Investigating Prototyping Throughout New Product Development in a Startup

Abstract

Smart Cylinders is a startup company that has, for the past two years, developed a sensor for an IoT service. The product is aimed at distributors of liquid petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders. Any new product development contains knowledge gaps. Prototyping can be utilised to bridge these gaps, and to achieve a more effective and thorough product development. The prototyping method, however, will naturally change throughout the process. This thesis aims to extract learning from the prototyping process and testing conducted by Smart Cylinders, by documenting the prototypes produced and analyse the process. Each prototype is described, along with how they were tested and if the results led to any changes. Furthermore, two plots are made to give a holistic overview of the prototyping process. The impact of Lean Startup on the prototyping strategy is also investigated. The findings express the importance of matching the degree of fidelity and the purpose of the prototype, along with the value of maintaining a close relationship with the customers.