This document discusses co-designing software and hardware to create great products. It recommends a user-centered iterative design process involving concept testing, paper prototypes, software simulations, simulated hardware, prototyping hardware, and eventually custom hardware. The goals are to preserve progress between prototypes, make user tests authentic, and take small jumps between generations to save time and costs. This approach allows focusing on other priorities like industrial design, apps, user testing, marketing, and business development.

1. KickingDownSilos
Co-DesigningSoftware&Hardware
toCreateGreatProducts

2. TheGoal:GreatProducts

3. WhatMakesThemSpecial?
Hardware
Device
Software
Companion
Apps

4. KinomaPL AT FO R M R U N TI M E
Studio
Create

5. Waterfall
Verification
Maintenance
Requirements Product requirements document
Design Software architecture
Implementation Software

6. User-CenteredIterativeDesign
DESIGN PROTOTYPE TEST
ITERATE
Concept

7. User-CenteredIterativeDesign
DESIGN PROTOTYPE TEST
ITERATE
Concept
Paper/“WizardofOz”
LowFidelity
HighFidelity
(Near)Production
DESIGN PROTOTYPE TEST
ITERATE
DESIGN PROTOTYPE TEST
ITERATE
DESIGN PROTOTYPE TEST
ITERATE
DESIGN PROTOTYPE TEST
ITERATE

8. Platformvs.Application
Platform/hardware
iterative design
Software
iterative design

9. Co-Design

10. Stages
1. Concept testing
2. Paper/“Wizard of Oz”
3. Software Simulation
4. Simulated Hardware
5. Prototyping Hardware
6. Custom hardware

11. ProcessGoals
• Preserve progress between prototypes
– Application code
– I/O libraries
– Look and feel

12. ProcessGoals
• Preserve progress between prototypes
– Application code
– I/O libraries
– Look and feel
• Make user tests as authentic as possible

13. ProcessGoals
• Preserve progress between prototypes
– Application code
– I/O libraries
– Look and feel
• Make user tests as authentic as possible
• Small jumps between prototype generations
– Cost
– Time

14. ProductConcept:TheSmartToaster

15. SoftwareSimulation
Software
Kinoma Platform
Runtime (KPR)
Native
Interpreted
HTML
Mobile app
framework
Android
iOS

16. HardwareSimulation
Software
Simulated
Hardware
Kinoma Platform
Runtime (KPR)
Native
Interpreted
HTML
Mobile app
framework
Android
iOS
Kinoma simulator
Simulator
for Arduino
CPU emulator
(e.g. QEMU)
Android simulator
iOS simulator

17. Off-the-ShelfPrototypingHardware
Software
Simulated
Hardware
Prototyping
Hardware
Kinoma Platform
Runtime (KPR)
Native
Interpreted
HTML
Mobile app
framework
Android
iOS
Kinoma simulator
Simulator
for Arduino
CPU emulator
(e.g. QEMU)
Android simulator
iOS simulator
Kinoma Create
Arduino
Galileo
PIC Dev
Raspberry Pi
BeagleBone
Android + IOIO
× ×

18. S’tôaster
Better Toast,
BetterYou

19. (Affordable)CustomHardware
Software
Simulated
Hardware
Prototyping
Hardware
Custom
Hardware
Kinoma Platform
Runtime (KPR)
Native
Interpreted
HTML
Mobile app
framework
Android
iOS
Kinoma simulator
Simulator
for Arduino
CPU emulator
(e.g. QEMU)
Android simulator
iOS simulator
Kinoma Create
Arduino
Galileo
PIC Dev
Raspberry Pi
BeagleBone
Android + IOIO
Marvell ARM
x86
MIPS
ARM× × ×
×
××
×
×
×

20. • Saving time allows you to focus on
• Industrial design
• Companion app
• User testing
• Community building
• Crowdfunding campaign management
• Investor relations
• Building a brand
Don’tRe-engineer:ExpandPriorities

21. Thankyou!
@PrototypingAndy
@Kinoma

22. • “Grain Storage Silos” photo from flickr.com/katsrcool, used
under CC Attribution 2.0 Generic license
• “Inclinometer on Arduino” photo from flickr.com/
27164521@N00, used under CC Attribution 2.0 Generic
license
• “BeagleBone” photo from flickr.com/embecosm, used under
CC Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license
Credits