Prototyping Tips

Prototyping is essential when creating inclusive, supportive, and innovative ideas.

In this guide, you’ll find a few resources and tools the Hopelab team uses to ensure we’re testing and learning before investing too far into ideas or projects.

These two paragraphs were written entirely by an Artificial Intelligence (AI) bot called ChatGPT. Tools like this can be helpful in creating quick copy and content for prototypes, or even sparking initial ideas for solutions to challenges you’re facing.

Prototyping is an important tool in supporting the needs of young people’s mental health because it allows for the creation and testing of new ideas and solutions. This can be especially valuable in the field of mental health, where traditional approaches may not always be effective for all individuals. By prototyping, mental health practitioners and researchers can quickly and easily test new approaches and interventions, and make adjustments as needed. This allows for a more efficient and effective use of resources, and ultimately better outcomes for young people struggling with mental health issues.

Additionally, prototyping can also empower young people themselves to take an active role in their own mental health by allowing them to test and provide feedback on potential solutions. This can foster a sense of ownership and agency, which can be particularly beneficial for those who may have felt disempowered or unsupported in their mental health journey. Furthermore, involving young people in the prototyping process can also lead to more culturally responsive and relevant mental health interventions, which can be more effective in promoting healing and well-being.

The Hopelab Studio team uses a bunch of different tools to help make designs and ideas come to life.

We put together a list of a few we find particularly helpful in our work. Most of them are free to use.

Sneakpeekit

Free, printable grids for low-fidelity prototyping and sketching of early, digital ideas

Strategyzer

Free, printable Business Model and Value Proposition Canvases to better understand your ideas

Miro

An alternative to Zoom and a quality whiteboarding tool to brainstorm and co-create

Teaching Entrepreneurship

A toolkit and guide to explore your idea designed with activities for student involvement

TheresAnAiForThat.com

Up-to-date database of various AI tools to shortcut and supercharge your prototypes

The Studio team is constantly learning!

And we’d love to learn from you as we continue to create inclusive, supportive, and innovative spaces with our partners. Send us a note with your prototyping tips and resources. Let’s prototype together!