AI is changing what I consider a prototype
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I’m a product designer, and prototyping has always been part of how I explore an idea before it gets built.
But since I started using AI to build more things myself, that process has been changing.
For some ideas, I can now get to a working MVP quickly enough that building it becomes part of the exploration itself. At that point, I’m not always sure a separate prototype gives me the same value it used to.
I don’t think prototypes are becoming unnecessary. But I do think the point where I choose to prototype versus build is changing.
For people building products with AI, what still makes you choose a prototype before moving to an MVP?
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i’ve noticed this too, once building gets cheap enough, the prototype and mvp start blending together. curious what kind of ideas still make you stop and prototype first?
Your last line matches what I found, though I only noticed it after counting.
I went back over my shipped specifications on 16 August. 1,657 of 2,925 steps were not model calls at all, and 312 of 353 specifications carried explicit workflow logic. The prompt part was the small part.
So the prototype still tells me whether the idea holds. It tells me almost nothing about the shape of the thing, because most of that shape is not the model.