Building an actual representation of how the user will experience a system is a great way to test assumptions without investing too much into the design’s execution. Identifying usability and business concerns early on allow you to identify risks prior to closing out design—and prototyping is a fast, affordable way to get everybody on board before implementation.
There are many kinds of prototyping options depending on your budget. Some include paper-based prototyping, the use of clickable wireframes, screenshots or image maps, and even programmatic examples that connect to your database and offer limited functionality. This method of design can reduce schedule impacts during implementation because you can offer many options at once—spending a fewer hours of development time.
Using A/B testing, you can test certain interfaces to see which one performs best with your users. Although design is usually unpolished and can be misleading if the infrastructure isn’t in place to immediately support it, it’s very easy to identify where funds should be applied to improve a certain piece of functionality and where funds can be cut.