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Product Design & Development First-timer

Former Member

Hi all,

 

I have a question I hope no-one minds I ask.

I'm a software developer by hobby and trade - specifically Windows and the .Net framework, with a heavy interest (but no recent practice) in electronics and integrated systems.

 

For a long time now I've been working on a touch orientated EPOS package that I want to see brought to life on it's own platform.

Now my software isn't super-duper fancy, but it does carry lots of features you generally only see from the likes of NCR etc..

 

I have a bunch of sketches and ideas of what I want it to look like, what hardware I want in it etc, but I have no idea where to go to from there to help even produce a prototype or mockup.

 

I don't have access to a 3D printer and my budget is extremely limited.

Normally I'd pickup a CAD package but it would take far to long for me to get to grips with and I'm not confident I'd even be able to design something even half decent.

 

What options are available to me? Are there product design / prototyping companies out there that can make sence of my sketches and ideas?

Is there a way of finding out if my idea is even worth getting passed the design phase?

 

Does anyone else have similar experience they can share as guidance?

 

I'd really appreciate some help,

Many thanks!

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  • 0

    It's a bit hard to advise you without knowing where you are based (ie which country).

     

    There are loads of people who will take your money to make a prototype - from what you said about funds this isn't a route you can take.

     

    To test the idea you need to talk to people in the business - I know one in the UK but I think you would struggle to get  a hearing.

     

    It sounds to me as if all you have is an idea and that can be very, very hard to sell. If you can patent it then that will help (but cost more money).

     

    If you twisted my arm to make a guess I doubt that it would be possible to get an EPOS concept to market for less than £1e6 (there are an awful  lot of well dug in players in that market)  but it could easily be more - so you will need a partner with funds to take it very far.

     

    MK

  • 0 in reply to michaelkellett

    Mikael, please can you explain what you mean better? Sorry, I have not understood :

     

    Enrico

  • 0 in reply to balearicdynamics

    Happy to explain more, Enrico, which part of my post isn't making sense ?

     

    MK

  • 0 in reply to michaelkellett

    Michael, I have not understood, that's different that your post isn't making sense. It's me that I have not clear what you mean exactly

     

    It sounds to me as if all you have is an idea and that can be very, very hard to sell. If you can patent it then that will help (but cost more money).

    If you twisted my arm to make a guess I doubt that it would be possible to get an EPOS concept to market for less than £1e6 (there are an awful  lot of well dug in players in that market)  but it could easily be more - so you will need a partner with funds to take it very far.

     

    eheh image

  • 0 in reply to balearicdynamics

    Well as I see it the OP has an idea about how to make a better EPOS (Electronic Point of Sale) machine - he doesn't give us details so we are guessing quite  a lot.

     

    To turn that into a product and make money from it he has a huge amount of work to do - and it will take a lot of investment for design (hardware and software), tooling, testing, certification etc.

     

    But even once he has a product it will take huge resources to market it because this is  a well developed market with many big powerful suppliers.

     

    The OP says he has no funds so he will need to convince someone else to provide the money for development.

     

    Unless he can protect his idea it will be very difficult to even discuss it with other people. If it is protectable his best bet is to talk to a well established operator in the marketplace - they will steal his idea if they can and will place a very low value on it if they can't. It is never easy to get investment in just an idea.

     

    The other approach is to find a venture capitalist and convince them that it's a good idea - VCs are much less likely to steal the basic idea but very hard to convince.

     

    The best ways to get finance are different in different countries.

     

    In my 12 years or so as an independent engineer I have seen several ideas from lone inventors and not one has ever turned into a real business. One or two look as if they might but they have been willing to set up companies, raise funds and try to build the whole business from scratch.

     

    Hope that helps.

     

    MK

  • 0 in reply to michaelkellett

    Thank you Michael, all is clear. Before it was not. Thank you for the explication.

     

    By my personal point of view, just a case that I am also involved in this market too, I have personal ideas (that differs from this thread I suppose) about POS (aka EPOS), revolutionary POS and patenting too.

     

    Cheers, Enrico

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