10.1 Prototypes, Models and Proofs Of Concept

Question 1

What are prototypes?

Answer 1

Prototypes are:

• “Original models on which something is patterned”
• the “first full-scale and usually functional forms of a new type or design of a construction”
• working models of designed artifacts

Question 2

In what operating environments are prototypes tested?

Answer 2

Prototypes are tested in:

• the same (actual) operating environments in which they’re expected to function as final products
• similar, uncontrolled environments that are as close to their relevant “real worlds” as possible

Question 3

Name an example of artifacts that involve prototypes as a part of their development? Name an example of an artifact that typically does not involve prototypes?

Answer 3

• Aircraft companies routinely build prototypes
• Rarely, if ever, does anyone build a prototype of a building.

Question 4

What is a model?

Answer 4

A model is a(n):

• “miniature representation of something,”
• “pattern of something to be made,”
• “example for imitation or emulation.”

Question 5

What are models used to represent?

Answer 5

Models are use to represent some devices or processes.

Question 6

What are the mediums for models?

Answer 6

Models can be:

• computer models
• physical models
  
  • paper models

Question 7

What are models used to illustrate and why?

Answer 7

We use models to illustrate certain behaviors or phenomena as we try to verify the validity of an underlying (predictive) theory.

Question 8

How do models differ from the original artifacts?

Answer 8

Models are usually smaller and made of different materials than are the original artifacts they represent.

Question 9

In what environments are models typically tested? And for what purpose?

Answer 9

Models are typically/intentionally tested in:

• a laboratory
• some other controlled environment

In order to:

• to validate their expected behavior
• allow the model builder (and the designer, if they are not the same person) to understand the particular behavior or phenomenon that is being modeled

Question 10

What is meant by a proof of concept?

Answer 10

Proof of concept refers to a model of some part of a design that is used specifically to test whether a particular concept will actually work as proposed.

Question 11

What is meant by a proof of concept test?

Answer 11

Proof of concept tests

• means doing controlled experiments to prove or disprove a concept
• entails demonstrating that a new concept, or a particular device or configuration, can work in the manner in which it was designed

Question 12

Are models the same as prototypes?

Answer 12

No. Prototypes and Models are not the same thing.

Question 13

What is the intention of prototypes?

Answer 13

Prototypes are intended to demonstrate that a product will function as designed.

Question 14

Describe airplane prototypes.

Answer 14

An airplane prototype is made of the same materials and has the same size, shape, and configuration as those intended to fly in that series (i.e., Boeing 747s or Airbus 310s).

Question 15

Describe airplane models.

Answer 15

A model airplane would likely be much smaller. It might be “flown” in a wind tunnel or for sheer enjoyment, but it is not a prototype.

Question 16

What is the principal difference between a model and a prototype?

Answer 16

• A prototype is the first of its kind.
• A model represents a device or a process.

Question 17

What are some historical and ongoing examples of proof of concept testing?

Answer 17

Examples of proof of concept testing include:

• Alexander Graham Bell successfully summoned his assistant from another room with his new-fangled gadget, proving the concept of the telephone.
• Laboratory demonstrations of wing structures and building connections when they are used to validate a new wing structure configuration or a new kind of connection

Question 18

What factors dictate when/whether a prototype is built?

Answer 18

The decision to build a prototype depends on a number of things, including:

• size and type of design space
• costs of building a prototype
• ease of building that prototype
• role that a full-size prototype might play in ensuring the widespread acceptance of a new design
• number of copies of the final artifact that are expected to be made or built

Question 19

What factors make aircraft and buildings particularly interesting illustrations of prototypes?

Answer 19

Aircraft and buildings provide interesting illustrations because of:

• ample commonalities
• sharp differences
• design spaces of both aircraft and high-rises
  
  • large
  • complex

Question 20

Why are prototypes of airplanes constructed?

Answer 20

We build prototypes of airplanes because, the chances of a catastrophic failure of a “paper design” are still unacceptably high, especially for the highly regulated and very competitive commercial airline industry that is the customer for new civilian aircraft.

Question 21

Are prototypes built for buildings? Why or why not?

Answer 21

No. Buildings do fail catastrophically, during and after construction. However, this occurs so rarely that there is little perceived value in requiring prototype testing of buildings before occupancy.