How can you prototype products in a larger ecosystem?

Before testing a prototype, understand the market and its influences. - This may not define the product, but it uncovers the problems to solve. - Assessing the ecosystem shows the product's value. - It guides investment decisions for development and hints at potential returns.

Learn about the interconnections of the value chain, strategic needs, capex cycle and organizational dynamics as first steps to define the ecosystem. Model the optimal route and test it virtually against previous attempts at bringing new products to market. Refine your model until it predicts the correct outcome and test it regularly with new products.

Ecosystem has to be mimicked in a closed or controlled group setup . This should be in sync with the fundamental variables that define or influence the larger eco system

As innovation facilitator of 100+ projects, I advise you to EXPERIMENT BY PRETOTYPING, like TESLA… FAKE IT BEFORE YOU MAKE IT ???. Pretotyping is a technique for testing - and validating ideas quickly and cheap, founded by Savoia. It involves creating a simplified version of a product or service to collect user feedback and understand market demand. It’s a non-working prototype. Pretotyping reduces the risk of failure by assessing market response early in the development process. A famous pretotyping story is how Tesla ‘faked’ their first electrical car, the Roadster, using a so-called ‘glider’ of a Lotus Elise to confront their potential customers with a ‘real car’, leading to 250+ launching customers who paid $ 5000,- in advance.

A prototype is only good for its purpose which is to be introduced to an audience. In front of investors who are not going to use it, what is the most important aspect? What they see of course at first glance, wow factor in a blink of an eye. For contractors testing it on the field, the prototype aesthetics is secondary, robustness and reliability are paramount. Initial prototyping with an enthusiastic team in a Microsoft or Google lab is a different story where paper can be used but what about a skilled CAD collaborator in the virtual room who can bring some engineering insight as well?

Involving stakeholders, especially end-users, in the prototyping process is crucial for solving critical problems related to their needs. For example, when technologies are being developed to aid people with certain disabilities, including people who live with those disabilities as collaborators on the project. Here's why: Real-world Insight: Stakeholders bring firsthand experience and a deep understanding of the challenges faced by individuals with disabilities. User-Centered Design: Their input ensures that the prototype aligns with real user needs, fostering user-centered design. Testing and Feedback: Collaborators can effectively test prototypes and provide invaluable feedback for iterative improvements.

Learning about the ecosystem is obtaining feedback for each stakeholders but more importantly, by definition, it is to learn about the interconnections of each of these groups. For example, government regulations will affect the design parameters of a new product but will also affect the end customer in totally different aspects. An example is less potentially harmful insulation material can be achieved by a building product manufacturer at the cost of insulation performance. At the same time, houses must be better insulated requiring now a larger quantity and expense to achieve the same result. Same product with different impact from local or federal government regulations show how the ecosystem interactions are complex.