On prototyping methods to leverage non-rigid materials in the early stages of engineering design

Prototyping has been shown important to facilitate learning, inform decisions and to communicate ideas in engineering design. However, it is not evident which methods, tools and materials to use, as prototyping is practised differently across development contexts, and stages. In the early stages of design, different choices in prototyping methods, tools and materials all affect prototyping outcome. This paper is focused on prototyping methods in the context of early stages of design and attempts to highlight identified strengths and limitations of using non-rigid materials for prototyping.