The views expressed by the business participants are their own.
One of the worst things you can do as an entrepreneur is stare at a blank piece of paper. It is also, however, very important.
Taking the time to look at your product and its various use cases allows you to see how your idea can go from an idea to a working product. In particular, it is important, especially in the early stages of your business, to take the time to model your product.
It’s more than painting. Playing with materials such as paper and cardboard to create a visual representation of your product, or building a physical or digital world, allows you to enter the next level with a real project. It allows you to test ideas, get feedback and refine your design, all before you start coding or accessing the real thing.
As director of the Weissman Foundry at Babson College, I help aspiring entrepreneurs and business students bring their ideas to life through creative and practical applications. I use our popular makerspace on campus, a resource for our business students to bring their ideas to life. I like to remind students not to think of prototyping as a rote process; rather, it is the impetus for a short-term vision to become a reality.
Is there a blank page before you? Here’s how to turn it into something useful in the prototyping process.
Related: Got a Business Idea? Here’s How To Do It In Action.
Talk freely
It’s simple advice, but it’s because it works. Start by getting it all out – on paper, that is. Write down all the things that come to mind when you think about your product. My favorite form of brainstorming is sketching, which uses words, drawings, doodles and symbols to express ideas. Find a way that allows you to feel uninhibited and get your thoughts out as much as you can from within.
I recently taught a session in an entrepreneurship program for high school students about designing and building digital applications. Before the students started building prototypes with paper and scissors, I stressed the importance of carving out time to really think about your idea. This process ensures that from the very beginning, you keep your target customer at the forefront.
Then add the layout
In the process of sharing information, you can touch on topics from aesthetics to functionality to features to target audience. When you start listing everything you know about your product, you start to realize what you didn’t think about. Once you have spent enough time brainstorming, you can start to sort out your ideas and refine them.
You want to get to the point where you think about how you will use your product. I recommend that you think of your product as part of a narrative. How does your product fit into your day? Your commute? Your work day? At mealtime or before bed? Do your children or spouse use it? Can you use it while traveling?
Additionally, what story do you want to tell? Many of my students want to tell the story of sustainability through their products, for example. How does design inform that? This narrative information also helps you define what problem you are trying to solve.
Keep your tools handy
Advanced tools, such as 3-D printers, vector editors and coding software, will come into play at some point. But why waste your time and money in the beginning when office supplies are cheap and easily accessible? It’s much easier to shuffle paper together than to try it with a coding tool.
Start with office supplies. Things like rubber bands, index cards and paper clips are durable and versatile, and they force you to be creative. You can easily share them with collaborators instead of working with separate files. The best part is: You’ve been using these tools since elementary school, so there’s no learning curve. They give you the gift of time.
When I guide the students through their brainstorming session for the app idea, I have them begin to see in reality what the app looks like on paper, whether it’s vertical to represent a phone or horizontally on another screen. This step eliminates distractions and you don’t waste time designing a complex product that you will later learn doesn’t work or your customers don’t like.
Related: 6 reasons why you should write down your idea before developing it
Consider the answer your best friend
It’s easy to stick to building a product for yourself when you’re building one that really builds your customers. You want to think outside of your demographic. The most powerful tool you have as an entrepreneur is the knowledge of what people like and dislike and why. The best feedback is honest, direct, kind and works for the brand. When I have a product idea that is good for this category, I ask for feedback from my friends in different industries beyond education, including real estate and finance.
To gather feedback on your prototype, share it with members of your inner circle and ask for feedback in online communities like Discord, Reddit and other social networks. Having a physical image that you made affordably with paper materials is easy to share and easy to modify once you get feedback. You can do more.
Even if the feedback comes from an audience outside of your target audience, it will all help inform your brand design. Having an analog, portable version of your product helps you make it more accessible to the world, expand your audience and learn more about your application space, all at a lower cost.
Source link
