Parallel prototyping
Parallel prototyping is a collaborative work form that seeks to force speedy production, testing and improvement of very concrete yet not fully developed ideas.

Prototyping follows from the counter-intuitive insight that we must first act to make sense of what we are doing. To paraphrase a famous line from Karl Weick: “How can I know what I think until I see what I prototype?”. Also, think about how others can know what you think (or say) until they see it. Parallel prototyping is a collaborative visualization of ideas by giving them name, description, shape, sketch and the next step to realization. In workshop setting heterogeneous groups get limited time to produce prototypes in parallel. The prototypes of ideas are presented in plenum (unplugged), prioritized by everyone and given a future plan. In Idea Work, parallel prototyping has given every organization concrete ideas for further action.


Published September 20, 2011

Senior scientist