Explanation should include
- ideas to be tested in a virtual environment that
- is safer (e.g., simulates within a range of conditions and extremes without physical risk)
- reveals ergonomic issues
- is easier to control (e.g., confidence in predictability based on known inputs and effect of variables)
- is easier to modify (e.g., variables of time, conditions, scale, materials, chemistry)
- improvements in cost-effectiveness over real-world testing
- efficiency when creating a prototype
- errors in design/logic to emerge prior to implementation
- the limitations of models.
Process/Skill Questions:
- How are models and simulations different from prototypes?
- How are models and simulations important for customers or decision-makers?
- How long has the process of rapid prototyping been used?
- How might rapid prototyping exceed its current boundaries?
- How does design play a critical role in rapid prototyping?