Protocol Theory ◼️

“Prototypes are stimuli, not products. Their job is to provoke the right conversation.” — Kyle Another epic advisor session with Kyle Becker from @protocoltheory, who reframed prototyping as experiment design: define goals, write the interview script, sketch flows on paper, then build only what’s needed in Figma. “Write your goals before your script. If you don’t know what you’re trying to learn, your prototype will learn nothing.” — Kyle Keep it a Potemkin village that looks real enough to test one path, with consistent names and prices so users stay oriented, and split flows rather than letting branching complexity explode. Rehearse out loud with a “rubber duck,” do a teammate dry run, then in sessions set context, invite think-aloud, and when someone taps a dead element ask what they expected to happen. Choose the stimulus that fits the question: clickable flows for journeys, side-by-side screens or paper for comparisons, card sorts for priorities, storyboards for multi-actor moments. Recruit scrappily for consumer tests and lean on networks for true experts, then debrief immediately while insights are fresh.