Ch. 8: Testing and Experimenting With New Ideas: A Deeper Look at Prototypes

Ch. 8: Testing and Experimenting With New Ideas: A Deeper Look at Prototypes

Introduction to Prototypes

• Learning Objective 8.3: To explore prototypes in greater depth.

• Prototyping is a fundamental component of the design process, as previously discussed in Chapter 5.

• As articulated by the renowned 3D designer, Tom Wuject, "Prototyping is the conversation you have with your ideas."

• Through the act of prototyping, abstract ideas gain tangible form, providing critical feedback:

  • They indicate what elements are functioning effectively and what are not.

  • They communicate possibilities, identify crucial aspects, and highlight less important details.

Levels of Prototypes: Fidelity

• Prototypes are categorized by different fidelity levels, which correspond to their degree of detail and realism. These levels are generally classified as low, medium, or high.

• Fidelity: Refers to the level of detail and realism incorporated into a prototype.

• Prototypes can range from rudimentary models or initial sketches (low fidelity) to highly realistic representations (high fidelity).

• High-fidelity prototypes serve to clearly communicate the appearance, behavior, and functionality of ideas before the actual product or service is officially launched.

1. Low-Fidelity Prototypes

• Description: Often referred to as rapid prototypes, these are inexpensive, rough, and swift to construct.

  • Their primary purpose is to explore various options with customers and to test initial assumptions in the early stages of development.

• Characteristics:

  • Low cost.

  • Quick to build.

  • Can be presented as a $2 ext{D}$ or $3 ext{D}$ model that visually resembles the finished product but deliberately lacks full functionality.

  • May serve as a replica of the real product during experimentation.

• Examples:

  • Sketches.

  • Mock-ups.

  • Hand-drawn wireframes.

  • Paper models constructed from low-cost materials such as foam or cardboard.

  • Storyboards.

  • LEGO blocks are notably useful for creating simple, rough prototypes. For instance, Tim Brown, CEO of IDEO, utilized LEGO blocks to construct a prototype of a complex insulin injection device.

• User-Driven Prototypes:

  • These involve requiring users to create the prototype themselves.

  • This approach helps developers gain a deeper understanding of the users' thought processes.

  • Example: To improve the airport waiting experience, users might be asked to draw and sketch their own concepts of what this improved experience would look like.

2. Medium-Fidelity Prototypes

• Description: These prototypes offer greater detail and realism compared to low-fidelity versions, though they do not represent the final solution.

  • They provide customers with a more tangible sense of the final product's appearance and tactile feel.

• Examples:

  • Digitally-created and detailed wireframes.

  • 3D printed models:

    • Can be produced relatively quickly, often within hours, depending on the scale and type of product.

    • Useful for printing smaller versions of larger products or even actual products like shoes, toys, and jewelry.

    • Considered medium fidelity because they might still lack the desired functionality or finished aesthetic of the final product.

    • They serve as a powerful visual aid when presenting a product during a pitch.

3. High-Fidelity Prototypes

• Description: These represent the most realistic iteration of a product before its official final release or production.

  • They are very close to how the actual product will look, feel, and function.

• Examples:

  • Pilot projects.

  • Minimum Viable Product (MVP).

Minimum Viable Product (MVP)

• In entrepreneurship, the MVP is a specific type of high-fidelity prototype.

• Definition: An MVP is a version of a new product designed to enable a team to gather the maximum amount of validated learning about customers with the least possible effort (as visually represented in Figure 8.4).

• Purpose: Entrepreneurs should focus on building products that incorporate only the most essential features and benefits, avoiding "overbuilding."

  • Overbuilding a product during the startup phase is inefficient and wastes precious resources that entrepreneurs typically cannot afford.

• Placement in the Truth Curve: The MVP precedes preselling because it necessitates the actual construction of a product that delivers value and addresses customer needs. For physical products, while mass production isn't required, at least one functional unit must be built.

• Real-world Example: Groupon

  • Groupon, an online marketplace connecting users with businesses offering discounted goods and services, originated as a single-feature MVP.

  • It began by using a basic WordPress site to present deals for restricted timeframes.

  • After subscribing, users received their vouchers via email in PDF format.

  • Once Groupon amassed a substantial customer base, it developed an email list, which provided the necessary data to build its proprietary website.

  • Currently, Groupon serves over $20 ext{ million}$ members, linking them with businesses offering discounts in more than a dozen countries.

Pilot Experiment

• A pilot experiment is another form of high-fidelity prototype.

• Definition: A pilot study is a small-scale investigation conducted to assess the feasibility and viability of a product or service.

• Example: An entrepreneur might launch an MVP in a single area of a city to gauge potential adoption rates.

• It is possible for ventures to generate revenue even during the MVP and pilot stages.

  • Example: Barbara Baekgaard and Pat Miller, co-founders of Vera Bradley (a luggage design company), operated in the MVP stage for several years. They ran a small cottage operation from their Indiana home's basement, selling their bags at trade shows.

The Power of Storyboarding

• Origin: Storyboarding was conceived in the $1930s$ by Walt Disney animator Webb Smith. He would pin up sketches of scenes to visualize cartoons, allowing him to identify problems or inconsistencies before animation production began.

