Prototypes and Feasibility |
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| Written by Graham Stoney | |
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I'm not a big fan of prototypes, multiple PCB revisions, or multiple ASIC tape-outs on the journey to a marketable product. I'd rather just design and build the final thing and ship it, than spend years playing in the sandpit building prototype after prototype, none of which really meet the shifting requirements. Sometimes prototypes are necessary, because you need feedback from your customers or as a proof of concept for the next round of venture capital funding. But often the reason for prototyping is to assess technical feasibility, and there are other ways to do this than actually building something. Asking the design team to build a prototype just to prove that they can do it suggests a lack of confidence in the design team to pull the project off. A more cost- and time-effective way to assess feasibility is to get a bunch of experienced engineers together to assess your plans in a design review. Get input from engineers who have done something similar before, and you'll save a great deal of time and money compared to building a prototype. If there really are substantial areas of technical risk involving untested technologies which need to be proven, don't prototype the whole thing: just build something as simple as possible which confirms that the technology is feasible. And then get back to designing your product, rather than a prototype. Social Bookmark this page:         
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