How NASA's "Technology Readiness Level" could help you launch.

It's sometimes difficult for entrepreneurs to gauge whether or not their product "ready" to launch into the market. It's understandable. Nowadays, a product consists of many moving parts, figuratively and literally. You're likely building the software, hardware and additional digital content. Weaving it all together to create a quality product is not as simple as following an interactive chart on Monday or Asana. To help understand the maturity level of their technology NASA uses a measurement system they call, "Technology Readiness Level" or TRL. This system allows them to rate the project's progress.

How can you implant a similar TRL measurement system to your company's mission?

NASA's TRL:

To read more about it, check out the article on NASA's page:

https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/heo/scan/engineering/technology/txt_accordion1.html

Categorizing Your Healthcare Product

When you have a better understanding of where your product lies in the ecosystem of healthcare products, you can simplify your efforts in the research process.

To help our clients gain insight into their product category and end-users' behaviors, wants and needs, we've created this diagram.

3 Simple Ways to Improve Your Product & Save Your Company from the effects of the COVID19 Pandemic

This article will tackle 3 different cost-effective tactics that can be applied by consumer tech startups in order to adapt to the current market without adding to their ‘fix costs’.

Right now, your customers are reorganizing their priorities (particularly their finances). How would that affect you? As the number of unemployment rates continues to climb rapidly, your customers will need you to show up for them in a new way to stay relevant to their lives.

1. Adapt your message -

Stay true to your mission

Of all the things they “could” or “want” be spending on during this time, they will remain loyal to the products and services that understand their current needs. Be adaptable - for everyone's sake. Help your customers find some comfort in your service or product.

When things are relatable they bring comfort and familiarity.

Put yourself in your customer’s shoes. You may already fit in your own ideal customer demographic but imagine you’re experiencing the product or service at this point in time. Jot down what brings them chaos, stress as well as sheer pleasure and excitement. Craft your website copy, marketing assets and campaign emails to speak directly to them. Show them you understand their journey. And as a bonus - if you’re product and service can give them a solution to a current problem - well then, fantastic! If not, that’s ok too. Like anyone else out there, they want to be reassured that there’s hope in these uncertain times - find a way to support. This will show them that you care to listen and understand, and are ultimately coming from a genuine place.

2. Avoid disappointment right out of the gate -

Upgrade your ‘unboxing’ experience

Minor improvements in the overall packaging could improve the quality associated with your product. This can be done at a reasonably low cost, without ever altering your current product. The customer’s experience with your product begins when they are unboxing the product (everything before that, can be attributed to marketing). For instance, unwrapping an Apple product feels like you’re unpacking a much-anticipated gift to yourself. Now imagine your MacBook was shipped in a bubble-wrapped cardboard box or bagged in a plain plastic bag - how disappointed would you be? Your enthusiasm for the product would drop, drastically. Now put yourself in your customer’s shoes. Order the product to your house. Go through the entire process as though it were your first time purchasing this product. Be mindful of the experience as you are going through the ordering process and the unboxing experience. Write down what you would improved.

"Recently, I ordered this seemingly well-rated dog tracker. I was excited about it! The app looked beautiful and the product looked easy to use. It had the basic feature I was looking for - tracking within set parameters. Great. I ordered it and several days later, it’s delivered to my door.

The box graphics are better than average but when I opened the box, the product fell out of its tray and fell onto the table like a cheap toy from a party bag.

The other supporting parts were bagged in a thin ziplock bag that made the entire thing looked cheap. Instantaneously, I was underwhelmed".

It’ll be extremely difficult to be impressed after that initial disappointment. That’s what your customer is experiencing. Their initial point of contact with your product feels like a disappointment. Why not ensure that the quality of the product reflects the company by elevating its packaging game.

Chances are that your favorite products are that has great emotional significance or it’s once that made you say ‘wow’ from the very initial point of contact, the minute you begin to unravel it…

3. Understand the shitty parts of your product -

Knowledge is power: Understanding the ‘negative feedback’ of your current product

Most of us will do anything to avoid ‘pain’. It’s likely that you’re actually doing your best to avoid reading through these negative reviews of your product until an investor asks you ‘what could be improved’. Honestly, this part sucks. Filtering through endless messages from strangers telling you “what’s wrong” with your product and “how it can be improved” is hardly a task you can get excited about. But, what if this is an opportunity to get deeper insights about your product. Small adjustments can lead to better sales performance. By looking through the data, you may find that there may be a glitch in the app that decreases its performance. Perhaps the user interface of the app or physical product can be improved with minor changes. If you prefer not to do it yourself, get someone else to do it for you. Over the years, we’ve helped startups gain valuable insights from their customers ‘pain points and consolidating the data for the team to improve their current product.

Let us know if you have any tips of your own to share or if you’d like to be a featured guest.

If you’d like more information on the solutions in this article, feel free to contact us at info@hardwarefuel.com

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Hardwarefuel is a global design and manufacturing consultancy specializing in the development of consumer electronics in the health and wellness space.