Process of invention prototype designing
Concept Use-Cases and General Design Planning
It is important that the inventor is able to define their product on paper, before seeking a product development company. Certainly, a good product development firm will be able to help you better define your product and its requirements, but you should have a good idea of what you are trying to develop beforehand.
An excellent place for the customer to start is to define a use-case: what does the user of the product do first, second and third? How exactly is it being used? Envisioning how the product will work in the hands of the end-user can be very helpful in defining the product.
Additionally, you can sketch out a general idea of how your product looks, including approximate sizing. These two steps will help you when you present your idea to a product development company.
Once you have completed these initial steps, you can confidently approach a product development company, who will help you realize your dream. The product development company can use these as a baseline for a product requirements document, which is important before jumping into any design.
Design and Engineering
Once your idea is studied and understood by the product design team, they can design your product and present you with a design that encapsulates your product vision. The team will be able to flush out your design, while offering areas of improvement from an aesthetic and functionality standpoint.
The development company will then be able to design and engineer its features, include those features related to its appearance and functionality. Once a final agreed to design has been selected and engineered, they can move onto creating a rough Alpha prototype.
Building an Alpha Prototype
The next step is to convert the invention prototype design into an Alpha Prototype.
Building the prototype gives you the tool to test your product, document your testing experience and feedback. Careful and thorough testing of an Alpha prototype should be done, and a list of changes and improvements well documented to understand the further goals and uses of the product. The company can make engineering improvements, and ultimately produce a Beta prototype.
Building a Beta Prototype
A Beta Prototype will be engineered and made based on the feedback and improvements that arise from Alpha Prototype testing. A lot is learned in the Alpha Prototype process that can be improved and perfected in a Beta Prototype. As mentioned, a Beta prototype is a useful tool in marketing and fundraising. Equally importantly, The Beta or Theta prototype is used as a sample for factories to understand and quote the production or mass production of the new product.
Testing both Alpha and Beta prototypes is important to understand and improve a product, with the ultimate goal of manufacturing.
Summary
Prototyping is an iterative process that is important before taking your product to manufacturing. A good product development company will be able to take your initial description, sketches, and help you realize those into a working product that can be manufactured and sold. It is important to remember that at least two rounds of prototyping must be planned for, before you present your product to potential investors, and before going to production. Careful testing and documentation of prototypes is important to deliver the best manufactured and saleable product.
