For nearly a decade, Kickstarter has provided a place for entrepreneurs to obtain financing for product development. This has leveled the playing field and given birth to innovative products that traditional financiers may have never supported.
About a year ago, Kickstarter took their campaigns to another level with the introduction of the Prototype Gallery, which offers entrepreneurs the chance to share updated information during product development. Here is how it works and how it can enhance your credibility in the eyes of your backers.
Development Stages
In the past, Kickstarter campaign creators could only showcase each prototype on their main campaign page, and were unable to provide images and videos of each step of the journey. Those days are finally over. Kickstarter’s new Prototype Gallery lets you showcase your product during each phase of the production journey.
Once you have reached your fundraising goal and enter the production phase, you get the chance to share your vision as it takes shape. And because this gallery has its own distinct page on your Kickstarter campaign, your main campaign page will remain concise and informative.
The Kickstarter Prototype Gallery provides space for five distinct phases of product development.
- Proof of concept: This is typically the first stage of a product’s development, before any fully developed product has been created. This shows how your product was born.
- Functional prototype: In this second stage, the product is functional, but the final look has not been designed. This is an important stage, as it shows that the product actually works in a real-life setting.
- Appearance prototype: In this third stage, you flip the script and showcase what the final product will look like without any functions. This is an aesthetic stage that values form and beauty over function.
- Design prototype: In this stage, function and aesthetics are joined together, but the product is manufactured using low-grade materials.
- Production prototype: In this stage, the product’s form, function and appearance have been refined to the final stage, and the product is presented very much as it will be sold in stores or online.
Prototype Gallery Best Practices
Demo videos should always showcase the basic functions of your product, and you should strive to film these videos in single, unedited shots so that viewers get an uninterrupted view of your product. It is also vital that you show how every product feature works, and most importantly, how your backers will benefit from using the product.
Benefits of the Kickstarter Prototype Gallery
The Kickstarter Prototype Gallery is beneficial because it not only provides Kickstarter backers with a step-by-step view of the development of a product they helped to create, but it also conveys credibility that you are delivering what you promised. You want your page viewers to become backers, and you want them to tell their friends about a product they helped bring to life. A successful product launch using Kickstarter’s Prototype Gallery makes it much more likely that your backers will convert into lifelong customers.
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