It's only a Prototype

Bringing a physical product to market is never a straight line. It’s messy, unpredictable and full of costly mistakes. It’s only a Prototype is the podcast that tells the real stories behind product innovation. No hype. No polished PR spins. Just honest, hard-won insight from people who’ve lived it.

Hosted by Phil Staunton (Founder of D2M product design agency: https://www.design2market.co.uk/) who brings with him a wealth of industry experience and Tom Constable a seasoned podcast host and serial entrepreneur.

This show explores the unfiltered reality of designing, prototyping, manufacturing, and launching physical products.

Each episode features candid conversations with founders, product leads, engineers and innovation specialists who have faced down challenges in new product development (NPD). We learn what separates commercially successful products from costly flops, exploring real-world decisions, moments of uncertainty, and the lessons learned through failure.

This podcast is for you if you’re serious about turning good ideas into great products. Whether you’re:

- Leading innovation, product or R&D teams
- Founding and growing a product-based business
- Managing design and manufacturing processes
- Supporting product success through marketing, strategy or operations

…you’ll gain practical insight into the challenges that really matter.

We cover questions like:

- How do you balance innovation with commercial viability?
- How can you validate an idea before investing heavily?
- How do you manage stakeholder conflict, evolving product requirements or manufacturing risk?
- When do you push forward and when do you pivot or walk away?

From idea to shelf (and every stage in between), It’s only a Prototype is your behind-the-scenes guide to what it really takes to bring a physical product to life... and make it work.

• No. of episodes: 7
• Latest episode: 2025-07-01
• Arts Business Design Entrepreneurship

Where can you listen?