What is the main purpose of mock-ups or prototypes in product development?

The main purpose of mock-ups or prototypes in product development is to visualize design concepts and gather feedback. This process allows designers and stakeholders to see a tangible representation of the idea, which helps in understanding how the end product will work and look. Prototypes can range from low-fidelity sketches or models to high-fidelity versions that closely resemble the finished product.

By creating these visual tools, teams can identify potential issues in the design early on, encourage stakeholder participation, and obtain user feedback before finalizing the product. This iterative process is vital for ensuring that the product meets user needs and expectations, leading to a better final outcome.

In contrast, testing the final product is typically not the focus during the prototyping stage; mock-ups are used much earlier in the development cycle. Lowering production costs and collecting customer data are important aspects of product development as well, but they are typically addressed after refining the design based on feedback gathered from prototypes. Therefore, the focus on visualizing concepts and soliciting input makes this choice the best representation of the primary function of mock-ups or prototypes in the development process.