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