Unit 10: Method, Machine, Materials, and Manpower

(4Ms of Operation)
Lesson 2: Product Description and
Prototyping

Contents
Engage 1
Introduction 1
Objective 1

Explore 2

Explain and Elaborate 3

Product Description 3
Guide in Writing Product Description 4
Prototyping 6
Steps in Building the Product’s Prototype 8

Extend 9
Activity 9

Evaluate 10

Wrap Up 12

Bibliography 13
Unit 10.2: Product Description and Prototyping

Engage

Introduction

Fig. 1. Creating a product sketch

Business owners are always searching for ways to have an edge in the competition. The
creation of products with new and different characteristics always challenges
entrepreneurs. Explaining what the products are and why it is worth purchasing is essential
to customers.

Objective
In this lesson, you should be able to create a product description and prototype for a
product.

DepEd Competency
Create a prototype of the product. (CS_EP11/12ENTREP-0h-j-12)

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Unit 10.2: Product Description and Prototyping

Explore

10 minutes
Guide Questions
Analyze and answer the following questions.

1. Have you experienced buying a product online? How did you know the features of the
products you were going to buy?

2. How do sellers describe their products to encourage their customers to buy?

3. How do entrepreneurs know if their product is for mass production?

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Unit 10.2: Product Description and Prototyping

Explain and Elaborate

Product Description
A product description is a declaration of information about a product. The purpose of
creating a product description is to supply the customers with important information about
the features of the product. Every business must have a quality product description for the
best return of investment.

How will the business satisfy the needs and wants

of its customers?

Product Satisfying Features

Product features are the characteristics of the product that describe its appearance and
capabilities. Product features must be presented effectively to achieve business objectives.
Nowadays, customers look for products that not only satisfy their need and want but also
to have other special attributes attached to the product.

Below are some product features that satisfy the customer’s needs and wants:

Table 1. Product satisfying features

Features Description

Design can improve the marketability of the product

Design through its appearance. A distinct design may differentiate
the product from others in the market.

Color is an important consideration for products. The use

Product colors of the right color combination is appealing to the
customers.

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Unit 10.2: Product Description and Prototyping

Features Description

Product quality is the collection of characteristics of a

product that contributes to its ability to fulfill and meet the
Product quality requirements of the end users. The product is in good
quality if it is reliable and performs all its functions
smoothly.

It is a feature where the buyer is assured that the product

being purchased meets the specification stated in the
product label. This is why the term product liability
Product warranty became common in the business world. Defective and
substandard products may result in customer illness,
injury, or accidents caused by faulty and inadequate
precautions in the product labels.

How to write a product description that may

encourage customers to buy?

Guide in Writing a Product Description

To keep the product description consistent, the entrepreneur must follow the basic steps in
creating an effective one. Below are the six steps on writing a description for a product:

1. Define the buyer persona. A buyer persona is an imaginary customer for whom
they develop and sell the product. It represents the target audience but much more
real than a vague description of the customer’s demographics.

2. Create a list of features and benefits. Before starting to write, list down all the
features and specifications of the product and then convert them into benefits. A
feature is a fact about the product, while the benefit is an explanation of what the
feature does for the customer.

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Unit 10.2: Product Description and Prototyping
3. Define the tone of voice. The tone of voice may differentiate the business from its
competitors. It gives the reader an impression of the business’ culture and
personality. For example, rather than saying that the customer service is excellent,
let the tone of voice demonstrate that the staff is friendly, approachable, and
interested in understanding the clients.

4. Create a scannable format. People have short attention spans. They usually read
for about 16% of what's on the page. Product descriptions need to capture that 16%
in an effective way by making it scannable. The customer should be able to find the
exact information he wants.

5. Write the first draft. Once the entrepreneur already knows the buyer persona and
already planned the content, writing the first draft is the next step. Check the list of
features and benefits and rank them in a logical manner. If the list is relatively short,
include the most important benefit first and least important on the last.

6. Edit the draft to boost persuasiveness. Editing the product description does not
only mean correcting typographical errors and grammar. Edit the product
description in a more readable, engaging, and persuasive way.

Example: Product description

Situationer:
A businessman who sells bags online creates a description of his product to attract
customers.

Product Product Description

Add a sophisticated vibe to your office wear with

this well-made, modish shoulder bag by Elle.
Elle shoulder bag
● Synthetic leather
● Nylon lining

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Unit 10.2: Product Description and Prototyping

Product Product Description

● Interior: slip pockets, zip pockets

● Exterior: back zip pocket
Elle shoulder bag
● Dual grab handles
● Adjustable crossbody strap

Tip
Make the product description easy to scan by including bullet points
to attract attention to key points and a few sentences to encourage
the customer to buy the product.

Prototyping
A prototype is a working model of entrepreneurial ideas for a new product. Prototypes
come in all shapes and sizes in almost all industries. Businesses may develop a prototype
to be evaluated by a person or group who either represents the ideal customer or has
expertise in that industry.

