Before exposing why is prototyping important, it is necessary to understand what a prototype is. Prototyping is the process of creating a preliminary or initial model of a product, device or service before launching it in the market.
In other words, prototyping is a method of testing the feasibility of an idea by creating a basic product, design, or prototype that can be tested and modified based on feedback from the engineers, potential customers, and investors.
Why is prototyping important?
As we mentioned before, you can make a prototype of a website, app, or physical product. Many customers come to us with an idea, and they believe the product can be built without going through a prototyping process.
They often ask, why is it important to build a prototype? Well, a prototype will allow you to test your product or service in the real world, you will be able to identify design flaws, and make the necessary improvements before launching it.
The best prototype companies are in the capacity of identifying the worst and best scenarios for the product, and adding or eliminating elements that won’t be needed in the testing stage. Let’s see more reasons why it is important to build a prototype:
1. When you build a prototype you save time and money
One of the most important reasons why prototyping is important is because it is an easy way to test the business idea. If the prototype can’t be done or it exposes several technical obstacles in the hardware prototype, it means the idea is not worth developing. Therefore, you save thousands of dollars in product development.
On the other hand, prototyping allows startups and entrepreneurs to quickly confirm if a product (why is hardware important) or service will be attractive for potential customers if the promised features will be enough to compete in the market, and how much money it may cost to manufacture this product at high-scale.
2. Building a prototype is useful for getting feedback
Prototyping allows you to gather feedback from potential customers, stakeholders, and other users (see uses of rapid prototyping). This feedback can help you make necessary improvements and refine your product or service to meet the needs of your target audience. These are some suggestions you may receive:
- Add or eliminate features.
- Change the design (see product design strategy).
- Change the materials.
- Make the device bigger or smaller.
- It is not something they will buy.
- The product doesn’t solve a need.
You can also get a good feedback from the agile hardware process, since it requires constant iterations of your prototype until it reaches an acceptable and functional version.
3. Reduces risk
Some companies use prototype tooling to mitigate risks and avoid costly materials during the prototyping phase.
This doesn’t mean the product idea is not worth building. Maybe the client doesn’t count on a good budget or he wants to test the prototype quickly and with the potential of implementing iterations.
Another reason for building a prototype is that the design team will identify potential issues that may affect the final product’s performance, and make the proper adjustments before it is too late.
4. Prototyping gives you chances for improvements
Another question we receive a lot is, why is it important to test the product? Just because the prototype is already built, it doesn’t mean the final product will be successful.
Sometimes an idea is not good enough to become a finished product, however, when hardware development companies and the entrepreneur or startup start testing a product (in the facilities and with potential customers), they realize there are aspects that could be improved to make the prototype stand out from its predecessor.
Bear in mind that there is always space for incremental improvements, not only the design of the product may be changed due to feedback or technical issues, but also the electronic components may need a redesign.
Reliable electronic prototyping services are crucial to ensure the stability of the prototype when it is being tested. Remember this step is important for delivering a product that will perform well in the market.
5. A good prototype will save money in the manufacturing stage
Prototyping becomes more important in the manufacturing stage since the designers and people in charge will need all schematics and specifications to build hundreds or even thousands of units.
Of course, this may be a high-fidelity prototype, but it is important to hire good outsourced product development or look for prototype companies near you that have expertise in designing and building prototypes that are reliable and easy to replicate for the manufacturing company.
Why make a prototype?
If you still have doubts about why is prototyping important, we can say that a prototype will give you the possibility to present your business idea with more clarity to your customers (see how to develop new products). It is a way to simulate your real product or service, and that will be a good strategy to confirm if you may succeed or not in the market. There are many prototype examples you can check to get inspired.
We hope you liked this article about the importance of building a prototype. There are many options to test your prototype, and different budgets that can be considered.
Do you have a business idea in mind? Book a free consultation with us and start prototyping as soon as possible. Click on the button below.
