It is necessary to prototype and so many companies skip this vital step. When designing everything from medical devices to children's toys, Vanessa has utilized a user centered design process to ask questions about what works, what doesn't, what can be improved, and what needs to change.

Vanessa runs prototyping workshops, courses and talks, and conducts prototyping for product and service development. She knows that to have a successful product or service, one needs to try it with the actual users in their actual context.

Companies need to be brave and take intelligent risks, learning through doing, and iteratively evolving throughout the process.