Prototyping serves to provide specifications for a real, working system rather than a theoretical one. In some workflow models, creating a prototype (a process sometimes called materialization) is the step between the formalization and the evaluation of an idea. A User Experience Prototype captures enough aspects of the intended design that it can support user research. 2  A Visual Prototype captures the size and appearance, but not the functionality, of the intended design.
In the mid-1930s, the last main improvement to the leather football helmet was introduced: The facemask. Vern McMillan, who owned a sporting goods store in Terre Haute, Indiana, was credited with inventing the first facemask design.
The next big evolutionary leap occurred in 1939, when the first football helmet was made from plastic. While the initial design looked very similar in size and shape to the leather helmets used at the time, the plastic helmet (eventually) had several advantages over its leather counterpart: