NPD ROADMAP

From Idea to
Prototype and
Mass Production
An overview of the product development process
from idea to manufacturing and the various types
of prototypes you need to build.

outdesign co.
 outdesign co.

New Product Development Roadmap

The flow chart below gives an overview of the new product development
process from idea to manufacturing, for consumer products. Depending on
the type of product, this development process gets slightly modified. In
the next few pages we discuss each of these steps in more detail.

Product Definition

Proof of Concept Prototype

Design Engineering
Product Design Brief Engineering Specification
Concept Design Mechanical/Custom PCB etc
“Looks-Like” Prototype “Works-Like” Prototype

Alpha Prototype

Beta Prototype for Testing and Validation

Pre-Production Prototype

Mass Production

1
 outdesign co.

1) Product Definition
Product definition, as the name suggests, involves defining what the product is
supposed to do, what features it should have, who is it for, what environmental
conditions will it be subjected to, how will it be used and many such questions. A
Product Requirement Document is created to align the design, engineering, marketing
and business goals. When starting out, not all the information may be known.

2) Proof of Concept Prototype

The Proof of Concept (POC) prototype is often the first tangible representation of an idea
with a goal of proving its real world technical feasibility. For electronic products, it is
usually made using off-the-shelf development boards like Arduino or Raspberry Pi and
for plastic products, 3D printing is a common and inexpensive process.

The POC is used to quickly test and improve the product idea while keeping the costs
low, therefore part quality, materials or surface finish are not the focus. The main focus is
on the functionality and subsequent improvements to the idea.

3(a) Industrial Design (”Looks-Like” Prototype)

Once an idea is proven to work as intended, it needs to undergo the industrial design
process to turn it into something the customers will love. Industrial design focuses on
the look, feel, ergonomics and user experience of a product. For consumer products, an
appealing design that aligns with your brand is an important differentiator.

The end result of the ID process is a “looks-like” or appearance prototype that mimics
the final product’s form, colors and finishes but is not functional. It can be used for
marketing and demo purposes.

3(b) Engineering (”Works-Like” Prototype)

Depending on the product type, it may require mechanical, electronics, firmware or
software engineering. The main goal of engineering is to ensure that the product meets
the technical specifications and is able to operate reliably during its intended lifespan.

The end result of engineering phase is a “works-like” or functional prototype which

does not have the cosmetic appearance of the final product but has all the
functionality. It is an advanced version of the POC prototype described above, where
off-the-shelf parts are replaced with custom designed PCBs (Printed Circuit Boards) and
custom designed plastic enclosure.

2
 outdesign co.

4) Alpha Prototype
This prototype is a very close representation of the final product in terms of
appearance as well as functionality, and most commonly used for crowdfunding. But it
still is not ready for mass production yet. The plastic parts undergo major changes to
optimize them for injection molding process and ease of assembly, a process known as
DFM (Design for Manufacturability) It is important to consider DFM aspect in the early
stages so that the product doesn’t have to undergo a complete re-design at this stage.

5) Beta Prototype
This prototype is very similar to the Alpha Prototype but it uses materials and
manufacturing processes (like silicone molding) that are similar to those available at
mass production. Silicone molding is able to produce strong parts with a nice finish
and can cost effectively produce 20-100 units. These units are used for testing,
validation and obtaining regulatory approvals or certifications.

6) Pre-Production Prototype
At this stage, the steel molds for injection molding process are cut and no major
changes can be made to the product. It is therefore important that the design is “frozen”
before this stage.

The parts made at this stage are used for setting the quality control and acceptance
standards before starting mass production. The final “Golden Sample” acts as a reference
for the ideal product quality.

7) Mass Production
If everything goes well upto this stage, hopefully you can now transition to high volume
manufacturing. Though, unforeseen issues can still arise during mass production.

During the pre-production and production stages, the product’s packaging design goes
in parallel along with marketing initiatives.

FAQ: Why do I need to go through so many steps?

It is unlikely that an idea works perfectly in the first prototype itself. There are always
areas of improvements & mistakes. It took James Dyson 5,127 prototypes until his first
model, DC01, was proven successful.

As a rule, the earlier in the development process you identify mistakes, the lower it
costs to fix them. For example, changes made to an idea cost nothing, changes made to
a POC cost a bit more whereas if you identify problems with the product after molds
have been made, those changes will run in thousands of dollars. Therefore, this whole
process is designed to lower risk and move in small increments in order to identify
mistakes and fix them before setting up mass manufacturing.

3
 outdesign co.

ABOUT US

Founded by top engineers, Outdesign is a

product design company helping startups &
SMEs bring new products to market.
We have worked on some “World-First” and award-winning
products for clients around the globe in industries like consumer
electronics, pet products, wearables, home & kitchen, consumer
goods and more.

Happy clients across 15+

countries, ranging from
individual inventors to
global brands.

"Outdesign has been instrumental in helping me get my startup up

and running by providing me with amazing CAD models for the
products that we will be making I would recommend them to anyone"

Matt Rock
Co-Founder
Joyce Technologies, California

" Excellent detail and follow-up. I would hire them again or

recommend to anybody who needed diligent work. Went above and
beyond what was requested. "

Neyma Jahan
Co-Founder
SmartMat Inc, California

Contact:
Tarun Kalia (Co-Founder)
tarun.kalia@outdesign.co
www.outdesign.co