Fri Nov 17 2023
3 min readI decode various stages of hardware product development and the intricacies at each stage.
In the initial stages of developing the SmartBoard at Next Home, decisions were like navigating through the fog—unclear and shrouded in uncertainty for the future. Some choices felt right at the moment but left us questioning their viability in the long run, and vice versa. Connecting with other hardware enthusiasts in the Hardware Mafia community and our customers at Makenica showed me that our challenges were shared.
Challenges like this inspired me to write about the intricacies of hardware startup struggles. Building on my previous article, The Hard Things About Building a Hardware Startup, let’s now explore the details of various stages of product development.
Every stage in hardware development comes with its unique set of demands. Transitioning from one phase to the next requires not just a change in gears but a fundamental shift in mindset. Although a lot of aspects of these stages are shared with “pure software” products, I will be looking at them in terms of a hardware product.
This is the phase when you have an idea and want to quickly test it.
Here, you iterate and move closer to your product.
At this stage, you think you have a product that can sell.
At this point, you are producing replicas as fast and cheaply as possible.
Developing hardware products is like a journey with different stages, each telling its own story. Priorities and challenges change, requiring a constant dance of adaptation. Remember, success comes from moving forward in the development process, not getting stuck at any one stage for longer than is required. The ability to make correct decisions regarding it is what separates the better product builders.
Disclaimer: Assistance from generative AI tools was used for this post.