✅ What this stage is about
Prototypes turn ideas into experiences—so you can test, learn, and improve.
The Prototypes stage helps you make your product real at every level of fidelity. Whether you’re testing form, function, or user experience, prototypes allow you to explore risks, communicate ideas, and validate assumptions. This phase isn’t about perfection—it’s about progress through making. Every prototype is a chance to learn something valuable before you commit to production.
📘 What you’ll learn
- What users think, feel, and do when interacting with your product
- How form and function behave under real-world use
- What assumptions are working—and which need rethinking
- How changes affect usability, performance, and perception
- When your design is ready for testing, sign-off, or manufacture
🛠️ Tools and methods
This stage includes multiple prototype types—each with a specific purpose:
| Prototype Type | Purpose |
| Proof of concept | Validate technical feasibility of one system or principle |
| Physical model | Explore scale, form, and interaction before full function |
| Functional prototype | Test real performance, behaviours, and user reactions |
| Presentation prototype | Refine visual and experiential aspects for stakeholders |
| Pre-production prototype | Integrate all systems for testing before tooling |
| Production prototype | Full assembly, finish, and materials for final checks |
- Match your prototype type to what you want to learn—not what looks impressive
- Use digital, mechanical, or hybrid prototyping tools depending on context
⚠️ Watch-outs
- Jumping to polished models before testing assumptions
- Skipping documentation—each prototype should produce insight
- Treating user feedback as optional—not essential
- Not differentiating between look-alike and work-alike models
💡 Tips from the field
“Our first real breakthrough came from a cardboard prototype. The design wasn’t ready—but the learning was.”– Lead Designer, Industrial Robotics Startup
💡 Every prototype has a job. Know what you’re testing, and act on what you learn.
🔗 Helpful links & resources
- Prototype Planning Template
- Download: Feedback Capture Sheet
- Tool: Prototype–Insight Tracker
- Article: What to Build, When to Test – A Guide to Prototypes That Matter
- Follow-on: Evaluate
✍️ Quick self-check
🎨 Visual concept (optional)
Illustration: A timeline of prototype types with labelled visuals: “Foam core model” → “Electronics rig” → “Working unit” → “Full enclosure”. Each is annotated with sticky notes: “Test layout”, “Get user feedback”, “Check assembly”.
Visual shows how prototypes evolve through the innovation process—each one with a purpose, not just a form.