Prototyping is often misunderstood as an early development activity, with the goal if de-risking various engineering paths.
But, often, the most valuable prototypes are experience prototypes that are intended to communicate the idea of a concept experience before significant engineering effort has been invested. These experience prototypes serve to enable colleagues, customers and users to better imagine the ideas you are exploring and, thereby, to engage in discussion and idea generation about what exactly they should be.