Top Reasons to Create a Prototype of your Invention
Are you aware of the huge benefits of building a prototype of your invention? Let me describe the top reasons why you should build your first one right now.
I will list the top 3 reasons (and a bonus) to build early versions of your product idea. If you follow a clear strategy to build the right features for your product you will aim for success with your idea.
Reason #1: Validate your Idea with Customers
Validate the information gathered during your market and user research by sharing the first version of your solution with customers.
A prototype will help you validate that the problem assumption and the customer profile are right.
It is extremely important to confirm early on that you are trying to solve the right problem for the right people. Once you have confirmed your assumptions, use the prototype to test certain aspects of your product around how your user interacts with it, how they feel about it.
The feedback gathered from your customers is invaluable and it will help you iterate your solution with new prototypes.
The main aspects to check with customers will be related to how your customer uses your product and its features (usability); the aesthetics and appearance or how the users perceive the product’s quality (desirability); how to best use branding in the product.
Reason #2: Verify the Feasibility of your idea
The feasibility of your solution is related to the technical aspects of the product and it will be mostly an internal activity within the designers and engineers in the team.
Test different alternatives with different prototypes.
Check for issues early on, this is one of the main aspects why people use prototypes. It might seem too early when the design or product is not so mature yet but it helps to have a think on how to resolve potential issues.
Reason #3: Confirm the Viability of your idea
From a business point of view, a prototype will help you estimate product costs by understanding the number of parts and material alternatives.
By having production methods in mind, you can start identifying costs for potential tooling or special equipment. This analysis will help you define a budget to launch your product and get investment as we will see next.
Once you understand your costs you can compare to your expected sales price to know your margins.
As you can see, the above 3 reasons are combined to help you deliver a product that has the right ingredients for success.
“The end goal of a Design Thinking work process is to create a solution that is desirable, feasible, and viable. This means that your product or solution should not only satisfy the needs of a user but be easy to implement and have a commercial model as well. During the bulk of your Design Thinking work process, desirability would be at the forefront, as you are concerned with testing your ideas and validating your hypotheses about your users. Towards the end of your project, however, you should bring the focus to feasibility and viability as well so that your solution can be sustainable.” (Source: The Interaction Design Foundation)
Bonus Reason: Show to the external Stakeholders
Stakeholders such as private investors or other key people in your business will want to see how your product development is going. It is wise to update them about your progress and keep them happy with what you are building.
If you already have investors, a prototype will help them see results.
Otherwise, you can attract investors with a prototype by showing them your solution and features in real time. You can achieve that, either directly with a private investor or launching a crowdfunding campaign.
Kickstarter, for example, asks creators to show photos of working prototypes in the campaign and photorealistic renderings are prohibited.
“On average, campaigns with working prototypes at the time of launch raise 186% more than campaigns that don’t. That’s because prototypes win trust from backers and make your campaign more appealing to media coverage and industry reviews.” (Source Indiegogo)
You can also use prototypes to show to influencers in your market and they will be able to promote your product for you.
Lastly, a prototype will be useful when filing patents so you can detail your innovation better.
What next…
Now you should know why creating prototypes is essential for your product development and your business. Make sure you build prototypes early and often and get as much feedback as you can from each one of them.
But if you want to build prototypes that make a difference and will provide you with the answers you need for your product solution, you should use the right approach to build these versions will help you build a desirable, feasible and viable product for your users. This is critical in order to use your resources effectively and avoid wasting time and money during your development.
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Abilista guides innovators to develop their product ideas from concept, prototyping and all the way to manufacturing following our own step by step framework. We are already helping several entrepreneurs and startups to build their ideas by giving them access to simple and agile tools and expertise on-demand.
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