Product development can be a difficult process for creative designers who are beginners and experts! And when product prototyping mistakes happen, they greatly hinder the building process and overall results!
So don’t fall victim to these common product prototyping mistakes and learn from the best! Keep reading to learn about creating product prototypes!
What Is Prototyping?
Prototyping is an essential step towards making a successful product. However, you need to understand the purpose of a prototype.
For example, a prototype should help developers understand what your intentions are with the final product. A prototype should be efficient enough to showcase your skills and ideas.
Rapid Prototyping: What’s the Difference?
Rapid prototyping is very different from regular prototyping methods. For starters, rapid prototyping uses a blend of methods to quickly build a website or application.
These ideas can be quickly turned into reality by using three-dimensional computer-aided design. These computers can use a technology called layered additive manufacturing which is the most common.
But some other technologies also include extruding, casting high-speed machining, molding, and extruding. Many times when you hear the words rapid prototype you’ll also see these words compressive and subtractive.
Compressive is when a liquid or a semi-solid material is pressed into a specific form before being put into a casting. Subtractive is when a hard material is carved out to make a specific shape using a turning or grinding method.
Can I Use Rapid Prototyping on Updates for Products?
The answer is yes! You can use a rapid prototype building process to innovate already existing products. In fact, most designers chose to use rapid prototyping when creating new features or updates to software, smartphone, and other products!
Not to mention, the process is a lot faster, which means you can have your update ready faster than a competing product!
Rapid Prototyping Benefits
As the name mentions, rapid prototyping is fast and reliable. Because the market is quickly moving, sometimes similar designs get patented before you’re able to get your foot in the door.
However, with rapid prototyping, you’re able to speed up the product development without losing quality. Not to mention, rapid prototyping was mainly designed to help expose any issues with your product early on which will save you time and money!
Lastly, rapid prototyping opens the door for collaborations and teamwork. During the rapid prototyping phase, there are many chances for others to input their expert opinions.
This creates a great environment where every relevant person is involved so there are no miscommunications and potential losses.
Types of Products That Are Best for Rapid Prototyping
Rapid prototyping is diverse and can use different methods to achieve a final product. Because of this, many designers turn to rapid prototyping. But what are the best kinds of design that benefit from this method?
For starters, future products that are on a time constraint can benefit from rapid prototyping. In fact, the prototype building process can take as little as 24 hours to finish. Therefore, rapid prototyping is best for businesses on demand!
Larger objects can also benefit from rapid prototyping because of the increased stability. In fact, in some cases, the prototype can serve as the final product!
Any designer that has a complex design should turn to rapid prototyping! Regular injection molding cannot handle complex structures. However, rapid prototyping can create stunning designs without cutting out the complexity of the design.
Overall, many designers who are in the tech industry choose to use rapid prototyping. However, rapid prototyping can also be used in the medical field, for new sports products, and even automobile parts!
1. Speeding Into the Prototyping Phase
A common mistake made by beginners is rushing into the prototype building process. Correct prototyping involves many phases. For example, having a general idea, doing a probability analysis, and jotting down a concept.
Unfortunately, if the first steps of your planning are flawed, your whole product design and prototype will also be greatly affected. A good way to initiate a product idea is by focusing on the functionality, purpose, and dimensions of the product!
By focusing on these design aspects earlier on, you’ll have a better understanding of the final product and how you want it to be portrayed by the market!
2. Getting Attached to Your First Idea
Many times creators get overly attached to their first idea. However, this can lead to delays and bad products. When you get too attached to the first idea, it’s hard to make any changes that are needed.
In fact, most final products have been drastically changed before they even reach the market. These changes help rule out any inconsistencies with the functionality, cost-effectiveness, and preferences.
So before you begin prototyping understand that your initial product and ideal will change. However, this is only natural and will help your product become viable in the eyes of the market.
3: Wasting Time on the Visual Aspects
Although looking at the details is important, focusing too much on irrelevant details is a huge waste of time. Often, an individual will spend too much time making their prototype an exact match to their intended final products.
And although a good prototype is necessary, you don’t need an exact replica. As long as you have a concise product idea, interactions, and a good prototype, your developers should be able to work with you.
Overall, remember that a prototype is only a referral tool. You will only need a few product updates and tweaks along the way. Especially if you plan ahead properly!
