MKTG90041 Chap.7 Ideation, Prototypes and Testing
Ideation, Prototypes and Testing
Develop and Deliver turn a framed opportunity into evidence about a possible response. Ideation separates divergence from convergence so teams can move beyond the first familiar concept before filtering alternatives with customer desirability, organisational viability and delivery feasibility. A prototype then represents only enough of a concept to investigate a risky assumption.
The test must match the learning question: comprehension, usefulness, workflow, service interaction and technical performance require different artefacts and evidence. This chapter connects idea generation, selection, fidelity, test design, interpretation and iteration without treating positive reactions as proof.
What this chapter covers
- 01
Divergent idea generation before explicit convergent selection
- 02
Idea quantity, variation and building on others' contributions
- 03
Desirability, viability and feasibility as transparent filters
- 04
Risky assumptions and the lowest useful prototype fidelity
- 05
Test tasks, observation, neutral prompts and evidence capture
- 06
Decision rules to iterate, combine, reframe, reject or advance
Worked example · free
AskSia practice weighting: test an arrival-status concept
- 1Restate the risky assumption: visible status and next action will reduce uncertainty at arrival.
- 1Generate non-app alternatives such as staff acknowledgement, signage, a paper token or shared display.
- 1Select a low-fidelity sequence that can test status comprehension across several response forms.
- 1Give a realistic arrival task and use neutral prompts rather than explaining the proposed design.
- 1Observe what status participants infer, where they hesitate and whether they know the next action.
- 1Set a decision rule for revision, reframing or further testing before collecting reactions.
Key terms
- Divergence
- Deliberate expansion of possible interpretations or responses before selection.
- Convergence
- Transparent narrowing of alternatives against evidence, criteria and constraints.
- Brainstorming
- A structured group method for producing and extending many ideas while temporarily suspending evaluation.
- Concept
- A coherent explanation of how a proposed response creates value and changes the experience.
- Risky assumption
- A belief whose failure would materially weaken the concept and therefore deserves early testing.
- Prototype
- A deliberately incomplete representation built to investigate a question before full implementation.
- Fidelity
- The degree of visual, behavioural, technical or service realism included in a prototype.
- Test task
- A realistic activity that lets participants encounter the prototype without being taught the intended answer.
- Decision rule
- A stated basis for deciding whether evidence supports iteration, combination, reframing, rejection or advancement.
Ideation, Prototypes and Testing FAQ
Why separate divergence and convergence?
Early evaluation makes teams defend familiar ideas and reduces variety. A separate divergent phase increases the number and range of responses. Convergence then makes selection accountable by applying evidence, design criteria and constraints rather than enthusiasm alone.
How can a team improve idea variety?
Use prompts that change roles, channels, sequence, ownership, information or service setting. Build on and combine contributions, defer judgement during generation and return to the job, insight and How Might We question when ideas collapse into one expected form.
What does DVF contribute to selection?
Desirability asks whether the response supports people and their progress. Viability asks whether it can create and sustain organisational value. Feasibility asks whether it can be delivered with available or attainable capabilities. The categories expose trade-offs; they do not replace evidence.
When should fidelity increase?
Increase only when the learning question requires greater realism. Paper may be enough for information order, role play for a service interaction and a functional model for technical performance. High visual polish can distract from an unresolved value or workflow assumption.
Is asking whether participants like a concept sufficient?
No. Courtesy and stated preference are weak evidence of future behaviour. Give a realistic task, observe interpretation and action, invite participants to explain their reasoning and compare the evidence with a decision rule tied to the assumption.
How should negative test evidence be used?
Locate what failed: problem relevance, concept logic, information, interaction, service role or implementation. Revise the corresponding assumption, combine elements, return to research or reject the concept. A failed test can save investment and improve the frame.
What belongs in a test record?
Record the learning question, participant context, task, prototype version, neutral prompts, observed behaviour, quotations, interpretation, limitations and next decision. Keep observation separate from inference so the reasoning remains auditable.
Exam move
Revise this chapter as a sequence of decisions. Begin with an insight and How Might We question, generate several structurally different ideas, and explain how a brainstorming rule increased variety. Build a small selection matrix using evidence, desirability, viability and feasibility, but state what is unknown rather than inventing scores. For the chosen concept, name the assumption most capable of invalidating it.
Match the prototype form and fidelity to one learning question. Write a realistic task, remove leading prompts and list the behaviour or comprehension you will observe. Before the test, define what evidence would cause iteration, combination, reframing, rejection or greater investment. Afterward, separate observation from interpretation and identify the next smallest uncertainty.
This preserves learning speed and prevents prototype polish from becoming a substitute for evidence. Practise choosing between paper, role play, clickable sequence and functional proof by explaining what each can and cannot establish. Reject any fidelity that answers a different question from the decision currently at stake.
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