One problem that many companies have nowadays is communication. Working in teams with people of different disciplines means that some project requirements can get lost in translation. Product managers often use prototyping software, which is a tool that can be used by people of all backgrounds to easily illustrate concepts for web and mobile applications. Some of this software functions like a Google Docs application in that other team members can collaborate on a project together in real time. This means fewer emails are sent back and forth, and there are fewer instances of misunderstood requirements. A person from the development team can quickly analyze a basic prototype that a marketer has made and can explain whether the proposed layout and structure work.
It could also be that a team member wants a specific type of interaction to be included in the prototype. There might be specific requirements of the back end system which require a database query, for example. If there is something that is technically not possible, a developer can use the prototyping software to make a change and show the compromise to the member of the marketing team. Because prototyping software is easy to use, non-technical stakeholders can feel they have more control over the outcome of the project. While a non-technical stakeholder may not know the exact name of a UI element, by having a palette of “stencils” at the side of their canvas that they can drag into their screens, they can simply show what they envision for a project.
