Macadamian Blog

Part 1: Winning Prototypes

As an executive or product manager, youʼre under pressure to explore new sources of revenue. If youʼre lucky, you have some options. You can create a new product, refresh an existing one, or expand your reach through new technologies and platforms.

But first things first. You have to gain internal support, consensus, and budget. You have to excite key customers. And you need to create buzz to generate interest in the new offering.

One of the best ways to do this is to create a prototype: a functional and visually impressive representation of your vision that inspires and builds excitement. Itʼs more than just a diagram or PowerPoint presentation. Your prototype should look like a product thatʼs ready to ship.

Youʼll need to create a prototype quickly, but youʼll face organizational and personnel constraints at every turn. The design team wonʼt have enough time (if youʼre lucky enough to have one). The engineering team will remind you theyʼre already overbooked. And if you donʼt plan carefully, instead of moving things forward, you run the risk of setting things back. Itʼs a balancing act.

Despite these roadblocks, it is possible to create a stunning prototype that will win hearts and minds – and, most importantly, budget and approval – in a short timeframe.

Stay tuned, over the next few weeks my colleague Mary Piontkowski will be writing a series of blog posts on just how you can do this.

Further Reading
Winning Prototypes: How to Capture Hearts & Minds of Stakeholders
A whitepaper by Martin Larochelle, Mary Pionkowski, and Didier Thizy.