Hardware for software folks 101

Source: iFixit

If you’re reading this, chances are you’re a software person who’s hardware curious. That’s awesome — all are welcome in hardware! We’re seeing a trend of folks wanting to make physical things that run their custom software these days, which is way more fun than yet another app. We’ve been helping companies design killer hardware for over a decade now, and this guide is intended to help make the transition into hardware easier. I’ve curated a few articles and resources that should help with the transition from digital to physical. 

First up, let’s get our feet underneath us. The hardware community loves acronyms, and it can feel a bit gate-keepery. Let’s solve that with a crash course on some common acronyms. Next, since you’re coming from a software background, I think it’s important we talk about a few traps I’ve seen similar folks fall into. 

Trap 1: Timelines

The biggest killer of funding and companies in general has to do with unreasonable timelines. Software and hardware timelines are completely different, and there’s a good reason. You have one shot to release safe, reliable, and high quality hardware to the world — and fixing it later is incredibly expensive. Maybe the most important lesson to learn early on is that speed kills in hardware development.

There are shortcuts you can take to save time, but I recommend working with someone more experienced in hardware to help you identify these shortcuts and the tradeoffs associated with them. I’ve worked with teams that expedite each and every prototype, only to find they’ve blown through their hardware budget before the product is ready. They also publicly broadcast insane timelines to their funding partners, customers, or general public — and then burn cash trying to catch up. Take your time, do it right, and save the stress and budget.

I also highly recommend engaging with a contract manufacturer early on to align on the timelines needed for tooling, certification, manufacturing, and shipping. A good manufacturing partner is vital to a company’s success. For the majority of folks, I still recommend manufacturing in China instead of the USA.

Trap 2: Design for manufacturing

The second major issue I run into with software founders is the sunk-cost fallacy. It’s great that you may have built a prototype using a developer kit and a 3D-printed housing, but you need to take a step back and redesign things with mass manufacturing in mind if you want to make thousands of your device. Typically, this means redesigning your parts for injection molding. You’ll improve product fit and finish, reduce part costs, increase reliability, and have a higher chance of passing certifications. 

Also keep in mind that the development process is iterative, not a straight line (I like to call it a corn maze). As you move from prototype into production, your prototypes will become more refined and the manufacturing methods you use will change and evolve as well. A good technical lead can help re-architect your prototype and guide you through the process. I personally love doing this part.

Trap 3: Building the wrong team

When building your company, one of the first decisions you need to make is who you’ll need to hire internally or contract out. For most companies, I recommend contracting out industrial design, mechanical engineering, and electrical engineering. Contracting out firmware development is common, but can also make a very solid first technical hire as well. It all depends on the product and team.

Sadly, the hardware world has its share of predatory firms and individuals. Look out for these red flags when vetting firms and agencies, and I recommend avoiding the “race to the bottom” mentality of freelance marketplaces. You want to find a team that can grow and adapt to your needs as your product and company grows. 

Trap 4: Fizzling out with the go-to-market strategy

Building killer hardware is only half the battle. You need to get your product in front of the right people and convince them to buy it too. This is typically not a strength of us engineers, which is why you need a great go-to-market strategy and team working on your side. Depending on your strategy, you may need to craft a prelaunch campaign before you choose a launch strategy and then ensure you scale and have the right support and fulfillment partners ready.  

After you launch, you may want to try and get into retail stores, get featured on Shark Tank, or pitch to VCs to try and invest. The right marketing experts can help you decide the correct strategy for your company based on your product sector, funding, and background.

Wrapping it up

So if you clicked and read all those articles, I applaud you! You now know more than the average founder and have a serious leg up on the competition. You’ll notice a trend throughout all of this, which is that the right team at the right time is indispensable. This is exactly why informal exists! We’d love to chat and help you through your hardware journey. My favorite part of the day is talking with founders and seeing how we can supercharge their teams!

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informal is a freelance collective for the most talented independent professionals in hardware and hardtech. Whether you’re looking for a single contractor, a full-time employee, or an entire team of professionals to work on everything from product development to go-to-market, informal has the perfect collection of people for the job.