What skills or experience do I need to already have, before starting to learn prototyping?

It can typically help to have some business management skills, such as brainstorming and business plan writing before starting to learn prototyping. This is because the ideas generally need to exist and be in at least the early stages before prototyping begins. It also typically helps to have computer skills, strong reading skills, communications skills, and good people skills. Additionally, graphic design skills can be useful for creating visual images of products so potential customers can see a realistic representation of the item that is being prototyped.

What kind of people are best suited for roles in prototyping?

People who are creative and analytical are typically best suited for roles in prototyping. This is because it generally takes creativity to develop new products, and then analytical skills can be applied to figure out ways to polish it and make it more user-friendly. People who enjoy a challenge can be well suited to this area because it can sometimes take multiple attempts to finally arrive at an end result that delivers a positive user experience. Additionally, people who are enthusiastic about using technology on a daily basis tend to be well suited for prototyping roles.

What are common career paths for someone in prototyping?

People who work in prototyping typically make either digital products or physical products. Some common job titles include prototype engineer, prototype scientist, and prototype technician. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics , the median annual salary in the US for prototype specialists who worked in software development as of 2017 was $107,600. Prototype specialists also can typically find work in fields like graphic design, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and industrial design.

What topics can I study that are related to prototyping?

Some topics you can study that are related to prototyping include UX design, research techniques, and low-fidelity prototyping techniques. Software prototyping techniques could also be explored. You could study technical writing to learn about ways to prepare a written design rationale. You could also study cultural attributes that affect ways to design for specific populations. Creativity and entrepreneurship are related topics you could study if you enjoy the idea of entering into your own business venture with the prototypes you develop. Additionally, you could study specific industries and how they relate to prototyping, such as aeronautics, game design, and metallurgy.

What are the benefits of taking an online Prototyping course?

Online Prototyping courses offer a convenient and flexible way to enhance your knowledge or learn new Prototyping skills. Choose from a wide range of Prototyping courses offered by top universities and industry leaders tailored to various skill levels.

What Prototyping courses are best for training and upskilling employees or the workforce?

When looking to enhance your workforce's skills in Prototyping, it's crucial to select a course that aligns with their current abilities and learning objectives. Our Skills Dashboard is an invaluable tool for identifying skill gaps and choosing the most appropriate course for effective upskilling. For a comprehensive understanding of how our courses can benefit your employees, explore the enterprise solutions we offer. Discover more about our tailored programs at Coursera for Business here .

Top Prototyping Courses - Learn Prototyping Online

Explore the Prototyping Course Catalog

Coursera Project Network
Create a buyer persona diagram for businesses with Creately
Skills you'll gain: Persona Development, User Accounts, Target Audience, Marketing Collateral, Customer Analysis, Design Software, Business Modeling, Graphical Tools
Beginner · Guided Project · Less Than 2 Hours
University of Virginia
Coding for Designers, Managers, & Entrepreneurs I
Skills you'll gain: User Story, HTML and CSS, Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), Prototyping, Debugging, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), Web Design and Development, Maintainability, User Centered Design, Wireframing, User Interface (UI), Peer Review
4.1
Rating, 4.1 out of 5 stars
57 reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Status: Free
EIT Digital
Introduction to Architecting Smart IoT Devices
Skills you'll gain: Unified Modeling Language, Systems Development Life Cycle, Embedded Systems, Internet Of Things, Software Development Life Cycle, Application Lifecycle Management, Systems Architecture, Systems Development, Software Architecture, Technical Design, System Design and Implementation, Software Design, Systems Engineering, System Requirements, Prototyping, Requirements Analysis, Real Time Data
4.2
Rating, 4.2 out of 5 stars
307 reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: Free
Scrimba
Learn to code with AI
Skills you'll gain: Front-End Web Development, User Interface (UI) Design, Mobile Development, Version Control, GitHub, HTML and CSS, ChatGPT, Web Development, Prototyping, Interactive Design, Application Development, Web Applications, JavaScript Frameworks, Databases, Artificial Intelligence
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
103 reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Universidad de los Andes
Diseño de Videojuegos: Una introducción
Skills you'll gain: Functional Specification, Interaction Design, Software Design, User Interface (UI), Usability, Design, Visualization (Computer Graphics), Prototyping, C# (Programming Language), Creativity
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
149 reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: Free
Georgia Institute of Technology
Introduction to High-Throughput Materials Development
Skills you'll gain: Experimentation, New Product Development, Product Development, Engineering Design Process, Science and Research, Process Development, Research Design, Prototyping, Scientific Methods
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
178 reviews
Intermediate · Course · 1 - 3 Months
University of Virginia
Coding for Designers, Managers, and Entrepreneurs
Skills you'll gain: User Story, HTML and CSS, Debugging, Model View Controller, Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), Prototyping, Application Programming Interface (API), Javascript, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), Web Design and Development, Web Applications, User Interface (UI), Interactive Design, Javascript and jQuery, Maintainability, User Centered Design, Team Oriented, Wireframing, Web Development Tools, Business Logic
4.2
Rating, 4.2 out of 5 stars
71 reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 1 - 3 Months
University of Michigan
Developing AR/VR/MR/XR Apps with WebXR, Unity & Unreal
Skills you'll gain: Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR/VR), Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, Cross Platform Development, Application Development, User Experience, Computer Graphics, Prototyping, User Interface (UI), Web Development Tools, Software Development
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
89 reviews
Intermediate · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
LearnQuest
IoT Systems and Industrial Applications with Design Thinking
Skills you'll gain: User Research, Internet Of Things, Usability Testing, Prototyping, Design Thinking, Ideation, Automation, Advanced Analytics, Analytics, Solution Design, User Experience Design, Big Data, Data-Driven Decision-Making, Human Centered Design, Data Management, Systems Architecture, Embedded Software, Real Time Data, Hardware Architecture, Network Protocols
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
32 reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 1 - 3 Months
Packt
UX: Visual Design Process
Skills you'll gain: Wireframing, Design Elements And Principles, Typography, Graphic and Visual Design, Adobe XD, Prototyping, User Experience Design, Design Reviews, User Centered Design, Figma (Design Software), Interactive Design, Color Theory
Intermediate · Course · 3 - 6 Months
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Diseño de videojuegos
Skills you'll gain: System Design and Implementation, Software Design, Software Design Documents, Conceptual Design, Design, Visualization (Computer Graphics), Technical Design, Multimedia, Usability, Computer Graphics, User Experience Design, Interaction Design, User Experience, Prototyping, Creative Design, Storytelling, Scripting
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
329 reviews
Mixed · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
University of Toronto
Human-Centered Design for Inclusive Innovation
Skills you'll gain: Human Centered Design, User Experience Design, User Research, Design Thinking, Design Research, Qualitative Research, Innovation, Diversity and Inclusion, Complex Problem Solving, Empathy, Ideation, Creativity, Storytelling
4.8
Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
165 reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks