers can use many rapid prototyping tools, depending on their needs.

  • Low-fidelity wireframes
  • High-fidelity designs
  • Basic designs from a library of pre-built components
  • Interactive mock-ups

Examples of tools are Sketch, Figma, Balsamiq or InVision. They are great for initial mock-ups and designs. Product teams can iterate on ideas easily, before taking them into development.

Low-code software platforms

Besides popular prototyping software, software teams can use powerful low-code software. With low-code tools, you can build functional features, and insert them right into the core product. All with limited coding. They offer more flexibility than no-code tools, and are a much faster alternative to traditional coding. Any developer can integrate these tools into their existing tech stack at a moment’s notice.

Launch products faster with rapid prototyping

With rapid prototyping, SaaS product teams launch products faster. They can create more user-centric products at a lower cost, with less time and resources.

Rapid prototyping tools and software are available off the shelf! It’s an accessible and effective approach for SaaS companies of all sizes. Don’t wait any longer to start exploring the power of rapid prototyping for your SaaS product development!

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