What do companies refer to during the product design process? The term is pretty self-explanatory. The first time you create a prototype, the likelihood of a product design working flawlessly is slim. Multiple design iterations are typically needed before achieving consistent results. Iterative design and prototyping techniques have helped reduce costs and simplify entire processes. This is an excellent way to launch your new product into the market, let customers test it, and finalize your designs.
Traditional Design Vs. Iterative Design
Compared to a traditional, rigid design process, an iterative design process is more efficient in the following aspects:
Designing
- Iterative design and prototyping: A working design is created ( not a final design). Based on the design, a company starts making prototypes as early as possible in the process.
- Traditional design: You finalize a design before testing it.
Prototyping
- Iterative design and prototyping: Rapid prototyping is used to create and test multiple product iterations
- Iterative design and prototyping: Rapid prototyping is used to create and tesTraditional: A prototype is created based on the final design as mentioned above.
Testing
- Iterative design and prototyping: A group of end-users is employed to test a prototype and provide feedback. During this stage of testing, multiple prototypes can be provided so that the most effective one can be identified.
- Traditional: The prototype is tested internally without getting any end-user feedback.
Creating a Final Prototype
- Iterative design and prototyping: Designs and prototypes are adjusted based on end-user feedback.
- Traditional: A final prototype is created for testing by end users.
Wrapping Up the Process
- Iterative design and prototyping: Repeat testing and prototyping phases until end users are satisfied with a design.
- design and prototyping: Repeat testing and prototyping phases until end users are satisfied with a design.Traditional: The entire process starts over from scratch if end users identify design-related problems.
Similarities and Differences
The bottom line is that you’re required to create a design, make a prototype, and then the results are tested – for both methods. For iterative design and prototyping, however, the difference becomes very apparent that end-users enter the conversation in the early phases. This way, problems can be immediately addressed to improve future prototypes.
Until the entire development process has been completed, no prototype or design is final!
Iterative Design and Prototyping Benefits
Iterative design and prototyping triumphs over traditional methods thanks to these reasons:
- User-friendly products: Users are involved early in the process. This means the product being created is more likely to be found useful by the public.
- Fewer redesigns: By encouraging engineers and designers to iron out any flaws as early in the process as possible, iterative design helps prevent excessive costs from multiple redesigns.
- Thorough product testing: With every new iteration, the process relies on thorough testing and feedback.
- Lower product development costs: Cost-effective tools like rapid prototyping technology and CAD software using CNC machines, 3D printers, and more, are used for iterative design and prototyping.
- Faster time to market and greater efficiency: The entire process is so improved over traditional methods that time-to-market periods are faster and designing or producing are more efficient.
Consult Kemperle Industries’ Iterative Design and Prototyping Specialists
Thanks to ever-changing technology, prototyping and designing are now efficient and reliable. If you would like to optimize your company’s processes with modern tools like 3D scanning, CNC, or 3D printing, we can help!
At Kemperle Industries, we specialize in design and engineering, reverse engineering, manufacturing, molding and casting, mechanical engineering, 3D scanning, metrology and inspection, network and IT consulting, and more! With over 40 years of experience, we can support your project.
