ERI: Understanding How Prototype Fidelity and Functionality Influence Stakeholder Perceptions of Emerging Manufactured Products

This Engineering Research Initiation (ERI) project supports the investigation of how physical prototype characteristics influence stakeholder perceptions of emerging manufactured products during engineering design and product development. Prototypes are used to communicate ideas, evaluate concepts, and gather feedback before products are finalized and manufactured. However, designers often face tradeoffs between prototype fidelity, or how closely a prototype resembles a final product, and prototype functionality, or how well it performs its intended purpose. Despite the importance of these decisions, limited experimental evidence exists to explain how stakeholders interpret and respond to different physical prototypes. To address this gap, the project will use controlled human-subjects studies with physical footwear prototypes that vary in fidelity and functionality. Undergraduate engineering students and entrepreneurial stakeholders will evaluate prototype variations and provide feedback on perceived quality, feasibility, viability, and desirability. The study will use surveys and interviews to examine how prototype attributes shape stakeholder perceptions and to identify when stakeholders place greater emphasis on fidelity or functionality during evaluation. This project seeks to develop evidence-based guidance for how physical prototypes can be used more strategically during engineering design. The findings will advance understanding of prototypes as communication tools and support the development of a broader framework for prototype selection and use during the development of emerging manufactured products. The project will also provide research training for undergraduate and graduate students through participation in human-subjects research, data analysis, and scholarly dissemination. Results will be shared through publications, conference presentations, and engagement with industry partners and entrepreneurs, with the goal of improving how designers use prototypes to communicate concepts and guide product development. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.