Imagine you were looking to buy a new car, and the only information you received about your prospective purchase came from a 2D dealer’s brochure – no test drive, no tire-kicking, no chance to see if your favorite coffee mug fits in the car’s cup holders. You probably wouldn’t buy it.
Prospective buyers of your invention feel the same way. They want to see a 3D sample of your product that proves its functionality beyond your theoretical blueprints.
When developing an idea, creating a prototype is a crucial step in the process that mustn’t be ignored. Having a prototype let’s you and potential buyers experience a real version of your product.
Prototypes also help inventors:
SAVE: Prototyping sheds light on any costly errors that may exist in production before finalizing the process and Before Patenting!
TEST: Specs alone can often miss necessary components of the product. Holding a product in your hand can help you catch these omissions.
ACCENTUATE: When it’s time to patent, having a working prototype accentuates your product, making easier to sit down with a patent attorney and see what design aspects may be patentable.
RESEARCH: With a tangible sample, research can be done with the potential licensees, manufacturers, or buyers of your product.
TRYOUT: A prototype gives potential sellers the ability to see how your product may look and fit both physically and aesthetically on their shelves.
“When you arrive with a prototype in hand to meet any professional — from your own attorney to a potential licensing company — you separate yourself from the dozens of others who’ve approached them with only vague ideas in mind. Instead, you’ll be viewed as a professional with a purpose, as opposed to just an inventor with a potentially good idea,” says Tamara Monosoff, founder and CEO of MomInvented.com, in her Entrepreneur.com article.
Give your invention the best possible chance to work properly or be licensed – make sure you create a prototype.
Prototyping is also an important part of the Davison process. Our objective is to build a product that fits seamlessly into a corporation product line, and building prototypes is what we do every day in our design facility.