How to Make a Prototype
Did you know that fewer than 5% of newly-launched products succeed in their intended market? This figure may sound scary, but there are actionable steps that you can take to ensure that your innovation will make it.
Prototyping is one of the most critical steps in this process because it gives you the chance to see what your idea looks like in practice and optimize it. Read on to learn how to make a prototype that ensures your idea is successful not only in theory but also in practice.
Table of Contents
Understand What Product Prototyping Is
Understanding the prototyping process is one of of the first steps in how to create a product. If you can envision what you want to market and what it looks like, the process is fairly straightforward. Prototyping is simply a way to build a model of your product that functions just as you want those that you sell should.
You move your ideas from your mind to paper. You then take these paper thoughts, create a digital rendering, and show it to professional prototype-makers. The end result will be a sample of your product that you can examine before paying to send them to mass-marketing professionals.
There are many benefits to product prototyping:
- Learning more about your product’s construction
- The ability to better scale parts of your product
- More understanding of machinery needed for manufacturing
- Early examination of your design to catch problems and issues
- Single-prorotype testing to ensure durability and functionality
- Make improvements and tweak design before paying for a full batch of final products
- Better product cost estimation and market time accuracy
- The ability to get preliminary feedback from employees and end users
Let’s take a closer look at how you can create an accurate and effective prototype!
Know What You’re Building
If you’re considering creating a product prototype, you likely already know what you want to build. Think about the precise dimensions and materials for your new invention. This will give you an idea of how to construct it when prototyping.
To better know what you’re building, find pre-existing products with designs similar to yours. Buy them and take them apart to see how they’re built. While your invention will be slightly different, this will give you a clearer picture on the different parts you may need and their functions.
Jot down notes about interesting things you find out. Make sure to keep them handy when you start to draw out your idea. You can also write down additional thoughts that you have on the product’s construction if you’re unsure of how to incorporate those thoughts into your prototype.
Create Blueprints and Sketches
At this point, it’s time to begin the process of making your idea a reality. Grab some paper and a pen and make a cursory sketch of your product. Graphing paper can help you to scale it correctly.
Make sure to sketch it from multiple angles so that you can get a clear picture of what it will look like from every side. Sketch the interior as well to showcase the materials and parts that your prototype will need. Label everything so that you can reference it later.
Once you have a rough hand-drawn sketch, it’s time to enlist the help of a graphic design professional. These experts can develop a 3D-rendered computeir-aided design of your product. This will have all of the detail that your sketch lacks so that you can send it to the prototype-building company.
Preliminary 3D Prototyping
Do you want to make a prototype with materials that you buy at the store? Are you interested in completing this process on your own? You can create a prototype for your prototype this way, but make sure that you don’t make this your sole focus!
Relying solely on learning how to create a prototype by hand probably isn’t a good idea. Expert help is required since they have the factory tools, machinery, and materials needed for an accurate prototype. Even if you slap something together, it isn’t going to be functional or look like the professionally-manufactured product that you’re hoping to sell.
However, this isn’t to say that a handmade version of your prototype is a bad idea. In fact, having an in-hand sample is a great way to show your prototype creator what you’re working with. It will give you leave to refine your concept before generating a factory prototype.
Talk to a Prototyping Professional
The next step in your innovative process is to discuss your product with a protyping professional. Ask the expert that you want to work with about their qualifications so that you know that you’re getting experienced work.
Make sure that they also show you examples of previous prototypes that they have generated. This will let you make sure that you are getting a high-quality and accurate design. You don’t want to pay for something with low-end materials and inaccurate construction- if you do, you won’t be able to accurately tweak your innovation.
Check out https://prototechasia.com/en/custom-extrusion-common-types-of-aluminum-and-plastic-extrusion for more information on professional prototyping. Their experts are happy to help you create a custom design for examination and testing.
Make sure that you also get a nondisclosure agreement (NDA) signed if you haven’t already patented your product. This ensures that your work will not be stolen and sold by someone else. It’s important to do this regardless of your prototyping company’s reputation.
Beyond How to Make a Prototype
While beginning the innovation process can be a challenge, it’s much easier when you know how to make a prototype for your invention.
Check out the “tech” section of our home page for more information on inventing and selling the product that you’re passionate about. You can also use our search function to find articles about specific parts of the product prototyping process.