150: Building Product Prototypes with Your Design Team

Product Startup · 16 Nov 2022 · 17m

What this episode covers

Robert Irwin, Lead INdusdtrial Designer at Origyn (a division of Haier) and former Senior INdusdtrial Designer at Amazon, discusses managing design teams and the iterative prototyping process for hardware products. He emphasizes the importance of leadership EQ, specifically empathy for both end-users and internal stakeholders, to avoid compartmentalizing features and ensure they work together in a physical prototype. Irwin advocates for a staged approach to prototyping, starting with rough, low-fidelity models like 3D prints to de-risk failure before moving to higher-fidelity builds that test mechanics and manufacturing feasibility.

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