Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
Is there a market for what I want to make?
How big is that market?
Who are my target users?
What do my target users want?
What do my users need this product to do?
Which features do I need to add to make this usable?
Which features are critical and which ones are optional?
How much can I charge for this and still make a profit?
How many of these will I make?
What is my deadline? Will someone else scoop me by getting to market first?
Do I want this to be a kit?
(If assembled) Will I make this myself, or will I contract it to a manufacturer?
Does this product require any regulatory certifications (e.g., child safety, FCC,
FDA, CE)?
Answering these questions will give you an idea of your starting requirements such as
target audience (useful for beta testing and good usability design), required versus option-
al functionality, maximum materials and assembly cost, timeline, and assembly method.
Many details can be worked out on paper or during the initial design phase, such as
whether a specific type of amplifier IC (integrated circuit) is readily available in the
volumes you'll need to buy. As mentioned earlier, however, a lot of different design inputs
will inevitably crop up during your design phase that may impact your product, but that
you won't learn about until after you've built the first prototype and either tested it your-
self or given it to someone to try out. These issues include the following problems:
Your prototype circuit doesn't work. At. All.
Your circuit only works … sort of.
Your circuit works, but it breaks easily.
The LCD you were using isn't made anymore.
The library part for your microcontroller had flipped pin assignments.
You made the PCB's through holes for your LEDs too small.
You misaligned your board-to-board headers. Your boards won't mate.
You just realized your bill of materials cost is over budget.
NASA called. Even they couldn't build your kit.
