ASME ISHOW - Hardware Led Social Innovation

From Idea to Prototype

Here's where all those lightbulb moments and deep dives into your audience's world start to take shape. You're moving from "what if" to "let's see" by making an early model of your product. This step is crucial because it lets you try things out, see what works, and make tweaks based on real feedback, inching closer to something that could actually work to solve your user’s problem.

Testing if Your Idea Holds Water

Now, it's crunch time - you've got to see if your prototype really does the job for your intended users. It's not just about if it solves the problem but also if it's something people would actually want to use, can be made properly, stands up to real-life use, and importantly, meets the necessary regulations and certifications. Including this understanding in your process is an essential step in establishing your benchmarks for testing. This step ensures your idea isn't just cool but also practical, safe, and compliant, ticking all the boxes to move from concept to reality confidently.

To what degree does the designed solution align with, and satisfy, user needs?

When asking this question, consider the following focus areas and sample questions:

Usability

• How has the venture ensured that its solution is intuitive and straightforward for the intended audience?

• How does the venture's solution cater to users with varying levels of expertise or familiarity with the technology?

Accessibility

• How does the venture's solution ensure accessibility across different target users/segments?

• Can the venture provide an instance where feedback from users with unique accessibility requirements influenced the design?

Safety

• What are the governing standards for the venture's product? What standards do/will they use?

• How does the venture's solution prevent risks or potential dangers that might emerge from its usage or misuse?

Performance

• How has the venture assessed and enhanced the performance of its solution across various conditions and usage scenarios?

• What performance metrics are used to ensure that you are satisfying the requirements and how will metrics be tracked?