The first step is to clearly define the problem or opportunity that the new product aims to address. Conduct user research through interviews, surveys, focus groups or observations to deeply understand customer needs, pain points, and how existing solutions may be lacking. Analyze this qualitative and quantitative data to identify strong opportunities for innovation and summarize the main problem statements or customer jobs to be done.

With the problem well understood, establish the key goals and objectives for the new product. What specific customer needs must it fulfill? What benefits will it provide compared to current alternatives? Define 2-3 high level goals that can be measured and showcase success. Determine any constraints the project must work within such as budget, timeline, manufacturing feasibility, regulatory issues, intellectual property considerations and target customer profile.

Develop product requirements that directly translate the customer needs into actionable tasks for the design team. Requirements should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. Group requirements into must-have essentials versus nice-to-have enhancements. Prioritize based on alignment with project goals and customer importance. Validate requirements by vetting with potential users when possible.

Concept generation is the creative phase to ideate many potential solutions. Conduct brainstorming sessions individually and collectively to produce a wide range of ideas. Sketch early concepts, focusing first on function over form. Evaluate concepts against product requirements to identify most promising opportunities for further exploration. Group ideas that could be combined or built upon one another.

Refine the top ideas through iterative prototyping and testing. Quickly create low-fidelity throwaway prototypes using affordable materials like paper, cardboard or 3D printing. Obtain qualitative feedback on prototypes from potential customers. Continually evaluate and modify prototypes based on voice of customer input to converge on preferred direction. Prototyping allows exploring form, function, usability and perceptions of different options.

With customer-validated concepts in hand, develop more mature product design specifications. Detailed drawings, CAD models, written specifications and requirements documents will communicate the final product design to engineers. Simultaneously, prepare a business case analysis outlining the market opportunity and financial projections for the proposed product. Factor in development, manufacturing, distribution, marketing and other lifecycle costs.

Build higher fidelity prototype(s) to further validate critical assumptions. Operational prototypes should resemble the final product construction, look and function to rigorously test performance prior to tooling design investments. Obtain additional user and market feedback to identify any remaining weaknesses or improvements needed before commercialization. Prototyping reduces risk by revealing issues upfront.

Define a project plan and schedule to bring the product to life. Estimate timelines for engineering design, sourcing parts, manufacturing set up, quality testing, production ramp and initial distribution. Factor in dependencies and contingencies. Assign team member responsibilities and establish regular check-ins ensure progress. Production generally includes building low-run pilot lots, establishing quality metrics and tweaking designs based on real world manufacturing learnings.

Documentation is essential throughout the product development process. Carefully record all research findings, ideas generated, prototypes created, design details, test result, feedback received, specifications, project plans, costs incurred and other learnings. Compiling and sharing this documentation provides institutional knowledge that other teams can learn from while proving evidence of your work.

Scoping a new product design and prototyping project requires deeply understanding customer needs, generating innovative solutions, quickly building and testing physical models, refining concepts through iteration, planning the financial and production roadmap, documenting all work, and collaborating with potential users every step of the way. A structured yet adaptive process will help deliver a compelling product that creates value for both customers and your organization. Cross-functional collaboration, internal stakeholder support, adequate resourcing and a clear plan are fundamentals for success.