The process of transition from the emergence of a business idea to its implementation is extremely responsible, as it makes it clear whether the project has a chance of success in principle. The development of an economic model, marketing plan and competition strategy - all this follows further, but at the stage of conceptual designing of the final product it will be useful to determine the feasibility of moving forward.
Since the implementation of a startup will require considerable investments, experts recommend that beginning businessmen create prototypes of their products, which will eliminate unnecessary expenses and, with minimal investments, find out the potential viability of the idea.
What is a prototype?
To begin with, it is worth deciding on the very concept of a prototype. This is an implemented test sample of a product, which, depending on the tasks set, may have a full or partial set of properties and characteristics inherent in a serial sample.
Benefits of Prototyping
The prototype itself may be relevant for the following reasons:
- Possibility of visual familiarization with the product. You can build and simulate computer samples as much as you like, but only a real embodiment will help to evaluate the basic qualities of the product.
- The ability to assess the required resources and costs in the production cycle. The closer the prototype is to the serial product, the more accurately it will be possible to determine the amount of costs required already for the full manufacturing cycle.
- The ability to demonstrate the target audience. At the stage of launching marketing tools, the presence of a prototype is extremely important, since it makes it clear that a businessman enters the market not with an abstract idea, but with a specific product that has a well-defined set of consumer properties.
- The opportunity to demonstrate to potential investors. For people who can invest in a startup, it is extremely important to get acquainted with the product, in the promotion and production of which they will invest their money. Of course, the prototype as a real commodity object in this matter will greatly help the author of the idea.
Initial sketch creation
This is the earliest stage of prototyping, during which a general visual image of the product is developed. In essence, we are talking about a drawing or even sketches of a still abstract product model in which the main features, dimensions and, possibly, reflection of functional attributes are important.
To create sketches today is not difficult in special computer programs, but for a number of reasons, experts still advise doing this by hand. Drawings with sketches are more readily accepted by the public and often carry more weight in litigation when challenging patent rights.
Digital model
Of course, to do without a computer representation of the product image in our time will not succeed. This is the main stage of creating a sketch, the completed version of which will be incorporated into the prototype.
The basis for the development of a virtual sketch model can be the same drawing. It will be possible to refine it with the help of computer programs and give the look as similar as possible to a real object. In particular, for such tasks, software such as computer-aided modeling and design systems — CAD or CADD — is used. Common programs include the AutoCAD package, which allows you to design sketches in 2D and 3D formats.
The task is quite responsible, therefore, depending on the complexity of the project, sometimes attracting professional designers and designers who can with extreme accuracy and detail create a three-dimensional sketch with minimal errors.
It is important to note that, regardless of the methods and forms of sketching, all intermediate, draft, preliminary and even rejected versions must be saved with the registration date of creation. This measure is necessary for the same protection of the product from the point of view of patent law.
Prototype manufacturing
This is also a crucial stage, but it is more of a technological nature. At this stage, the conceptual model of the product is directly created for its further evaluation, testing, demonstration, etc.
In principle, prototypes are manufactured by various means and methods, often close to actual production conditions. But for entrepreneurs who plan to produce small products, it makes sense to pay attention to modern 3D printing technology. Based on synthetic plastic material, it allows you to create a real product as close as possible to the assigned characteristics according to a computer sketch at low cost and in the shortest possible time.
Further work
So the prototype is ready. What's next? The following steps evaluate the performance of the product. It is important to understand how valuable it is from the point of view of the consumer and competitive in the real market. Again, data on production costs are calculated. Taken together, the information obtained will make it clear whether it is advisable to organize mass production of the product or not. Moreover, far from always launching into a series follows after evaluating the first sample. As a rule, after the initial tests, several stages of refinement follow, during which the basic conceptual model undergoes various improvements. And this applies to a variety of properties and parameters - from functional content and structural performance to design and aesthetic design.