Which best describes a prototype's role in testing?

• A. It is the final product
• B. It helps validate assumptions
• C. It is only used for marketing
• D. It replaces user testing

Answer: (B)

Prototypes are used to test ideas and assumptions about how a product will work and what users need. By building a rough version, you can watch how people interact with it, see where expectations match the design, and collect feedback before investing in full development. This helps you validate or adjust assumptions about usability, features, and feasibility, which is what testing with a prototype is meant to do. It’s not the final product, so it isn’t something to market as finished. It isn’t solely for marketing, and it doesn’t replace user testing; instead, it enables real user testing to learn what works and what doesn’t so you can improve the design.