Similarly, for electronic products such as websites or applications, dig into the coding. Find out the ways you can improve the product to make yours more successful. Don’t copy someone else’s design, or else you’ll get sued. Incorporate what you learn to refine your own design.
Use the sketch to decide upon what features are necessary to your design. Choose the few features that allow your design to function and limit the amount of costly extras, such as painting and adding voice commands to your robot vacuum design.
Be sure to check the credentials of your designer as well as their cost per hour. Ask for examples of their work and possibly credentials from a certified CAD school program.
At this point, the design doesn’t need to be perfect. This handmade design only needs to be presentable, showing that your idea is possible. Using alternate material from your original design forces you to test your idea and consider why you made it the way you did. You may even find that the nylon works better than the leather for your handbag. For physical products, choose a cheap modeling product such as Shapelock, which when treated with heat can be molded like clay. For electronic products, search for third-party programming libraries in order to save time on coding and image design. Fill in these parts later.
Programs such as Prototyping on Paper and InVision let you upload designs and make interactive models to mimic how customers will handle your product. Try programs such as Dribbble and Freebiesbug to buy user interfaces for mobile applications in order to save time or money spent on a designer. Use a program such as Skala Preview to monitor changes you make to your design as you work.
Professional designers can be located on free sites such as thomasnet. com. You may also be able to someone who can make your prototype cheaper, such as a student from a local university.
The more professional the prototype looks, the easier it will be to sell to prospective buyers. The non-disclosure agreement serves as legal protection in case someone steals your design.
These printers are also increasingly found in homes, so you may be able to print the prototype yourself. Remember to get a non-disclosure agreement if you don’t have a patent so no one can steal your design.
Crowdfunding can be done online through sites such as Kickstarter where you showcase your design for pre-purchases. You can trade equity in your product to sites such as 500 Startups and Y Combinator for an investment. Contact brand names that would be interested in your product or seek out individual investors and convince them of the success of your idea. [5] X Research source
Consider packaging and shipping costs in addition to manufacturing and storage.
