Designing on the Fly: How Rapid Prototyping Speeds Up Smarter Learning Design

Feeling overwhelmed by tight deadlines and shifting expectations in your instructional design projects? Discover how Rapid Prototyping can transform your approach to creating effective learning experiences.

Rapid prototyping flips traditional design on its head by encouraging you to start with rough drafts—low-fidelity prototypes—instead of waiting until the end to test a final version. Through a continuous cycle of design, test, tweak, and repeat, you'll create learning products that genuinely work for your audience while saving valuable time and resources.

Ready to transform your instructional design process? Start small—sketch before scripting, test early, and watch how rapid prototyping revolutionizes your approach to design challenges. Your future self (and your learners) will thank you!

🔗 Episode Links:

Please check out the resource mentioned in the episode. Enjoy!

A Guide to Rapid Prototyping

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Chapters

• 0:00 Introducing Rapid Prototyping
• 1:46 How Rapid Prototyping Works
• 2:35 Rapid Prototyping vs. SAM Model
• 3:39 Real-World Application Example
• 4:28 When to Use Rapid Prototyping
• 5:13 Reflection and Final Thoughts
• 6:19 Episode Recap and Closing

Transcript

Jackie Pelegrin: 0:01

Hello and welcome to the Designing with Love podcast. I am your host, Jackie Pelegrin, where my goal is to bring you information, tips, and tricks as an instructional designer. Hello, GCU students, alumni, and fellow educators, welcome to episode 57 of the Designing with Love podcast. Today, we're diving into a fast-paced, flexible, and feedback-friendly instructional design model that just might become your new favorite approach to rapid prototyping. If you've ever found yourself working on a tight deadline, facing unclear expectations, or needing to test an idea before it's fully developed, this episode is for you. So grab some coffee, your notebook, and let's get started.

Jackie Pelegrin: 0:50

Rapid prototyping is all about designing smarter, not slower. Instead of waiting until the end of a project to test a final version of your learning product, rapid prototyping encourages you to start with a rough draft, or what we call a low-fidelity prototype, and refine it over time, using real feedback from stakeholders and learners. It's a continuous loop of design test, tweak and repeat until you've created something that not only looks good but actually works for your learners. Here's the best part you don't need a fully fleshed out plan or polished slides to begin. Sometimes all it takes is a sketch on paper, a simple storyboard or a sample interaction built in your favorite authoring tool. All right, so now that you have a better understanding of what rapid prototyping is, let's take a few minutes to outline how it works. Here's how the process usually flows Step 1. Identify the learning need. What is the problem you are solving and who are your learners? Step 2. Build a quick prototype. Think just enough to communicate your idea. Step 3. Share and gather feedback. Ask questions like what's working, what's unclear, what's missing. Step four revise and test again, repeat until it's refined. Step five develop the final product. Now you can build with confidence. No-transcript. Now here's where things can get confusing, especially if you're new to instructional design.

Jackie Pelegrin: 2:40

If you've heard of the SAM model that's the Successive Approximation Model you might wonder aren't these two models kind of the same? They do share similarities Both are iterative, both emphasize feedback and both aim to reduce the risk of major redesigns late in the process. And both aim to reduce the risk of major redesigns late in the process. But here's the difference. Rapid prototyping is more of a technique or design approach. It's fast, informal and very flexible. Sam, on the other hand, is a full-fledged instructional design model with defined phases, team workflows and a more formalized process. So you could say that rapid prototyping lives inside SAM, especially during the early design and development phases. One is a tool, the other is a blueprint Great. So now that you know the differences between rapid prototyping and the SAM model, I'll take a few minutes to provide a real-world example so you can hear it in action.

Jackie Pelegrin: 3:39

Let's say you've been asked to design a new data privacy training course and you've got two weeks With rapid prototyping. Instead of writing a full script and building out all the interactions up front, you could do the following Number one create a quick outline. Number two mock up a few sample slides. Number three add placeholder content. Number four send it to the legal team and a few learners for feedback. Number five from their responses, you realize some terms are too technical and you need to include a scenario-based quiz. Great, you adjust, test again and then build the full course without wasting time or guessing what your audience needs.

Jackie Pelegrin: 4:23

All right, so here are some of the key strengths of the rapid prototyping model and when you should use it. Here's a quick list of when rapid prototyping really shines. Number one you're short on time. Number two you're not 100% sure what your learners or stakeholders want. Number three you're working with a team that values speed and collaboration. Number four you're developing e-learning, mobile learning or micro-learning content. Number five you want to test ideas early and often before finalizing anything. You want to test ideas early and often before finalizing anything. It's perfect for e-learning, corporate training, startups and anywhere. Agility is valued over rigid planning.

Jackie Pelegrin: 5:08

All right, so let's wrap up with a short reflection you can jot down in your journal or planner. Think about a past or current instructional design project. What part of that project could have benefited from faster feedback or early prototyping? How might rapid prototyping help you streamline your workflow in future projects? Write down three ways you could incorporate prototyping earlier in your process. Even small shifts like sketching before scripting, can save time and lead to better learning outcomes.

Jackie Pelegrin: 5:41

At its core, rapid prototyping reminds us that we don't have to get it perfect the first time. Designing is a journey. Remember. With every quick test, tweak and conversation, we move closer to building something truly meaningful for our learners. As a recap, we covered what rapid prototyping is, how it works, how it is different from the SAM model, a real-world example, key strengths and when to use it, and a reflection activity.

Jackie Pelegrin: 6:11

You are welcome to review the resource I created at the link provided in the show notes, which includes an overview of what was covered in the episode. In addition, please check out my blog site, which is also provided in the show notes. As I conclude this episode, I would like to share an inspiring quote by Joyce Meyer step out and find out. You don't need perfection to make progress. You just need the courage to start. Keep testing, keep learning and, as always, keep designing with love. Thank you for taking some time to listen to this podcast episode today. Your support means the world to me. If you'd like to help keep the podcast going, you can share it with a friend or colleague, leave a heartfelt review or offer a monetary contribution. Every act of support, big or small, makes a difference and I'm truly thankful for you.