Consultant Insights: Creating a Prototype for a Medtech App

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In this Episode

• 02:44 The Importance of Visual Presentation
• 11:10 The Role of User Feedback in Development
• 13:56 Balancing Features and Costs
• 19:57 The Importance of Continuous Feedback and Investment
• 28:16 Understanding Proposals and Budgeting
• 33:23 Building Long-Term Partnerships and Transparency

Quotes From This Episode

Part of the reason to develop the prototype is to figure out the pathway to take. Part of this conversation should be, be very open to asking good questions of yourself, the rest of your team, et cetera, so you could get to the point. That’s why it always starts with why.

Scott Zeitzer

Get something launched, get feedback, refine your intentions for phase two, phase three off of very meaningful data and insights. You’re never gonna get everything right upfront.

Justin Bantuelle

It’s making sure that you’re working with the right partner to help solicit the correct considerations and build to the right level of maturity in that first pass. Just be wary of what you don’t know and make sure you talk to somebody who’s been there done that to help get you the right answers to your questions and the right plan for what you need today, and what you need tomorrow, and what you need next month and next year.

Justin Bantuelle

Creating an Effective Prototype for a Medtech App

Note: This article originally ran in the Journal of Orthopaedic Experience & Innovation (JOEI) on October 5, 2025.

When a medical device is going to have a digital component like an app, creating a prototype before you invest in developing the full app can be very beneficial. It helps you clarify the vision for your product, which in turn can help you secure investors and buy-in from key user groups.

Medtech entrepreneurs should not treat app prototypes as an afterthought in the development process, even when the app is not the main component of your offering. Prototypes help you clearly show off your vision, plan out your development process accordingly, and allow you to adjust course before full development starts if needed.

When we work with a medtech company to develop a prototype, we generally advise the following things:

Before You Start

1. Clearly Define Your Goals

Before working with a developer on your app prototype, the first step should always be to clearly define your goals. A prototype gives you a tangible way to show investors where you are going with your product and what the fully-realized version could eventually look like. Often, people can’t visualize what you are planning with words alone.

The idea here is not to create a fully-functional version of the app, but to show off the “why” behind it. What need does the app serve? How does it enhance your overall offering and the customer experience? These are the things you should have in mind throughout the process.

2. Determine What Level of Functionality Is Needed & Find the Right Balance

Typically, a prototype is not a fully functional app, but what constitutes a prototype can vary greatly depending on what you need to convey. In some cases, you may be able to convey what you need with a Figma mockup or simple clickable prototype. In other cases, you may benefit from a web-enabled prototype that is a bit more interactive. In either case, your goal should be to clearly show where you are planning on going with the app.

Also, remember that investors respond well to a polished presentation. While your prototype doesn’t need to be fully functional, it should be a well-presented concept that clearly conveys your branding. At the same time, you don’t want to over-invest in developing features in the prototype phase; if you have to rework anything based on user or investor feedback, it could be quite costly.

3. Identify Data Sources Early On

While you typically aren’t connecting data sources to your app during the prototype phase, it’s still important to plan for which data sources you will be using and how you will connect them. This ensures that you can develop your prototype in a way that allows you to eventually connect the data in, and also helps you account for the costs of doing so to ensure that your plans fit within your budget.

Discussing data sources with your developers early on can help you better understand associated costs and budget accordingly.

Once Your Prototype Is Built

Once you have your initial version complete, you can transition from “build” mode back to learning and planning.

4. Collect Feedback Early and Often

It’s important to solicit feedback from users from the beginning to continue to improve your app. 

You’ll likely have KOLs involved who will share their thoughts on your current features, but keep in mind that these are your power users and may not be representative of your average user. It’s also important to gain feedback from your larger user base. It may not be feasible to regularly send surveys to each user (and responses can be mixed when you do), but you can use analytics to glean insights from all of your users.

We recommend having analytics installed on your app from the beginning, as it can uncover a lot of behaviors that users may not be able to articulate. For example, if common user behaviors deviate from your intended use for the app, that indicates a need to investigate further and possibly make changes to better guide users through the process.

5. Plan for Future Iterations

The most important thing to note with app development is that you are never really “done” with development as long as the app is still in use.

Ideally, your future iterations of the app will incorporate new features that benefit your users because this helps to ensure customer loyalty and continued use of the app. However, there are other reasons you might need to update your app beyond adding new features. The tech stacks you used to build the app — the hosting environment, programming languages, frameworks, and other technical components — may change, browser features change, security requirements may evolve. All of these things can require updates to your app to keep it functioning and/or meet regulatory requirements.

Conclusion

When done right, prototypes are not just demos of your product for investors and customers. They can be strategic tools for planning, funding, and growth. To get the most out of your prototype, work with experienced partners and vendors who can guide you through a phased development process that ensures each phase builds upon the previous one. This enables a more efficient rollout and potential cost savings in the long run.