Happy Prototype Day!
One of my favorite things about a physical products business is Prototype Day. That day when after months (or sometimes years) of brainstorming, designing, emailing, meeting, outlaying funds, designing some more, spending some more - it happens, you finally get your first prototype!
The main reason I love this day so much is that when a prototype arrives it's the first indication that this crazy idea that only existed in the mind might actually become a physical reality.
It usually goes something like this:
Factory confirms completion and shipment of prototype. Oh cool, can't wait to see it.
A few days or weeks go by and I kind of forget about it. When was that shipment supposed to be here again?
DHL shows up with a delivery. Ahhhhh the prototype, sweet! Oh wait, I'm nervous. I hope it's not all messed up. Oh geez, after all this time and $, if this thing doesn't work I don't know what we're going to do.
Open up the box and see the item. A strange calm comes over me. Wow, something that was just a bunch of scribbles on a computer is now a real thing. It's alive!
Time to begin reviewing and testing it out and most likely start back at step 1.
It's a bittersweet moment that sometimes means the birth of a new product and sometimes the death of an idea. But even though the possibility of disappointment is always there, I still love Prototype Day. It's like Xmas morning for creators, you might get what you wanted... or a lump of coal.
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Check it out, we got 2 prototypes in one day! I'm not going to spill all of the beans on these products just yet because they are still in the works:
