Top 10 prototyping tips (+ comparisons)

As product developers, there is no better way of learning how well your concept will work is to build a physical prototype.

Depending on your specific requirements, your prototype doesn’t need to be super elaborate or complicated.

In essence, your prototype should be designed to answer questions you still have about your design. You may need to verify functionality, performance, assembly fitment, ergonomics or other crucial attributes that may have been too difficult to assess through sketches, 3D CAD or other “desk-based” tools and evaluations.

In this respect, you can simply build “localised” prototypes and models to assess specific areas of your design, or you can “go the whole hog” and build a complete prototype sample if you feel you have got everything resolved.

Modern prototyping and modelmaking technology now allows product developers to make “pre-production” samples of their design using real materials and assembly tolerances, before being forced to invest in tooling and production setups.

I’ve prepared a quick comparison table of various prototyping techniques to help you determine which might be suitable for your needs, and below that, my Top 10 tips for deciding when and how to build your prototype.

Some prototyping options to consider...

When deciding how, why and what to prototype for your current or future projects, consider the following tips:

1. Design your prototype: Consider and document your requirements for your prototype ahead of time so you can decide which prototyping process and/or material will be the most efficient and cost-effective for your needs. We call this a “prototype specification”
2. Research the alternatives: There is never one way to prototype – so investigate different technologies, materials and processes to find one that best suits your product or testing requirements.
3. Seek advice: Talk to a designer, engineer or prototyping supplier about your product and ask them to recommend some alternatives. If you’re under time-pressure, this could short-circuit other prototype-research activities you might be embarking on. This is also your opportunity to get your designer or engineer to develop drawings / 3D CAD or other related information ready for your prototype supplier.
4. Decide what you are building the prototype for and choose the materials and processes that will best suit your application or testing procedure. (For instance, there is no point making an underwater enclosure prototype with some rapid-prototyping technologies because these materials can be water-soluable.)
5. Allocate funding to prototyping within your project budgets and plans: Don’t believe that the design can be completely resolved within 3D CAD or other design packages – many essential qualities of your design (weight, form and feel) can only be assessed with a physical sample that you can touch and interact with
6. Be prepared to build more than one prototype (either of the same design, or  numerous iterations as the design is developed) in order to ensure your design will do the job
7. Only make what is necessary to prove a point or answer a question: Prototyping can be expensive, so try to focus on key issues or concerns at first and use prototyping as a tool to address those issues.
8. Supplier selection: Depending on your process, material or other technical requirements, certain prototyping suppliers will be preferable. Ask lots of questions and be open with your suppliers about what your trying to achieve so they can advise you appropriately.
9. Testing requirements: think about the criteria you will use to determine if your design meets your requirements, and align your prototyping strategies with those criteria.
10. Time and Cost: Don’t build a prototype based on the cheapest price or fastest turnaround – the prototype must be built to help you test your design – so not all prototyping approaches will suit.

I help my clients find the right prototyping approach for their designs all the time. If you need a hand developing the designs, 3D CAD or prototype specifications, please contact me. If you have your design ready for prototyping, I may also be able to provide a referral to a range of local or offshore prototyping suppliers.

Many clients also use digital prototyping (aka “virtual” prototyping) when they want to assess various attributes of the design prior to making physical prototype samples. You can read more about this in one of my earlier articles here.

What are your experiences with prototyping? Do you have any stories, advice or suggestions that could help others? Please comment below.