[Anupam Goli]

In an ideal world, every design idea that comes up is put to the test and the superior design will show its superior performance, ending any debate on others that do not show similar performance during a test. That being said, not every FRC team has the resources to rigorously test ideas to the end and see which ones are best. As previously mentioned, weighted design matrix tables, mathematical and physical calculation, and proof of concepts can be used to eliminate certain designs from the pool or promote prototyping of other designs.

It's okay to prototype more than one mechanism, and as the prototypes get more and more refined, you'll start to see the differences, and it may be enough for your team to cast their decision one way or another. Voting is the absolute last resort thing you do at 11:59pm on decision day, and even then it sometimes isn't the best answer!