What to Think About When Creating a Prototype

Do you have an idea for a new product that will take the world by surprise? Are you ready to create a new device that will enable you to start your own small business? Before you start a crowd-funding campaign or a Kickstarter for your new product, you need to create a prototype!

A prototype is a pre-production model or sample of a potential product that will help you work out the kinks before you produce large quantitates for sale. It demonstrates to potential customers, suppliers and investors what you envision your product to be. More importantly, it help you figure out ways to save money and make your product more appealing to customers.

Let’s say you have an idea for a new type of water bottle. You’ve been playing around with different designs and filters for months and you feel you finally have the right design. Before you buy hundreds of bottles and line up a commercial store, take the time to show it to a manufacturing company so they can create a prototype and make sure the product can be complete.

Prototype Trial and Error

When prototyping your product, examine how well it will do when made in a large quantity. Will you be able to recreate it when you need more of the product? Do the bottles need certain features that the manufacturing company can take care of? Is there a label that you need to place on the bottle?

Developing a prototype helps you figure all these costs and will help you figure out the sales and shipping. For example, consider not only the cost of bottles, but how many will fit in a case and how much they’ll weight when shipped. Find the sizes that standard label-affixing machines can handle.

Another thing to consider is how the shape and size of the bottles will fit on retailers’ shelves. Are they standard size? Does it have a straw that might make it too tall? These questions will all be answered with a prototype.

Key Issues of Prototyping

As you develop the prototype, focus on:

  • Will the product work? Does the product function as you’ve envisioned? If you’re building a mechanical, electrical or electronic product, it must be perfectly functional from an engineering standpoint.
  • Can it be produced in sufficient quantities? If you will manufacture the product in bulk, judge whether you can ensure consistent quality of both components and the final product when made in large quantities.
  • Can you make a profit? Can it be made efficiently and cost-effectively? Can you use standard, easily available ingredients or components that will reduce costs? Can you command a price that results in a profit?
  • Will you need to manufacture the product on your own? Will you need to build your own costly facility or can you use contract manufacturers, lowering your costs and increasing the speed with which you can get to market?

Reassure Investors 

Having an appealing prototype helps you raise money. It’s much easier for potential investors to understand and appreciate what you’re trying to achieve when they can see, touch, or even taste it.

A lot of small businesses are raising money for new products on crowd-funding sites such as Kickstarter, IndieGoGo, or Fundable. Some of these sites require you to have a prototype, but for all, having attractive visual and a video of a working prototype helps you be far more effective in getting attention and raising money.

Developing a prototype doesn’t mean you can’t change or refine your product later. But the process should help you move to market faster by forcing you to get your idea off the drawing table and into reality.

So start building a working prototype of your new product. If it’s a plastic product that you can’t make on your own, contact Design-Tek Plastics today. We’ll steer you in the right direction and get you the prototype of your dreams.