{"id":1463,"date":"2015-03-09T13:02:45","date_gmt":"2015-03-09T21:02:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thinkapps.com\/blog\/?p=1463"},"modified":"2016-03-31T16:08:50","modified_gmt":"2016-03-31T23:08:50","slug":"designing-hardware-jawbone-founder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thinkapps.com\/blog\/design\/designing-hardware-jawbone-founder\/","title":{"rendered":"Designing Hardware for the Internet of Things"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jawbone was one of the first major players in wearables. In fact, the\u00a0company has\u00a0been creating lifestyle hardware for over a decade. But founder and CEO Hosain Rahman<\/a><\/span> admits that the Internet of Things\u00a0is a bit of a mess and says they\u2019re looking to change that.<\/em><\/p>\n

With each of their products, Rahman said, \u201cI always like to start with the broadest thinking \u2026 We think that the conversation has shifted even beyond design into beauty. It’s the intersection of engineering meets beauty. The whole point is to help people have a better life with technology.\u201d<\/p>\n

The process at Jawbone<\/a> stays really big picture until it starts to get to the end, and that\u2019s part of what gives them an edge.\u00a0From their UP 24<\/a> fitness<\/a> tracker to the Jambox<\/a> Bluetooth speaker, Jawbone has continued to make gadgets and wearables that are at the top of their game.<\/p>\n

Rahman spoke as part of\u00a0Y Combinator<\/span><\/a>\u00a0founder\u00a0Sam Altman\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0How to Start a Startup<\/span><\/a>\u00a0series on how Jawbone has\u00a0continued to design hardware products that people can\u2019t live without.<\/p>\n

(For more startup advice, check out\u00a0How to Start a Startup: The Book<\/a><\/em>. It’s\u00a0the ultimate reference guide to creating a successful tech startup.)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"jawbone-internetofthings\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Looking Forward<\/h2>\n

Rahman said that most of the chaos surrounding the Internet of Things<\/a>\u00a0has to do with the fact that all of these apps and gadgets that we\u2019re plugged into aren\u2019t talking<\/a> to each other,\u00a0so they’re confined to their own feature set.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s really confusing for the user,” he said. “We think that there is a desperate need for an organizing principle around all of this. This is the core of when we start to think about how we build and opportunities to create products.\u201d<\/p>\n

The team continues to look forward to ensure that they\u2019re not just creating hardware of the moment, but of the generation. Rahman\u00a0explained:<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cWhat happens when we can dream in future? We really try to live into tomorrow \u2026 [and] the thing that we build today is a gradual stepping stone to graduate users.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Here are the two main principles Jawbone lives by:<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not about the things. It\u2019s about the users. <\/b>\u201cWhat we believe is that when you have things that are on your body 24\/7, they become a perfect context engine for everything in the world around you.\u201d<\/p>\n

You have to be good at the full stack. <\/b>Rahman said the “full stack” is the combination of software, services and data. When these three are exceptional, he said you can unlock the potential of something that works with the user and the rest of the world.<\/p>\n

Everything Is a System<\/h2>\n

For Jawbone, their process of creating new hardware is to keep things super creative and open<\/a> for as long as they can. Step by step, they narrow in on their vision, all along keeping in mind that what they\u2019re creating is going to become part of a larger system.<\/p>\n

\"jawbone-process\"<\/p>\n

Exploration<\/h3>\n

This is the brainstorming phase where the team dreams big and imagines products to fit into the direction that they see the world going. They think on what the brand stands for and how they can disrupt the market.<\/p>\n

Early Validation<\/h3>\n

The concepts that they\u2019ve dreamed up really start to hit paper. At this point, they\u2019re predicting where the\u00a0product can fit into the market and attempting to prove their theories.<\/p>\n

Concept<\/h3>\n

They continue to get closer and closer to brass tacks by mapping out the experience and how they’re going to tell the\u00a0story. They\u2019re really starting to explore what\u2019s possible.<\/p>\n

Planning<\/h3>\n

They start asking themselves, \u201cWhat are some of the tradeoffs we\u2019re going to have to make? What are the constraints?\u201d This will help them\u00a0further focus the\u00a0product.<\/p>\n

Development<\/h3>\n

During this phase, they merge their\u00a0teams and\u00a0talents and start to learn from their\u00a0users. <\/span><\/p>\n

Rahman said to ask, \u201c<\/span>What have we achieved? What haven’t we achieved? What have we learned from our users? How does that change what we’re thinking?\u201d<\/p>\n

Continued Innovation<\/h3>\n

They\u00a0launch the product and learn from users. They\u00a0see what the users think and where that stands in comparison to the direction they predicted.<\/p>\n

To really explore their products further, Jawbone uses what they call “Demo Friday.” They treat it like first-round funding and get people to pitch their ideas in real life.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s All About the WHYs<\/h2>\n

To stay grounded in your company\u2019s mission statement and ensure that your end product is solving the problem that you set out to solve, Rahamn said you have to keep questioning yourself:<\/p>\n