In the last post, we described the #ideation process. While this is happening, the team is actively working in parallel on the design. Early prototyping revealed opportunities for refinement that were not apparent in sketches alone. These behind-the-scenes prototypes translated industrial design intent into physical, functional models.
Prototypes enabled customer feedback while allowing the team to evaluate packaging, manufacturability, testing, maintenance, and installation constraints.
An early prototype of the enclosure with test circuitry – the 3D printed housing was quickly processed, we were not worried about cosmetics at that point
Insights into hands-on use led to improvements such as finger clearance, flexible strain reliefs, improved internal wire routing, and dedicated access paths for mounting and cable management.
The images above include general component placement in the CAD model, prototyping brackets to evaluate usability of the concept and mounting, evaluating LED light mixing, designing and analyzing reliable snap features and assembling prototypes.
This phase ensured usability and serviceability were designed into the product—not added later.
#IndustrialDesign #RapidPrototyping #DesignIteration #UsabilityTesting #DesignForManufacturing #UIUX #RPMTech