Prototyping Essentials
Trainer
Gerry Scullion
A practical, evolving course to help you prototype services before you commit. Learn 10+ low-fidelity techniques with lifetime access and regular updates.
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Learn at your own pace
Access video content anytime, anywhere. Work through modules at a pace that suits you.
Built for all levels
Whether you're new to the topic or an experienced practitioner, the course meets you where you are.
Guided & grounded
We move from concepts into practice in a thoughtfully paced way, weaving stories, exercises, and tools together.
Practical takeaways
You'll leave equipped with frameworks, tools, and confidence to apply what you've learned immediately.
Course Overview
Prototyping Essentials is a self-paced course designed to help you bring service ideas to life before you commit to building them. You’ll learn how to explore assumptions, simulate interactions, and test key moments using simple, low-cost materials and techniques. This course is ideal for anyone working in services—especially in complex environments where what’s invisible often causes the most risk. You’ll get lifetime access to a growing library of practical prototyping methods, each explained clearly with real-world context.
What You'll Learn
1. Why prototyping services matters
Understand the role of prototyping in managing risk, aligning teams, and surfacing assumptions before investing in delivery.
2. A library of 10+ evolving methods
Learn a range of techniques tailored for testing intangible, complex service experiences:
- Paper Prototypes for Services
- Not just for screens—model signage, forms, notices, or brochures to test interaction. Useful for early exploration with service staff.
- Wizard of Oz Prototypes
- Manually simulate digital experiences (like chatbots or kiosks) to test interactions before building them.
- Provotypes (Provocative Prototypes)
- Intentionally provocative designs used to challenge assumptions and uncover hidden tensions.
- Journey Map (Future State)
- Use narration and roleplay to walk through an envisioned service experience—ideal for spotting inconsistencies and gaps.
- Service Staging / Service Theatre
- Full performance-style roleplay of a service, using props and scripts for team alignment and rehearsal.
- Experience Prototyping with Objects
- Use physical props to represent interactions, spaces, or infrastructure—for example, using labels, furniture, or found materials.
- Mobile Intercepts with Paper Scenarios
- Lightweight, in-the-wild testing using paper prototypes in real contexts like libraries, clinics, or public spaces.
- Investigative Rehearsals
- Roleplay real-world service interactions to examine tone, power dynamics, and emotional flow.
- Desktop Walkthroughs
- Use paper and desk space to walk through service flows across departments or teams—great for finding unseen dependencies.
- Service Advertisements
- Create posters, flyers, or ads for your service concept—see how people interpret and respond before launch.
3. How to choose and use the right method
Each method includes guidance on when and why to use it, what fidelity is needed, and how to scale it based on your resources.
4. Building confidence through doing
You’ll be encouraged to apply what you learn immediately to your own context—no polished prototypes, no fancy tools needed.
What You'll Get
- Lifetime access to the full course
- Immediate access to 10 core methods
- Ongoing additions of new techniques over time
- Real-world examples and contextual guidance
- Self-paced structure so you can learn as you go
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is this course for?
This course is for service designers, UX researchers, product managers, innovation teams, and anyone working on or improving services.
Do I need design experience to take this course?
No. The techniques are designed to be accessible to anyone—especially those working in resource-constrained environments.
Will I need any special tools?
No. Most techniques can be done with paper, pens, post-its, and basic materials. This is about low-fidelity, high-learning prototyping.
Can I return to the content later?
Yes. You’ll have lifetime access and can revisit any time, including when new methods are added.
Still have questions?
Email us at support@thisishcd.com – we’re here to help.
Your Trainer
Gerry Scullion
Trainer
Founder of The Human Centered Design Network / Podcaster at This is HCD Gerry Scullion is Founder of This is HCD, a global podcast and global design community. This is HCD includes a large international design focussed newsletter, podcasts on topics to enable change, an international Slack community, Design Conference and online design training. He has over 20-years professional design experience across a range of industries such as finance, healthcare, media, public services, social media and various startups. He contributed to the book ‘This is Service Design Doing’ (O’Reilly 2018) focusing on chapters about effective prototyping, and embedding Service Design teams within organisations alongside 200 service designers from around the globe. His purpose is to help enable access to strategic design to a global audience. Speak to Gerry about Service Design, Embedding Design into organisations and Human-Centered Design.
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