Process

Prototyping is a big part of what we do at Flashpoint Development and we believe several aspects are very important and we will share them with you. A prototype is built to test the overall or specific parts of a prototype.  Develop a clear goal of what you would like the prototype to represent.  Too often inventors / product developers will try and take on too much right off the bat.  Proof of concept (reduction to practice, required for a patent), functionality (works like), form (look a like), fully integrated, and production ready are all different prototype stages, Not all products need to go through a few different stages, but most successful products do.  All prototyping methods have limitations and advantages, understand what method you use and how it will affect what you are trying to test.

For design based, ergonomic products, several form prototypes (at least virtually) need to be created.  These prototypes should incorporate the dimensional requirements of the functionality, but don’t need to be integrated.  They are for soley testing the feel, look and emotions of the product.  These are okay for market research, but when they ask to see it working tell them the engineers are working on that one today. For an example of the form path, I have included some pictures of my seond product before joining Flashpoint Development.

First prototype, purely for form.  It was a diced up brita filter with a smoke alarm ducktaped on the back colored in with a sharpie.

Secondround of prototyping, evaluating general form, size and color.

One of the third round of form prototypes, before we made the integrated version.

NOTE: These pictures demonstrate the form prototype process.  While this was going on our amazing electrical engineers were prototyping the circuit board.  When you are prototyping two different parts of the product at the same time it reduces time to market and is called “concurrent prototyping”.  This method works well when there are two different areas that need to fit together, but not work together.  For a product like that try “staged prototyping” which we talk about next.

For very complicated high tech products that require several different systems, I recommend going piece by piece and integrating the before it also known as “staged prototyping”.  See the “prototyping cone” and start at the bottom…

Do the easiest or first iteration of the prototype, make sure it works and then build on it.  This way you can control some of the variables of testing.

Pitfalls

Once you have your prototyping goal, do it.  Don’t get side tracked by a different concept or design.  Be sure to write the thought down, but finish the current goal.  Why you ask do I recommend finishing the prototype when you have already decided to change it?

Well many reasons:

• prototypes have value (done ones more than 2 unfinished ones)
• learn about the new design by trying the old one out
• can say “i was right the first time” without wasting time
• test other areas of the product
• there will be a second prototype

Stay tuned for advice on testing and redesigning prototypes, comint up soon.