A product is different from a prototype
in one way;
repetition of value delivery
Prototypes are one-off
Products are repeated
Delivered consistently in quality
and viability economically
Both hold a promise of value, their story
Both hold a delivery of value, their use
But only a product has a system of delivery
that ensures delivery again and again
It is the difference between designing a car
And designing the plant to manufacture the car
(Industrial) design is therefor only a quarter about the look, feel, usefulness and value of a product
And three-quarters about the design of a system to deliver that value
And here is the tricky bit; making decisions
Prototyping is much like sculpting
Shaping around materials
Allowing a shape to emerge
Like an artist will
Prototyping is fun
It is free
Intuitive
And yields an end result
But producting is different
That shape being dreamt up
Must be created with the machines in a plant
And so a back and forth emerges
Between what the shape ought to be
And what is realistically possible
Producting is about the art of letting a shape emerge
But more so about the art of making a decision
The decision to use aluminum over steel
Or use stamping over moulding
Constraints that pose a limitation
A limitation that causes emotional friction
Particularly with artists, used to roam free
But also constraints that will move you forward
Allow your shape-search to be more focused
Allow your machine-builders to start working on their machines
Decisions then, like in any organisation
Are the culprit of stagnation
And the true challenge of producting
The back and forth between sculting and system design
Is a funnel of decisions,
narrowing down onto the final product
That means keeping the end in mind
Concretely, in how the product will function, feel and look
But more importantly; abstractly
The value promise is the guidance for every decision