prototype
Prototype
Build a throwaway decision instrument for one question that discussion, static prose, or a cheaper sketch cannot settle.
Do not fake the dimension being tested.
A behavior/process question needs a truthfully exercisable representation of that behavior. A visual-reading question needs sufficient visual fidelity. A CLI or API ergonomics question needs a runnable interaction. The prototype produces decision evidence; it is not the accepted delivery result.
1. Pin the decision question and evidence claim
State the one material question, why cheaper evidence is insufficient, who must experience the result, the dimension being tested, accepted fidelity, variants if needed, exclusions, disposal boundary, available environment, and mutation or external-effect authority.
One prototype boundary may contain several variants when they answer the same pinned question and test the same dimension. A new material question, audience, or evidence claim requires a new boundary.
Do not start when the missing outcome is selection without experiential evidence, accepted/production delivery, or ordinary polish.
When the question depends on subjective experience, require an attending human. An unattended run cannot invent how the interaction feels or what the user prefers.