This seminar introduces Critical Function and Critical Experience Prototyping (CFP/CEP), core methods from Stanford’s ME310 course that guide design teams in answering focused questions throughout the development process. A CFP is a physical prototype built to test a specific function, while a CEP creates or simulates an experience to study user responses. Effective prototypes are efficient, minimal, and provide insights that cannot be obtained through research or analysis alone. Examples of both effective and less effective CFPs and CEPs will be shared, with discussion on how they inform design practice across academic and professional contexts.
