Prototyping

The R&D Prototyping team is a cross-platform, multi-discipline team led by George Wright. Our team includes people with a wide range of skills ranging from designers, producers and engineers, as well as behavioural scientists and accessibility specialists.

What we do

In collaboration with colleagues inside and outside BBC, we build new prototypes, demonstrators and services across all digital platforms, which explore new ways of presenting BBC content.

Rather than translating projects directly into products, the prototypes we build are meant to inform the direction of various BBC projects, and some are the result of collaborations with programme makers. Each project typically involves three staff for the equivalent of three months' work.

Why prototype?

Prototyping in the BBC is important. With the world moving ever forward towards the digital age, it is necessary that the BBC is among the frontrunners when it comes to making our content available to everyone across all platforms.

A prototype allows us to explore and develop ideas before committing to a final design ready to be shipped. For example, to explain a concept for a new product to a stakeholder or user, it can be much more powerful to show them how it would actually feel to use the product. Even if the design of the prototype is at a very rudimentary stage, it can elevate the feedback or debate to another level.

Because of this, prototypes don't represent the entire system – decisions need to be made about what is left out. This defines the prototype's fidelity, or level of completeness, and requires different approaches and techniques for design, development and evaluation.

Taking all that into consideration, the prototypes we build can range from a sketch to a fully functioning application with real end-users.

Contact us

Want to speak to the team? You can contact us by emailing Click [e-mail].

You can read regular updates on our projects by following our posts on the Research and Development Blog

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