Welcome to It’s only a Prototype!

What does it really take to launch a physical product? Spoiler: it’s messy, it’s unpredictable and it’s never as smooth as the success stories make it sound.

Welcome to It’s only a Prototype, the podcast that goes behind the curtain of product development. In this trailer episode, your hosts Phil Staunton, an experienced industrial designer and founder of a product design consultancy, and Tom Constable, a curious outsider with a tech and entrepreneurial background, introduce the purpose of the show and what you can expect in the season ahead.

Whether you're navigating complex supply chains, trying to avoid manufacturing pitfalls, or wondering when to pivot or pull the plug, this is the podcast where product people share the lessons they learned the hard way.

What You’ll Learn in This Trailer:

• Why launching physical products is harder than most people think
• The painful (and funny) lessons learned from past product flops
• What motivated Phil to create this show after 15 years in product design
• Why resilience, humility, and curiosity are essential in NPD
• A sneak peek at the key topics coming up this season—like re-shoring manufacturing, dealing with copycats, navigating IP headaches, and more

Meet the Hosts:

Phil Staunton – Industrial designer, design agency founder, and someone who knows first-hand how tough the hardware journey can be

Tom Constable – Entrepreneur, tech geek, and your “professional idiot in the room,” asking the questions you wish someone else would

Who This Podcast Is For:

• Innovation and product leaders
• Start-up founders and entrepreneurs
• Product designers and engineers
• Anyone building or launching a physical product

Topics You Can Expect in the Series:

• Moving your manufacturing back from overseas
• Surviving IP battles and counterfeit products
• Balancing speed to market with quality
• How to validate your idea before you spend a fortune
• What to do when your product just isn’t working
• Resilience, mindset, and the mental game of product development

Don’t Miss an Episode:

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Stay Connected:

Phil's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philstaunton/

Tom's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-constable/

D2M Website: https://www.design2market.co.uk/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ProductInnovationAcademy

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Chapters:

[00:00] What is *It’s Only a Prototype* all about?

[00:33] How do the hosts feel about launching the podcast?

[01:56] What role does Tom play as a host?

[02:12] Why launch a podcast on hardware development?

[03:21] What else is critical to success?

[03:53] What topics will the show cover?