Product Prototyping: From Concept to Reality in a Weekend shows you how to turn your product idea into reality. Nearly everyone has an idea for a product they could build or a company they could start. But pitfalls abound--even for experienced developers. Unless you've done it before, it's hard to know all the design, development, and marketing considerations you must take into account. This book will show you how to hone your idea, find willing workers to help you develop web pages or apps inexpensively, refine the idea based on early feedback, manage the development process, gain users/customers, attract investors, and--in short--turn your dream into tangible reality. Whether you want to build the next hot mobile app, a web site, a desktop product, or a tangible device like a media player or toy, Product Prototyping shows you how. From designing your product screens or devices to getting users and buyers, you'll learn the key steps to rapid prototyping success while avoiding the traps that can snare even knowledgeable developers. You'll avoid losing precious time and money, for example, by learning the tricks to using outsourcing marketplaces successfully. You'll also understand how to build your prototype fast while designing it for future scaling and preparing for the transition from prototype to production. Most important, you'll find out how to get your first users, whether you're building a product for consumers or businesses. Serial technology entrepreneur David Feinleib knows the ropes and, as a former venture capitalist, he knows what pleases investors. He also understands what is required in a product or service to get those critical early adopters and users--the customers who will come to your web site, pay for your product, and tell their friends and acquaintances all about it. Product Prototyping includes multiple real-world examples, actual project and product designs, screen mockups, and real-world marketing campaigns. Product Prototyping will: * Keep you from making rookie product-development mistakes that will slow you down or put you out of business * Highlight the product-development hurdles that require diligent planning to leap * Ensure you present the best possible product to investors or customers * Provide tips on reducing "adoption friction" and providing hooks to keep users coming back * Explain how you can protect your intellectual property * Crowdsource your product idea to be the first to market with the most users * Help you realize your dreams Unleash your inner product guru and turn your product idea into reality in a matter of weeks or even days. Product Prototyping can help ensure you reach the finish line first, where glory and wealth await. What you'll learnReaders will learn how to: * Avoid common product-development mistakes * Design for rapid user acquisition * Use outsourcing marketplaces to get your product and marketing materials built quickly and cost-effectively * Build a marketing video, make a web site for the product, and generate demand * Make the right hosting, payments, and security decisions * Raise capital to fund development and go to market * Bring their ideas to life Who this book is for Product Prototyping is for aspiring entrepreneurs and experienced software developers who want to turn their product ideas into reality--and fast. It will appeal to those interested in building successful smartphone and tablet applications, web offerings, desktop products, and technical devices or other "hard" items. It will appeal both to those with technology backgrounds who have never delivered their own products to market--or never done so successfully--as well as to investors who need to understand the building blocks for successful technology products. It's an excellent choice for potential entrepreneurs who have long dreamed of starting a company but aren't sure how to go from concept to product smoothly.