Product designing and prototyping is among the most lucrative industry in modern times. Thanks to the rapid advancements in manufacturing technology, invention prototyping companies can provide some of the most cost-effective prototyping services more quickly than ever.
Also, 3D printing equipment is getting more and more affordable. Most product designing and tech enthusiasts have on the right at their homes and they use it to create a variety of artworks, product samples, pop-culture figurines, and other cool stuff.
Are you one of those people? If yes, do you want to take your product prototyping skills at the next level?
If your answer is yes, then this blog is perfect for you. Because in this blog, I’ll mention the six golden rules of prototyping that every prototype design services provider must follow. If you follow these rules, you can take your 3D printing skills to a commercial level and generate some revenue out of it
If that sounds interesting, let’s get right into it.
1: Keep it Simple
First and foremost, you got to keep things simple. Every prototyping company knows that product designing and prototyping is among the most time consuming and challenging part of product designing. Making it even more complex is a recipe for disaster.
For those who are new to 3D printing technology, start small by creating simple shapes like blocks to get a better hang of the equipment. Also, it will help you in calibrating your 3D printing device early on. For more complex designs, start creating individual parts of the products and combine them to create one final product.
Learned some new concepts in prototyping? Try to master it first rather than making complex prototypes every single time. The main goal of a prototype is to communicate the product concept in a simple way. If viewers find it hard to make out what the product is and how it functions, it’s a lost cause.
From an industry perspective, you need to understand what customer needs and find the simplest way to achieve it through the prototype. What’s the point of making some complex work design that even your clients can’t comprehend?
2: Don’t Fall in Love With Your Original Prototype
The biggest mistake people make while product prototyping is getting too attached to the initial product design. They refuse to make any drastic changes to the product designs even when necessary.
As professional prototyping services providers, it is expected from us to be as objective as possible while designing a product for the clients. Also, the early draft of any product rarely makes the final cut most of the time.
Here are some key reasons to update the product design
- Ergonomics and aesthetics
- Latest trends in technology
- Timely updates on the functionality
- Adding more features
- Matching customer’s expectations
- Changing trends in the product industry
- Raw material optimization
Don’t be afraid to make some drastic changes in your initial product design, or to scrap the initial idea altogether for a better one. Your product idea should guide the further manufacturing process, not dictate it.
3: Prototype will Never Replace the Final Product
I cannot stress this enough, but prototypes are meant for “visual representation” only. That being said, don’t waste too much time on polishing your prototype to perfection.
As I’ve mentioned before, a prototype should convey the product idea, validate with users and stakeholders, make them understand how a product works, and how will it benefit them. The finalized product will be designed and sold to the market by following the guideline of the prototype.
The reason why most product start-ups fail is that they spend way too much time on perfecting the prototype rather than focusing on other core business activities. The activity that gives 20% results to the company takes around 80% of your time. The result, the product becomes obsolete over time and fails in the market.
An ideal prototype should be a decent replica made in quick successions and conveys the right message to the viewers and allows companies to innovate faster.
Which brings us to the next topic.
4: Keep Innovating
In the ever-competitive product industry, innovation becomes a key determinant in the product’s success. Many invention prototype companies rely on finding unique solutions for the problems faced by everyday people.
When it comes to designing a robust product for clients, the prototyping phase allows you to experiment with various design concepts to achieve maximum efficiency and operational excellence.
This is the phase where you can reduce the cost by changing the raw materials, change a design a bit to be more visually pleasing and ergonomic, or can add a feature that works with its core function.
Prototyping is the only stage where you can bring innovation to a product without jeopardizing the entire manufacturing process. Make the most of it.
5: Ask the Experts
Stuck with a product design? Can’t find the right material for your product prototype? Or want to learn some new tips to master your prototyping craft? Just ask the experts.
The fact that you’re reading this blog means that you’re willing to learn something new about product prototyping. The Internet has allowed us a limitless source of information on a variety of topics. Also, there are online portals and social media platforms that can help you in learning something new.
You can meet industry experts to gains some valuable insight from their first-hand experience. If you’re really enthusiastic about prototyping and want to learn more about prototyping services, you can do it via multiple online and offline activities.
Whatever you do, never stop learning.
6: Work With the Experts
What’s better than learning by listening to the experts? Learning by doing of course. If you truly want to become a prototype design services expert, you must work closely with the experts.
Although it’s not always possible, you can do this by visiting your local product designing and 3D printing enthusiasts. Stuck with your product design and cannot get it done with limited resources? How about delegating prototyping activities to your local prototyping company and they can do it for you at a reasonable price.
Final Thought
To sum it all up, product prototyping is a combination of skill, technical expertise, experience, and creativity. If you follow these golden rules of prototyping, you can design the perfect prototype to represent your product ideas.
Another great alternative is to send your prototyping requirements to us. We are among the leading product designing and invention help agencies in Houston, Texas and more than happy to help you with our prototyping expertise.