The Commercial Viability Framework

De-risking Your Hardware Innovation

What Makes Hardware Hard

  • The Build Trap: Build is expensive. You’re worried you might spend your limited runway building a product that the market doesn’t want.
  • The Funding Catch-22: You need traction to get funding. You need funding to generate traction.
  • The Development Fog: There are lots of features you could develop, but you don;t have clarity on what is essential for launch.

Why a Sprint First Approach?

Before building anything, we create a strategy focused on generating traction. This process strips features and technology back and asks: “What is your user proposition, and how can we test it”. This is about flipping the traditional development process on it’s head and building on what is essential to generate Evidence of Demand that investors and stakeholders need.

A structured 4-step process to validate demand and define your product before committing to technical development.

01. Problem Hypothesis

Understand exactly who you are serving, and why they should care?

Identify ‘bleeding neck’ users and early adopters. Not someone who could use your product. The ones who are crying out for it! We identify assumptions about users, and what we need to test through direct engagement.

Outcome:

  • Understand who you are designing for
  • Gain clarity on the specific, painful problem you are solving
  • Define what to test, and with whom

02. Value Proposition

Translate this problem into a clear proposition of your solution.

A direct translation of the problem space into an opportunity which you can clearly communicate to stakeholders. This is the first step in linking your product features and specifications with the problems directly experienced by users.

Outcome:

  • Create a clear vision of the value proposition for your users
  • Understand how your technology links directly to their problems

03. MSO Specification

What is the most efficient way for us to deliver this outcome to test demand?

‘A Minimum Saleable Offering’ (MSO) is a definition of the most efficient way we can deliver the proposed outcome to a paying customer. It might involve a service, a prototype or a product launch. Crucially, it allows us to test demand at the earliest opportunity.

Outcome:

  • A clear roadmap to your first paying customers
  • A vision for how you can deliver your proposed outcome

04. Execution Roadmap

An immediate action plan to execute the strategy

A strategy is one thing. But we don’t stop there. We create a bespoke execution roadmap to help you execute it. We identify critical risks and define technical activities necessary to ensure your plan can be executed quickly and effectively. 

Outcome:

  • Identification of key development risks
  • Actionable mitigation strategies to address risks
  • Technical development actions to enable the deployment of the ‘MSO’.

"He helped me translate a concept into something that could exist in the real world."

Working with Matt has been extremely valuable as I prepared to build and test my prototype. He gave me a much clearer understanding of the design process—especially important since this is my first hardware product.

Matt also helped me see things from different angles, which was critical in understanding who I am designing and building my product for. He has been consistently patient, considerate, and genuinely curious.

He took the time to learn about a complex and fragmented industry, which showed how dedicated he is to supporting his clients. Our conversations planted many seeds that I’m still growing and nurturing in my work.

I highly recommend Matt to anyone navigating the challenges of designing and building a physical product.

Founder of CleanTech Startup

“Transformed an early prototype into a tangible, investable concept.”

Working with Matt has been a really positive experience. From the start, he helped take an early academic prototype and turn it into something that could be clearly communicated and validated in the market. His engagement with the academics was well-structured, supportive, and adaptive, and the use of his delivery platforms made the process interactive and completely transparent, allowing me as a TTO officer to drop in regularly and see exactly how things were progressing. His input transformed a single concept into multiple subtypes, opening up options for storytelling, investor interest, and next steps. I’d happily recommend his services to other academics or tech transfer colleagues looking to turn early-stage ideas into tangible, investable concepts.

Frances Pitt – Business Development Associate, Warwick Innovations

"He goes above and beyond to help you succeed."

Your patience, encouragement, and thoughtful guidance helped me stay focused, especially when I felt lost or uncertain. What truly stood out was your genuine dedication. You generously shared your resources and advice, and it often felt like you were more invested in my startup’s success than I was. That kind of support is rare, and I’m deeply grateful for it. If anyone is struggling with their business idea or looking for guidance, I fully recommend Matt Langford. He goes above and beyond to help you succeed.

Founder, HardwareTech Start-up, University of Manchester

Strategic Interventions.

1. Sanity Check

A free 30-minute session to explore your current barriers, critical risks, and possible next steps. Start with the Readiness Diagnostic to identify any gaps, and receive bespoke feedback in a follow-up call.

Complete the Diagnostic

2. Strategy Sprint

An intensive 1:1 designer-led strategic sprint to create a clear roadmap from your understanding of the problem through to your first paying customers.

3. Execution

Continued support to help implement your roadmap. This can range from weekly coaching, direct design implementation, to develop concepts and detailed designs to fractional design support for growing start-ups.

Bridging the gap between brilliant hardware and global impact.

Email

info@peopleplanetproduct.co.uk

Phone

(+44) 7432 787 405

Bridging the gap between brilliant hardware and global impact.

Email

info@peopleplanetproduct.co.uk

Phone

(+44) 7432 787 405