May 7, 1998

Who said looks don't count?

Bill Schweber, Technical Editor

Make an extra effort to develop a more realistic prototype demo version.

I recently attended an auto show sponsored by new-car dealers. The cars and trucks were all so nice--from the ordinary "sort-of-affordable" vehicles to the extraordinary "don't-even-think-about-it" ones. As show attendees clambered in and out of the vehicles and raised hoods for closer examinations, I noticed one thing: Each dealer had a detail person whose job was to immediately clean and buff any area of the car that attendees had touched.

At first, I thought that having this person was needlessly compulsive behavior by the exhibitors. After all, would any prospective customer really think less of a car because it had those inevitable fingerprints? But those car dealers are not foolish. They know that if you are proud of your product, you want to show it at its best at all times and to show that details constitute part of the overall image you convey. They also know that to the outsider, everything counts--both consciously and subconsciously--as part of the total presentation.

In the same way, when you develop a prototype, the system obviously often doesn't look like the final system you hope to ship. The prototype probably lacks the smooth packaging including the enclosure, keyboard, and display you use, for example. Although your design team can see the shape of things to come, the prospective user may not. In fact, that targeted person may have trouble making the connection between what you're showing and what you eventually deliver. Alternatively, although a few perceptive viewers may see where you're going with your product, many others may envision something different from what you intend.

It's in your interest to make an extra effort to develop a more realistic prototype demo version. Consider hiring a model maker, for example--these people can work magic with plastic, paint, and trim. The final result is that prospective users need not extrapolate, perhaps incorrectly, what you intend to provide. Although the beauty within is often more important than merely cosmetic details, the reality is that both count, and a lack of one may affect perception of the other.

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