I’m a non technical person seeking to build a connected fitness device. Would you advise i learn to code from scratch (zero coding exp) or outsource eng help from my own pocket? Pros and cons of both?
Outsource
When I read "whether you should learn to code" to build an embedded system/consumer electronic device, that is when I knew you f*cked up. Just in case, there is a lot more than coding to build an embedded system. In fact, for most purposes, the software side is the simplest. You need to be able to at least to design PCBs, read and understand electronic specs and know about manufacturing. If you know this part then coding should be definitely worth learning.
I’ve done a few robot projects on instructables, but I’d still rate my knowledge at elementary. Good to know what I would need to know on that front. Thank you!
Don't be discouraged. Do whichever you want. Don't overthink it
Lol if you have $5k, outsourcing isn’t an option my friend.
To be honest, the fact that you think it is probably indicates that you have absolutely no idea what you are getting yourself into. Good luck with your fitness device.
Sounds like you need both hardware and software, hardware is hard. Find a co-founder if possible.
Thanks so much for the well thought out response! I’m taking notes on all these points and examples for me to dive deeper on. I’m working towards getting funding by building an mvp, so recruiting a team to build great hardware and in app user experience is my intention down the line.
A few years back I was in a similar position to the one you are in right now. As I delved deeper into what is all required to actually make a decent product I realized how absurd it was that I thought I could do it without massive amounts of funding. I recently was chatting with someone who has worked on multiple wearables and he said if you really really know what you are doing and have a team of that you already know how to work with well, you might be able to get producing it down to $250,000 (but that’s pushing it). After playing around a bit, I dropped the wearable idea and switched to just focusing on building out the app portion. I’d recommend finding a wearable that has similar functionality and pairing your app with it. If you are dead set on making a wearable, this can serve as your mvp, but going through this process might show you that you don’t have to go through the trouble of making hardware yourself. The good stuff will likely be in your algorithm anyways, so this can serve as a dual purpose (prove the validity of your algorithm + mvp). Good luck!
Thanks! I took your advice and got a hardware with similar functionality. To be exact, it’s a smart food scale. Given that the technical details of the product aren’t public, how would you establish an app connection to the hardware? It connects via WiFi and light sensor.
See if you can tap into the api, if it’s not immediately clear, reach out to the company or you may have to hack some stuff together.
How much free time and spare money do you have? Apparently outsourcing to India is quite cheap, but check how well Boeing did.
20 hours/week and $5k
You have 5k and you want to build a new piece of consumer electronics? Lol.