Eight "pitfalls" that smart hardware startups need to avoid

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1. Intelligence for the sake of intelligence

"We cannot be smart just for the sake of being smart. Any technology is a means, not an end. Intelligence itself is to serve hardware and products, making them more practical and more interesting."

"The starting point of intelligent technology is not to transform hardware, but to meet user needs. Intelligent technology is to solve the rigid needs of users that traditional technology cannot solve."

2. Create user scenarios

"Good smart hardware should be like the 'tap water' at home. Users don't feel the existence of the 'tap water'. Whenever they need to use it, they can just turn on the tap and use it conveniently."

3. Obsession with market data

"In the early stages of development, we did not conduct large-scale market research, but instead found the most typical representatives from the target group of the product. Our product is aimed at people aged 18 to 25, so we chose a designer born in the 1990s to be the industrial designer of the product. Only young people know what they think is coolest."

"Our products are mainly aimed at the elderly. Designers occasionally go to communities and squares to chat with the elderly and observe their needs. At the same time, we conduct follow-up surveys after the product is launched. This seems to have a better effect."

4. Lack of cross-border capabilities

"Smart hardware is not intended to subvert an industry, but to respect industrial manufacturing. If a smart water cup has a leaking problem, it cannot be considered smart. Industrial production has a history of thousands of years and has its own laws. The production of smart hardware cannot violate these laws."

“People in the entrepreneurial team should have different backgrounds, some cross-border capabilities, and a passion for the product, and the ability to learn unknown things. At every stage of production, they should be able to learn and understand quickly.”

5. Lack of rapid iteration

“Smart hardware requires designers to have a stronger overall perspective and make the hardware more scalable.”

"It took only six months for our first-generation product to be released online. At that time, the product did not fully meet the original design intent and had some flaws, but they did not affect the basic functions of the product. We used this product to verify the real needs of users. If we had waited until the final version was produced before launching it online, it might have been too late."

6. Choosing the wrong supplier

"At different stages of smart hardware development, it is critical to select companies with matching technology. Some startup smart hardware teams choose large-scale suppliers, but the matching degree is not high and communication is not smooth."

"When choosing suppliers, we focus most on whether the concepts match and whether the technical capabilities can support the development ideas. The scale of the supplier in the early stage is not the most important thing."

7. Equating online sales with online experience

“Smart hardware should pay more attention to traditional sales. Most smart hardware is a non-standard product and needs to rely on physical stores for experiential marketing.”

"Many smart hardware products belong to niche products and are more suitable for sale in places where target consumer groups gather, whether online or offline. For example, products targeting young people need to be sold in places where young people often go."

8. Use hardware as a profit point

"If you only make a profit from the hardware itself, all you sell is the cost."

"The profit model of smart hardware can be divided into three levels: First, entrance. Attract users through product features and functions. Second, community. Relying on mobile APP and offline clubs, a group of people who use the product are concentrated on the same platform. Third, business. Through the social platform, continuously accumulate users, form business scenarios, and sell extended products and services."

"The connectivity of smart hardware can help people in niche markets expand their profit margins."