“Doing is the best type of thinking.” – Tom Chi
Tom Chi, CPO and head of X at Factory, is largely known for his work creating Google Glass, but arguably one of his largest contributions to the world has been unleashing the rapid prototyping framework and bringing it to organizations large and small.
What is rapid prototyping? In Chi’s own words, “Rapid prototyping is the process of finding the fastest path to a direct experience of the thing you’re trying to create.”
As a tool, rapid prototyping shifts how teams approach research, design, and development by prioritizing the creation of a high volume of “quick and dirty” prototypes early on, getting those into the hands of users, and then iterating based on direct user feedback and observation.
The goal is reframing the learning process to foster education through direct application and testing, or as Chi puts it, “Don’t guess. Learn.”
Earlier this month, Chi paid a visit to our campus and coached the seven startup teams in the SU Labs Accelerator through a full day workshop on rapid prototyping. Whether you’re a startup founder, a CEO, or an aspiring social entrepreneur, this video encapsulates valuable key insights from Chi’s session.
Video produced by Brent Christo
Have you met the seven startups in the SU Labs Accelerator? Follow @SU_Labs on twitter for updates as the accelerator unfolds.
