With 4.6 billion people on his planet and the speed at which information travels throughout the world, there is a hefty number of ideas being generated each day. And by hefty, we mean trillions of ideas that never make it to market because of the daunting task placed on inventors to get their idea into production.
While the sad truth is that flashes of inspiration aren’t enough to convince the average person to prototype their product, prototyping is one of the most essential components of any go-to-market strategy for an inventor. If you have validated your product idea already, then prototyping might just be your next step. We’ve created a list detailing the 5 ways that creating a prototype boosts your product’s success, so we can help speed up the progress of these ideas and inventions.
1. Affordability
With current technology, creating a model for your investors and business partners is not as hard as it seems. And while you should expect to spend money on the prototype design, there are methods that can reduce the cost, making prototyping an extremely cost-effective process for any business.
With Computer Aided Design (CAD), you can quickly produce a three dimensional representation of your invention to scale, with all the necessary shadings, markings, and representations of switches, etc., and even apply visual elements to enhance the display of an electronic product. This can be extremely useful when showing your product concept to companies and investors. Though you will not have a model that you can hold in your hand, you will still be able to present your Computer Aided Design model to possible partners and investors. If you want a physical model (which can be more useful in negotiations), rapid prototyping is also a viable option, which you can find out more about in our eBook.
2. Practicality
Being able to produce a full scale device (whether a CAD or physical model) is extremely helpful in understanding how functional your product will be. Ideas on paper simply won’t produce the same type of comprehension that models will. Producing a physical model, on the other hand, will allow you to appreciate the ergonomics of the product. How comfortable is the model when placed in your hand? Are there any design flaws that you see from the start? How will your consumers view your product when they touch and feel it? All of these aspects are vital to the success of your product. Plus, through product prototyping, you will begin to gain an idea of how much the product will cost you.
3. Market Testing
As the inventor, you most likely fell in love with your product from the start. But how will others see it? Producing a prototype can help you with this complex issue, since you can use the model for market testing to obtain an outside opinion. What do your consumers think of your prototype? How do they handle the model, and do they prefer certain materials over others? Having a prototype to test on your consumers can be extremely helpful when looking to change different aspects of your product before the first real production run. However, make sure not to base all of your changes on consumer preferences.
4. Product Testing
You may discover through prototype testing that your product is not utilizing the ideal materials for its first production run. By performing these tests, you can not only save yourself a significant amount of money on your first production run, but you can also foresee issues that might have been invisible to the eye beforehand. Once that happens, you allow yourself some time to re-prototype and re-design. If you are experiencing troubles with your design, check out our tips on coming up with better product ideas.
5. Product Realization
When pitching your idea to investors, it is essential to have concrete results pointing towards the way your product is viewed by consumers. A CAD design is helpful to show a proof of concept, and a physical model will always attract the eyes of executives at a company. Being able to hold a tangible product will give them a stronger incentive to invest in the idea, and if you have results from your material and consumer testing, you will definitely be providing an even stronger incentive for them to develop it.
If you’d like more information on creating a prototype of your product, contact us here at Pivot International today! We’d love the chance to walk you through the process and get you started on the path to making your idea a reality.
