Prototype costs can range from a $100 to upwards of $30,000 for high fidelity connected devices.
Video: Reasons why we prototype
One of the most common questions we get is how much does a prototype cost to make? This is a tricky question, as prototypes can be free or cost upwards of $100,000. It all depends on why you want a prototype.
Â
So, why do YOU want a prototype?
Â
If you ask any of the recent people we talk to, many will have a different answer. Some people want prototypes to prove out a new technical feature of a product, other’s need a prototype to launch a Kickstarter campaign and many more need a prototype to test the product/market fit.
But if you gather up all the prototype inputs there will be one common theme - RISK.
Prototypes are built to assess, qualify, and minimize design risk.
Risk takes many forms including user, business, technical and manufacturing risk. Â And of course, the larger the risk the higher the cost of a one-off prototype.
One end of the scale is a fully functional production-ready prototype with custom embedded electronics and software to run it. This prototype can cost over $10,000, a lot more than a cardboard model prototype with a sketch of the user interface and 3D virtual rendering.Â
Prototyping is a progressive staging of risk evaluations.Â
From the tape and cardboard to the finished product, knowing which prototype to employ at each stage requires experience and a network of supporting services. It allows design teams to move quickly from identifying each risk, evaluating options and determining a high opportunity value reasonable path forward.
So, how much will YOUR prototype cost? Â
To determine prototype cost you need to know where you are on your product development journey. This can be done by following our four-stage product development process and reviewing the types of prototypes and risk identification at each stage below:
Prototype sketching during concept design
Stage 1: Concept Design
This prototype stage is all about product research ‘user and chooser’ prototypes that simulate a user experience with enough fidelity to allow third-party comment on the value of the new product.
 Risks we identify include:
- Risk of user confusion or rejection of device
- Identify physical size constraints of device
- Interaction methods and the most useful solution.
Types of prototypes:
- User Interface Mock-ups
- Foam models
- Wireframes, virtual 3D Renderings
- Wizard of Oz functionality (beauty models)
Prototype Costs:
- Low - materials are mostly off the shelf and can include 3D custom prototype parts, cardboard paper, tape, glue, canned software, module electronics
- Design Time, can be less than a week
- Can start at $1000 for design costs for preliminary sketching and mock-ups
Bench model prototype made on in-house Roland CNC
Stage 2: Design Engineering
This stage is all about bench model engineering prototypes that quantifies options to make design decisions.
 Risks we identify include:
- Thermal, fluid, stress and structural engineering risks
- Wire and sub-component management
- Test specific components of design
- Mechanism functionality
- Wireless protocol limitations
Types of prototypes:
- Scale models of product
- Proof-of-concept: hand built models
Costs:
- Medium: Depends on customized sub-systems needed and user testing validation metrics
- Starting estimate is $5000 for bench model prototyping testing + material costs
Pre-production prototype parts ready for assembly
Stage 3: Prototype & Test
This stage outputs a production alpha prototype that is fully functioning
 Risks we identify include:
- Business risk and costing of components in volume
- Business risk of yield and high-volume outputs
- Custom electronics and wireless connectivity
Types of prototypes:
- Fully functional alpha prototype
Costs:
- Medium: Depending on complexity of product and volume of output
- Minimum 4-6 weeks of development time on average
- The alpha prototype material costs can range from a few hundred to thousands depending on custom parts, electronics and fidelity required.
High-fidelity fully functional prototype
Stage 4: Manufacturing Set-Up
This Stage outputs a manufacture ready production parts prototype that is an early stage fully manufactured unit.
Risks we identify include:
- Manufacturing process risks, these can include wall thickness of part, surface finish, color matching and more
- Business risk tied to lead time of parts, components and assembly
Types of prototypes:
- Early small run pilot pre-production unit
Costs:
- Medium: Depending on complexity of product and volume of output
- Minimum 3 months of development time
- Costs typically start at $30,000 for basic products and move upwards depending on manufacturing process, volume and development time involved.