How do entrepreneurs create product models of

their ideas?

Types of Prototype
There are several basic types of the prototype which may be used by entrepreneurs. It is
categorized depending on what they represent and how they are used.

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Unit 10.2: Product Description and Prototyping
Table 2. Prototypes based on what they represent

Type Description

This type is designed to imitate the function of the real

Functional prototype product as close as possible no matter how different it
may look from the actual product.

This type is designed with more focus on the

appearance rather than on the functions. This prototype
Display prototype
may or may not function but should represent the same
look like the actual product.

The miniature is a smaller version of the product that is

Miniature focused on the functional and display aspects of the
product.

Table 3. Prototypes based on how they are used

Type Description

This type will eventually be discarded or thrown away

rather than becoming part of the actual product. It only
Throwaway prototype
represents what an actual product can do. Throwaway
prototypes are also called close-ended prototypes.

The evolutionary prototype involves building a basic but

Evolutionary prototype strong type that can further improve and build to form
an actual product.

How do entrepreneurs plan the product’s

prototype?

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Unit 10.2: Product Description and Prototyping
Steps in Building the Product’s Prototype
A prototype helps add value to a project as well as its credibility. Businesses need to
innovate to be able to prove that the concept of the product works. Below are the steps in
building the first product prototype:

1. Create a concept sketch. The first step in turning the idea into reality is to create a
sketch. Draw the idea to help visualize the prototype in greater detail.

2. Develop a virtual prototype. Create a digital sketch of the idea. A standard digital
design tool used by engineers, designers, and other professionals is the Autocad. It
creates both 2D and 3D renderings.

3. Build a physical prototype. Once the virtual prototype is done, it is now ready for
the physical prototype. If the entrepreneur has the skill, they may make their own. If
not, it is better to seek a professional prototype designer or engineer to build the
prototype.

4. Apply for a patent. Once the working prototype is ready, the entrepreneur is now
ready to apply for a patent. A patent is a form of property that gives the owner the
legal right to exclude others from manufacturing and to sell the product for a
limited period of years.

5. Locate a manufacturer. The entrepreneur should find suppliers and

manufacturers that can produce the product at a profitable price.

Remember
The product description supplies customers with important
information about the product. A prototype is a sample, model, or
an early release of a product to test concepts or processes.

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Unit 10.2: Product Description and Prototyping

Extend

Activity

Assume you are buying items online. Search for three products that you need in everyday
living and identify how the seller made the description of the product.

Product Product Description

1.

2.

3.

Guide
● Answer only for what is asked in the activity.
● Search for the product that encourages customers to buy online through their
constructed product description.

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Unit 10.2: Product Description and Prototyping

Evaluate
.

A. Explain your understanding of the following concepts:

1. What is a product description?

2. What are the product features that satisfy the customer?

3. What is a prototype?

4. How do entrepreneurs encourage customers to buy their products?

5. What is the difference between a throwaway and an evolutionary prototype?

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Unit 10.2: Product Description and Prototyping

B. Search one product that a customer can buy online. Assess

the features and benefits a customer may get in buying the
product.

Product:

Product Satisfying Features Answer

1. Design

2. Product Colors

3. Product quality

4. Product warranty

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Unit 10.2: Product Description and Prototyping

Wrap Up
___________________________________________________________________________________________

● A product description is a declaration of information about a product.

● Product features are the characteristics of the product that describe its
appearance and capabilities.
● A prototype is a working model of entrepreneurial ideas for a new product.

___________________________________________________________________________________________

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Unit 10.2: Product Description and Prototyping

Bibliography

Drucker, Peter. Innovation and Entrepreneurship: Practice and Principles. New York:
Harper & Row, 1985.

Duistermaat, Henneke. “7 Simple steps to writing product descriptions that sell.”

Entrepreneur Asia Pacific. Accessed April 15, 2020.
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/230628.

Gregory, Allysa. “Why you should create a prototype for your small business.”
The Balance Small Business. Accessed April 15, 2020.
https://www.thebalancesmb.com/why-you-should-create-a-prototype-for-your-sm
all-business-4173059.

Hisrich, Robert, Michael Peters, and Dean Shepherd. Entrepreneurship 9th edition.
Mc-Graw-Hill International Edition, 2013.

Matson, Marquis. “8 easy rules to write product descriptions that sell (with examples).”
ReferralCandy. Accessed April 15, 2020.
https://www.referralcandy.com/blog/product-descriptions-that-sell/#easy-to-scan

Nelson, Cherie. “4 steps to build your product’s first prototype.” Athgo. Accessed
April 15, 2020. http://athgo.org/4-steps-build-products-first-prototype/.

Pahwa, Aashish. “What is a prototype? Examples. Types and qualities.” Feedough.

Accessed April 16, 2020. https://www.feedough.com/what-is-a-prototype/.

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