My First Hardware Startup: Rimo (8)

Rimo visual concepts

[ This series of articles is about my startup company, Rimo, from the conception of the idea, recruiting a team, producing prototypes, to fundraising. ]

We found a company called "Hatch Duo." We met them at CES. The "Duo" in the name comes from the fact that the company was founded by two friends. "Hatch" refers to the company's specialization in designing hardware and industrial design for startups. Hatch Duo itself is a startup. Both founders had been in the industry for many years and decided to start their own business and take on clients. We were one of their first clients and provided them with a non-trivial amount of funding. Their initial office was quite shocking; it was a tiny room with just enough space for a twin bed and a narrow walkway. A few months later, with the funding from our Rimo project, they were able to rent a larger room next door. When they gave me a tour of the new space and equipment, I could see the reflection of our Rimo money.

After several discussions with them, Hatch Duo identified 22 flaws in our original design, including loose assembly, difficult assembly, and errors in assembling. These issues needed to be corrected before the product could be commercialized. Given the high cost, we decided to start over from scratch and entrust them with the entire design process, except for the electrical circuits which they were less familiar with.

Previously, our approach was to start with the internal circuit board, then figure out what kind of shell to put it in, and finally have industrial design make it aesthetically pleasing. Hatch Duo believes that we should start from the users: who would use Rimo, and what kind of design would appeal to those users? For example, if tech enthusiasts are the target market, then a metallic, cool-toned design might be more attractive. On the other hand, if it's aimed at children or families, then warm colors or even a furry texture might be more appealing. Ultimately, we chose to incorporate multiple elements into Rimo's visual concept, including agility, liveliness, techy, connectivity, and the warmth of fabric materials.

Rimo visual concepts