Tips on Building your First Product Prototype

They aren’t pretty, but

every successful product

started as just a prototype.

Your product will be no different.

While the process of bringing

a product to market can

be confusing and

overwhelming (until now!)

the first step is always an

MVP or prototype.

Customers, investors, and partners want a physical

representation of your concept.

You’ll need more than a drawing on a napkin to be taken seriously.

Here’s how to get started.

• Examine your current state of development

• Decide what you need from your prototype

• Identify who will be seeing it and what they

will be expecting

• Plan for your future operations and capital

constraints

DISCOVER SPECIFIC NEEDS

• Identify the holes in your operation, skills, and

experience

• Find and partner with an experienced

individual or company that serves your needs

• Start to form long-term relationships to avoid

sporadic development cycles

FIND EXPERIENCED PARTNERS

• Put together at least a crude drawing or

model of your first product iteration

• Avoid too much detail, as the design is likely to

change in the near future

• CAD can help with technical feedback

GET A RENDERED DESIGN

• Brainstorm the types of materials you want

included in building of your product

• Make decisions on the necessities and

preferences of certain materials

• Translate your first few product renderings

into a Bill of Materials

ORGANIZE THE BOM

• Avoid injecting a large amount of capital into

your first few product prototypes

• Encourage feedback to make changes

according to what your customers want

• Employ 3D printing to make rapid changes to

small pieces or the entire product

KEEP IT AFFORDABLE

Your first prototypes don’t have to

be perfect. They’re a representation

of your future offering.

So start working and get your products

in front of customers and investors!

Explore our Startup R&D Lab at