• Evolution: Since its inception, storyboarding has become a standard practice in film, commercials, documentaries, and advertising. It is increasingly adopted as a business and management tool to explain projects and products to various stakeholders, including employees, clients, customers, and stockholders.

• Significance for Entrepreneurs:

  • A storyboard enhances an entrepreneur's understanding of their own idea and its interaction with customers.

  • It serves as a method for consolidating thoughts and concepts into a clear, visually digestible, and logically sequenced document or set of documents.

  • It is often beneficial to create a storyboard before engaging with customers or other stakeholders, as it can:

    • Bring clarity to the core idea.

    • More effectively narrate the story of the idea.

    • Underscore the potential value the idea brings to customers.

  • While there are no rigid rules for storyboarding, it demands a clear objective and a conscious effort to maintain the flow and sequence of thoughts and ideas.

  • Storyboarding can be a transformative exercise, as it vividly demonstrates how a product or service functions, and crucially, how it might not function.

  • Recalling the adage, "A picture is worth a thousand words," the visual nature of a storyboard makes it an invaluable tool for eliciting reactions, stimulating discussion, and gathering feedback from people.

  • It necessitates placing the customer at the core of the narrative, enabling entrepreneurs to depict the idea in action, thereby generating further questions for subsequent experimentation.

Practical Aspects of Storyboarding

• Simplicity: Basic storyboards are straightforward and inexpensive to produce.

• Accessibility: They do not require artistic training or inherent talent. They can be rough, hand-drawn sketches or simple PowerPoint slides.

• Goal: The aim is not to create a work of art, but to communicate effectively. The purpose is to use visual imagery to make the entrepreneurial idea more understandable to oneself and to others.

• Tips for Creation:

  • Begin with a large piece of white paper as your "canvas."

  • Utilize color, arrows, and labels to highlight all major components of your idea.

  • Add clarifying notes where necessary.

  • Sketch boldly, avoiding faint lines and overly small pictures.

  • If the idea pertains to a service, consider sketching a map of the events that unfold when the service is delivered.

• Power of Visuals: Sketching and pictures bring an idea to life.

  • According to Dan Roam, author of The Back of the Napkin, complex problems can be solved visually with pictures. He states, "We can use the simplicity and immediacy of pictures to discover and clarify our own ideas, and use those same pictures to clarify our ideas for other people, helping them to discover something new for themselves along the way."

Storyboarding Frameworks

1. The Problem-Solution-Benefit Framework (Figure 8.5)

• This framework provides a structured approach for storyboarding by focusing on three key questions:

  • 1. What is the problem your customer is experiencing?

  • 2. What are you offering as a solution to this problem?

  • 3. How will your customer benefit from your product or service offering?

• Example: Rent the Runway (founded by Jennifer Fleiss and Jennifer Hyman, an online designer clothing rental business)

  • The Problem: Many women, even those in well-paid positions, cannot afford designer clothing for special events. The thought is, "I want to wear a designer dress, but they are very expensive, and I would probably wear it only once."

  • The Solution: Provide women with access to designer dresses through an online rental business, offering them at one-tenth of their original cost. The user perspective is, "I get access to the latest dresses, but I get to rent for the night rather than buy!"

  • The Benefit: The rental model makes designer clothing accessible to a much broader demographic of women who could not otherwise afford it. It also benefits designers by showcasing their clothing to a larger, fashionable young demographic, thus helping to build their brand. A customer might express, "This service would let me feel like a movie star for my fancy party that’s coming up next month."

2. The Four-Quadrant Framework (Figure 8.6)

• This version of a storyboard employs a four-quadrant structure, illustrating a "before-and-after" scenario.

• Scenarios: These are brief narratives that depict a business or its product/service in operation.

  • The "before" scenario illustrates the current lives of your customers.

  • The "after" scenario envisions how their lives could be transformed following the launch of your venture, representing your aspirations for the business and its future impact on customers.

• Example: An Idea to Boost Student Engagement in an Introduction to Entrepreneurship Course

  • Upper Left Quadrant (Before Scenario): Depicts a traditional classroom setting with a professor lecturing on entrepreneurship theory. Students are disengaged; one is sleeping, another is texting, and a third struggles to comprehend the theory. The problem identified is a lack of student engagement.

  • Upper Right Quadrant (Solution): Proposes a solution to enhance engagement by dividing students into teams and providing each team with $3,000$ in startup money (funded by the college) for their new ventures.

  • Lower Left Quadrant (Action/Process): Students, empowered by the funding, organize their businesses into different functional units. While granted creative freedom, they are encouraged to consider how their product or service addresses a human need. They engage in selling their product and encounter challenges, setbacks, and significant successes, illustrated by a zigzag graph with happy and unhappy faces.

  • Lower Right Quadrant (Outcome/Benefit): Shows the final outcome where students repay the startup money to the college, and any remaining profits are donated to charity. The benefits include increased student engagement through active learning, the opportunity to build something tangible, practical experience in entrepreneurship, and a taste of real-world entrepreneurial endeavors.

• This specific storyboard generated numerous questions requiring answers before the course could be implemented.

• Even informal storyboards possess transformative potential in visualizing how an idea or product functions, particularly demonstrating how it offers an improvement over existing alternatives.

Mindshift

• Create a storyboard and take action. This iterative process of visualizing and acting is crucial for entrepreneurial success.