Rapid prototyping is a design and development process used in fields like product engineering, software, and manufacturing to quickly create and iterate on preliminary versions (prototypes) of a product or concept. The goal is to test ideas, gather feedback, and refine designs in a short time frame—often days or weeks—rather than months, using techniques like 3D printing, wireframing, or low-fidelity mockups. This approach minimizes risks, reduces costs in the long run, and accelerates innovation by allowing teams to fail fast and learn from early failures. For example, a startup might use rapid prototyping to build a simple app interface mockup in hours to validate user interest before full coding