Why Prototype is Necessary to Your Design Process?
For engineer, new ideas often translate to new designs and ultimately new products. The journey from concept to volume is a long way full with hidden obstacles and unforeseen turns. Having a quick prototype of your idea or design is the best way to test it. A prototype allows you to make sure that the product works as you intended.
Why prototype is necessary? Is it benefit to our design? Let’s discuss the reasons together as followed.
1. Test and Find Out Design Flaws Early
From ideas to real products, it is impossible that we can succeed in one time. It always includes failures in this process. On paper or a computer screen, a design’s problem aren’t always noticeable. While with a prototype, investor can test the form, fit, function before mass production, and find out the potential errors caused by design faults, and make modifications accordingly.
2. Low-cost Errors
Just think what happens if you have your products mass manufactured only to discover that there is a design error for product? Will you discard all those products? At this point, the mistake is far more extensive and expensive(think large quantities, time, cost related to labor, tooling, manufacturing, etc.). Prototypes can be produced before mass production to ensure that investors receive the best result, which is most similar to the final manufactured product. It is a good choice to test the product and finalize its design before mass production. By taking this step, risk of design faults can be avoided.
3. Resemblance
The prototypes are closely same as the golden samples. It means that inventors can not only find out the design flaws, but also get to know how the product going to look. If necessary, inventors can improve their design at this stage.
4. Marketing
Inventors can use this rapid prototype product for marketing before the launch of final product . Moreover, the prototype can be used to get a debut on advertisements, photos that will help launch your product into the market.
5. Get Comments in Advance
Many people may find it difficult to conceptualize a product before they see it, let alone useful comments on the product. While with a prototype, inventors can share the product with others to collect valuable comments and feedback. These comments and feedback from end-users are significant to a product’s success in the market.
A rapid prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process the first full-scale and usually functional form of a new design. Whether you are 100% certain that your invention is perfect or if you have any doubts of potential flaws, just go and make a prototype for your invention, it may lead to a total difference of the result. A prototype can save both time and money throughout the invention process. Moreover, a prototype tend to inspire inventors to get more new ideas, and therefore, improve the products.
