In product design, why is testing essential after prototyping?

Testing is a critical phase after prototyping in product design as it serves to evaluate user satisfaction and identify opportunities for improvement. This process involves gathering feedback from real users to understand how the product performs in practical applications, which can reveal insights that may not have been apparent during the design and prototyping stages.

By observing how users interact with the product, designers can identify any usability issues, functionality gaps, or areas for enhancement. This iterative feedback loop ensures that the final product aligns with user needs and expectations, ultimately leading to a more effective and user-friendly design.

While determining market price, finalizing material selection, and creating marketing materials are important aspects of product development, they do not directly relate to the immediate feedback and refinement that testing provides, making this evaluation of user satisfaction and identification of improvements the main focus after prototyping.