# 129: The Best Hardware Product Development Processes

- Show: [Product Startup](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup)
- Published: 2022-06-15
- Length: 20m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2022-06-15-129-the-best-hardware-product-development-processes
- Listen: https://productstartup.com/

## Summary

John Carter, former Chief Engineer at Bose and founder of TCGen, explains how hardware startups can adopt best practices from major brands like Apple and Amazon. He emphasizes that innovation requires dedicated budget and 'adjacency' to core competencies, warning against feature creep and early customer exposure. Carter advocates for an adapted Agile approach in hardware, focusing on empowered teams, rotating feedback sources, and the critical role of industrial design in communicating product value.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2022-06-15-129-the-best-hardware-product-development-processes#t=0) Introduction: John Carter and TCGen
- [4:59](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2022-06-15-129-the-best-hardware-product-development-processes#t=299) Innovation Strategy: Budget, Adjacency, and Deferring Feedback
- [8:42](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2022-06-15-129-the-best-hardware-product-development-processes#t=522) Agile in Hardware: Iteration vs. Feature Creep
- [11:44](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2022-06-15-129-the-best-hardware-product-development-processes#t=704) Empowered Teams and Rotating Feedback Sources
- [15:09](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2022-06-15-129-the-best-hardware-product-development-processes#t=909) The Critical Role of Industrial Design

## Topics

- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)
- [Industrial & consumer product design](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/industrial-design)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)
- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies, companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Bose (company)
- TCGen (company)
- Apple (company)
- Amazon (company)
- Sony (company)
- Toshiba (company)
- Sharp (company)
- Mako Design + Invent (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [#066 - How to apply lean startup principles to hardware, with Ash Maurya of Leanstack, USA](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-hardware-entrepreneur/2019-01-16-066-how-to-apply-lean-startup-principles-to-hardware-with-ash-maurya-of-leanstac) (The Hardware Entrepreneur)
- [S3 E1: Mastering Tech Adoption and The Hardware Development Workflow with Jon Hirshtick](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-builder-circle/2025-09-30-s3-e1-mastering-tech-adoption-and-the-hardware-development-workflow-with-jon-hir) (The Builder Circle)
- [#064 - To transform or not to transform your hardware company to an all agile one next year, with Balint Horvath, Switzerland](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-hardware-entrepreneur/2018-11-21-064-to-transform-or-not-to-transform-your-hardware-company-to-an-all-agile-one-n) (The Hardware Entrepreneur)
- [S1 E2: Mastering the Art of Modern Hardware Development and Innovation with Tyler Mincey](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-builder-circle/2023-05-15-s1-e2-mastering-the-art-of-modern-hardware-development-and-innovation-with-tyler) (The Builder Circle)
- [S2E51 The Hardware Academy | John Teel](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2021-12-03-s2e51-the-hardware-academy-john-teel) (Being an Engineer)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2022-06-15-129-the-best-hardware-product-development-processes. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Product Startup.