--- title: Build First, Discuss Later: How Prototypes Speed Up... description: An iOS engineer at Merpay shares a workflow called 'Build First, Discuss Later,' where a working prototype is built before the kickoff meeting rather than... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/build-first-discuss-later-how-prototypes-speed-up-product-decisions-yorsl5mkj twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: Build First, Discuss Later: How Prototypes Speed Up Product Decisions | daily.dev og:description: An iOS engineer at Merpay shares a workflow called 'Build First, Discuss Later,' where a working prototype is built before the kickoff meeting rather than... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/build-first-discuss-later-how-prototypes-speed-up-product-decisions-yorsl5mkj og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/yorSL5mKJ.png og:image:alt: Build First, Discuss Later: How Prototypes Speed Up Product Decisions og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- [Mercari Engineering](https://daily.dev/sources/mercari) [Read post](https://api.daily.dev/r/yorSL5mKJ) # [Build First, Discuss Later: How Prototypes Speed Up Product Decisions](https://api.daily.dev/r/yorSL5mKJ "Go to post") An iOS engineer at Merpay shares a workflow called 'Build First, Discuss Later,' where a working prototype is built before the kickoff meeting rather than after spec finalization. The approach uses three stages: building the best possible prototype beforehand, using it as a shared reference during the meeting to resolve open questions, and immediately reflecting decisions afterward. Results include finishing most discussions in a single meeting, faster and clearer communication, and reduced workload for product managers. The author also notes a mindset shift — engineers become active contributors to product direction rather than passive implementers of requirements, aided by generative AI making rapid prototyping more accessible. [#ios](/tags/ios "Check all #ios posts")[#genai](/tags/genai "Check all #genai posts")[#agile](/tags/agile "Check all #agile posts") Aug 06•7m read time•From [engineering.mercari.com](https://api.daily.dev/r/yorSL5mKJ "engineering.mercari.com") [](https://api.daily.dev/r/yorSL5mKJ "Go to post") Table of contents [A common development flow—and where it slows down](https://api.daily.dev/r/yorSL5mKJ "A common development flow—and where it slows down")[The "Build First, Discuss Later" approach](https://api.daily.dev/r/yorSL5mKJ "The "Build First, Discuss Later" approach")[Three steps for bringing a prototype into a meeting](https://api.daily.dev/r/yorSL5mKJ "Three steps for bringing a prototype into a meeting")[Three things that changed with "Build First, Discuss Later"](https://api.daily.dev/r/yorSL5mKJ "Three things that changed with "Build First, Discuss Later"")[How building first changed my mindset](https://api.daily.dev/r/yorSL5mKJ "How building first changed my mindset")[Conclusion](https://api.daily.dev/r/yorSL5mKJ "Conclusion") 166 Impressions Comment Bookmark Copy Share your thoughtsPost [](https://daily.dev/sources/mercari) [Mercari Engineering](https://daily.dev/sources/mercari "https://daily.dev/sources/mercari") Mercari's platform is a resource for developers and technology enthusiasts, offering insights into e... 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