Mark B has also just finished some prototyping work recently but is also able to give some details on what he’s been up to here.

I saw the applicaton just after it was finished and it was a smart, practical use of both Virtual Earth and Silverlight. The mobile application is super-useful too and is one of the few that I choose to have on my phone (Ah, Paddington, one day I shall beat you…)

When we’re preparing for prototyping work, we often describe the benefits as 3 things (I’ve written about this before from a Microsoft Technology Centre perspective):

• Acceleration. The 3-week lab sessions can really help to move a project along as we’re able to execute quickly and without “business-as-usual” interruption. Potentially, we’re able to engage stakeholders more effectively as they see progress at a rapid pace.
• De-risking. We’re able to tackle the thorny problems of a project (from a technology perspective at least) so can take the sting out of a risky project up-front.
• Evaluation. The lab is not the best place for true training, as work needs to be done, but it is good fun to mess with new technology and focus on the code. So a real benefit is that external developers (that’s you!) can get a feeling for the technology and whether it’ll work in the wider context of “back at base”.

It’s on the final point that Mark’s interview with Ra is interesting – it’s great to see some real reflection on the technology based on their experience.