Iterative Prototyping for Hardware Products

Iterations are key to success in hardware, and speed matters. Each round of design and prototyping tests assumptions, exposes problems while they are still inexpensive to fix, and builds confidence that the product will work for its users when it launches. SGW runs rapid cycles of design and prototyping. Iterations range from feature-level concepts that test a single mechanism or interaction to full-scale functional prototypes. We plan each cycle around what needs to be learned, keeping speed and efficiency high without building more than the question requires. For Tobi, we built a production-like prototype of a touchless hand sanitizing unit for homes and clinical settings, balancing form and function. For GIR, we developed fully functional prototypes of a portable, web-connected coffee grinder.