4. Not Making Experimental Prototypes
Once you’ve set a goal, and planned your prototyping process, you can prototype. However, you should also set some time aside for different execution methods.
Don’t be afraid to create a wide variety of prototypes. Experimenting with different methods will help you gain new tools and features for your final prototype!
Ultimately, the more mock prototypes you do, the better the final product will be. However, if you’re working on a tight deadline, then experimenting with prototype methods may not be possible.
5. Not Requesting Feedback From Other Professionals
Having feedback on prototypes can help you during the early stages of creating your product. People with diverse views can help transform your prototype and help you with inconsistencies that you might not even be aware of.
Start by reaching out to people on your team or other designers to see what needs improvement. And you can reach out to people who are in marketing and development to see if your product is innovative and functional.
6. Using Bad Placeholders
The purpose of creating product prototypes is to try and confirm an idea for future use. That’s why it’s crucial to create a prototype that feels like a real product.
Many times people will use bad placeholders such as Lorem Ipsum. However, these kinds of placeholders make it hard for the tester or designer to visualize the final product.
Overall, this will also make it hard to provide feedback and initiate changes when they’re needed. Thankfully companies like https://prototechasia.com/en/what-is-rapid-prototyping can provide fast and seemingly real prototypes
7. Not Using Interactions or Animations
Having interactivity and animations for your project is a great middle-ground between a prototype and the final product.
By not having interactions and other animations, you are missing out on a big opportunity to have valuable feedback. By having a good placeholder and great interaction, your developers will have an easy time creating the final product.
8. Using the Wrong Tool and Materials
If you’re using the correct materials and tools can be very detrimental to your final product. For example, if you want to use interactions and animations like discussed above, you will need a tool that is innovative.
So what tools are the best for prototyping? For starters, some types of products require a level of accuracy that is only achieved by using state-of-the-art tools. You can use soft
On the other side, if you’re wanting to create a basic prototype then you can pick a drawing-based tool. Just be aware that certain tools can limit your creativity and functionality.
9. Pauses in the Prototyping Phase
Delaying the prototype phase can cause huge shifts and time delays in the final product. And if you’re working with a due date, this can become extremely overwhelming for everyone involved.
Many times delays occur because you are focusing too much on the details. However, sometimes using the wrong equipment, having malfunctions, or prototype services are ill-equipped to perform the tasks at hand.
That’s why it’s important to use reliable prototyping services, the correct equipment, and materials! Not to mention, product development works fairly fast. So if you delay your product, it can become obsolete or similar products can be easily created.
10. Not Thinking About the Final User
We can all agree that the motivation behind your hard work is to create a great product for users. And it doesn’t matter what types of products you create, because the outcome should still be the same!
So during your process always make changes that benefit the final user. Sometimes developers get too wrapped up in creating product prototypes that they forget about the target audience and show they will use their product.
For example, the final user may not have the fastest wifi that you hold. Therefore, they may experience delays with their products. Keeping these smaller aspects in mind will help you create the best product.
What You Should Do
Now that we’ve talked about what you shouldn’t do, let’s dive deeper into the correct approaches when creating a new product. These initial phases are the most important and can make or break your final product.
- Make the Prototype
The first step is to Find the best rapid prototyping company. They might ask you some common questions like why are you designing this product? Who is this product for and what are the important features of the product? Once they’ve gotten a baseline for your product
- Examine the Prototype
Once your prototype is done, have team members, stakeholders, and even participants examine the prototype to see how it would be used in the real world. This stage will give you a good insight into how functional your product actually is.
- Take Feedback
Once the prototype has been properly engaged, there will be questions and concerns. Take any feedback seriously and apply it to any updates for products. You can even have them fill out a quick survey that poses direct questions.
For example, did they like the product, is it easy to use, is it something they would buy without thinking too much? All of this feedback will help improve your product!
- Refine the Prototype
Once you’ve gotten the appropriate feedback you can begin to refine your design! Are there any new features you want to add or maybe take out? Is the design itself flawed? Do you need to start over?
- Return to the Start
Product development can take years to finalize. The prototyping phases are only the beginning! You should repeat all these steps in order to create the best final outcome!
Make Your Design a Reality
If you know you have a great product don’t get caught up with these common product prototyping mistakes. Especially if you’ve worked hard to get established and noticed. Remember to take your time and let the process work how it’s supposed to.
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