
Hardware is hard. But crowdfunding and rapidย prototyping technologies are making it a little easier, sayย MakeUseOf alums Erez Zuckerman and Yaara Lancet, the duo behind the ErgoDox EZ keyboard.
“The ErgoDox EZ simply wouldnโt have happened in 2005,” Zuckerman toldย Matthew Hughesย inย a worthwhileย MakeUseOf profile. “The tools designed to prototype the kit simply didnโt exist. Neither did 3D printing, and there was no means of crowdfunding the product.”
A software startup might require only a laptop, programming know-how, and some marketing chops.ย Hardware used to take boggling more resources, but 3D printers, development boards, and other rapid prototyping technologies have already lowered the barrier to access significantly.
And crowdfundingย not only did away with the need to apply for a loan toย get upfront capital, according toย Zuckerman and Lancet, but also let them validate the idea and make sureย there was a market.
Another benefit, they said, was the ease of communication. The pair used their Indiegogoย pageย to update customers on developments and a ship date, and also found that it was a convenient channel to manage backer expectations.
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