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Technical Requirements for Smart Hardware Product Managers

Hardware Knowledge

  • Hardware Design: Basic knowledge of hardware design (implementing hardware functions with software, cost reduction is always the main theme of hardware development)
  • ID/MD Design: The appearance of a product greatly affects its sales, and the design should also be feasible for manufacturing.
  • Production and Manufacturing: The designed product must be producible, and a general understanding of the production process is necessary.

Software Knowledge

  • Embedded Software: Firmware functions should be efficient but not overly complex; online firmware upgrades for the app should be added as early as possible, and forced upgrades should be supported.
  • App: The app should be simple and not too complicated. It should facilitate and guide users to upgrade, including updating the app/firmware, in order to achieve rapid iteration.
  • Backend Services: This refers to cloud services. It includes various modules and interfaces that can support the integration of front-end apps and ROMs with various functions and data. For small-scale projects, it is recommended to use third-party services instead of reinventing the wheel.
  • Management Backend: This includes CMS/BOSS systems, data platforms, etc. It includes user management systems, device management systems, operation platforms, data statistics and reports, BI analysis systems, big data, etc.

Production Management Software

  • Unique IDs/MAC addresses need to be added to the product, and it is necessary to understand how to coordinate with the production management system and how to operate the PMC. Whether data needs to be synchronized to the management backend should be prepared before production.

Third-Party Integration

  • HomeKit/Mi Home/WeChat Hardware, etc.: The integration documentation of mainstream hardware platforms should be thoroughly read and understood.
  • Third-Party Account Systems: Such as WeChat/QQ login, etc.
  • Third-Party Sharing: Such as WeChat Moments/Weibo/Twitter/Facebook, etc. This is a must-do for smart hardware.
  • Third-Party Cloud Services: Such as AWS/Ayla/Aliyun/JiGuanCloud, etc.
  • Google Analytics/Baidu Analytics/Umeng, etc.: Operations should be driven by data as much as possible.

Market/Competitor Analysis

  • Use products from various companies: Know yourself and know your competitors.
  • Pay attention to evaluations: Understand the evaluations of your own products and competitors on mainstream sales platforms, app stores, media reports, and communicate more with peers.

References and Acknowledgments

Article Author: Power Lin Original Article: https://wiki-power.com Copyright Statement: This article is licensed under the CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license. Please indicate the source when reprinting.

This post is translated using ChatGPT, please feedback if any omissions.