Companies are always looking for ways to streamline the product development process. For instance, in the past, it often took five years for an automaker to take an idea into a new car on the showroom floor. Market needs may have changed in that time. A faster competitor might beat you to the market while you are doing your market analysis. In fact, you may not have a few years to wait for the income stream from this new product. Some companies, therefore, are turning to fast prototyping as a solution to this innovation dilemma.
A few years back, I worked with a group of Asian military personnel facing an interesting problem. The time it took to test the hydraulics of their Chinook helicopters was 3.5 hours, far too long for war time conditions. Our innovation group was told to reduce that turnaround time significantly. First, we observed the actual situation—the hydraulics being tested. Next, we sent several teams out to study the dynamics of hydraulics and other hydraulic systems. One group searched the Internet for solutions, another went out to the local port and saw how the hydraulic systems of large loading cranes were tested. A third group visited an elevator manufacturer to learn how they tested hydraulic systems. The groups came back and synthesized their data, and we created a new concept for testing the helicopters’ systems. It took our final prototype 30 minutes to test the hydraulics of the Chinook. Mission accomplished through fast prototyping.
Fast prototyping involves some of the same steps as new product development. Yet these are done faster, often with an outside ideation company. These steps are included in the fast prototyping process:
• Observation. Observe the consumers in their real situations, as they are consuming or using products. Take copious field notes, listen well, and when possible, ask questions.
• Data Dump and Analysis. In the best situation, several teams or several individuals have captured data from a variety of locations. These individuals and teams converge to display, sift through, analyze, reconfigure, and attempt to deeply understand the data.
• Ideation Session. The team ideates for possible solutions. At this stage, flipchart paper is flying as many ideas are generated. A trained facilitator uses divergent thinking techniques with the team to produce as many ideas as possible.
• Fast Prototyping. At this stage, the team uses convergent thinking techniques to develop possible prototypes. Groups can use paper, cardboard, paper clips, pipe cleaners, play dough, clay, Legos, and other modeling material to create prototypes. The point is not to get it exactly right, but to create working models to discuss and refine later.
• Evaluation and Tweaking. Most organizations have evaluation criteria for new products and services. After a prototype is built, it can be presented to a larger group (s) of stakeholders for tweaking and evaluation.
These steps apply to products and processes. Many permutations exist for each of these steps. For instance, when I worked with infantry soldiers in an Asian country, we were charged with preventing lost night-vision goggles. In the process, we watched videos of soldiers placing the goggles on their helmets. This was a cumbersome five-minute process using plastic ties. Our client did not tell us about this issue; it took observing the process. We created an efficient clipping system (5-10 seconds) for this unarticulated need. The process worked, but necessary deviations from the process also worked.