There are many phases to the prototyping of a new product. There are so many terms that get thrown around like this one and the meaning can vary from place to place. Here we will cover the definition and use from a hardware (tangible product) perspective of a Proof of Concept (POC) Prototype.
So just as the name states, the goal here is to prove the concept of the product you want to ultimately produce. The goal is fairly clear, however, the way you define that goal gets a bit trickier. The three things you want to accomplish at this stage are:
- Lean startup mentality – fail fast, fail cheap. You have the idea, now does anyone want it? Having a POC that is cost effective to create is important here. Assessing validation of the idea and product at every stage of prototyping is paramount. You must avoid phrases like, “I just know this will be big.”
- Determine your next incremental step. If you have X resources, what do you expect to accomplish after expending X resources? For instance, if you are willing to put in 100 hours of time and $200, there should be a goal at the end of that stage. It can be as simple as answering the question, does anyone like my product to determine if it is worth investing more time. It could be more complex such as, I need to be able to raise $20,000 for my next step of development with this POC.
- Does it work? This may seem obvious, and so many times ideas seem so clear in your head, but once you start working on it, you find details that just do not pan out.
Building hardware isn’t cheap, but it is getting better all the time. Here is where places like Spark Fun and products like the Raspberry Pi and Arduino come in. You can mock up some hardware, display, some buttons, and show how your product can work. Of course this is great if you are technical, but if you are not, then you have a few more challenges ahead of you, but you can still validate. Perhaps you can make up some renderings and tell the story of your product visually. Or, you can partner with someone technical. In either case, technical or not, you should always build a team. Techs need non-techs and vice versa, but this is another blog.
Your POC needs to tell the story, show the story, and validate the product. The definition of a POC is the goal. It is defined by the early stages of accomplishing these goals. Keep in mind that a POC is also typically limited in looks and function. It is not a minimal viable product (MVP). It’s just the first stages on your way to a functional prototype, and pilot run, and MVP.