the embedded graphical user interface (gui) breakdown why ... · implementing a gui on your target...
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WHY, HOW & WHEN
The Embedded Graphical User Interface (GUI) Breakdown
TO WIN USER HEARTS AND MARKET
SHARES WITH EMBEDDED GUIS
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3 x WHY Embedded GUIs Should Be Your Next Product
Development Endeavor• Tap into the ‘3h 35min a day’-Expertise in Device Operation
Your Users Already Have
• Unlock the Functionalities of Your Product the Right Way
• The Competitor Knock-Out
2 x HOW to Implement an Embedded GUI Successfully
• The Importance of a Strong Product Owner
• Agile Software in a Hardware Organization
1 x WHEN the Embedded GUI Path Is Right for Your Business
• Get Your Return-On-Investment (ROI) Calculator Ready
Conclusion
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Graphical User Interfaces, or simply GUIs, are an accelerating trend in the hardware industry. And with good reason;
Combine top-of-the-line GUI design skills with the right hardware, and you can build a modern, smooth, and cost-effective user experience.
A unique way for you to win user hearts and market shares.
INTRODUCTION
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In the larger scheme of your embedded product development project
plan, an embedded GUI is really a small thing. Most embedded
products have a large production volume, and developing and
implementing a GUI on your target hardware might hold its
challenges, but once your GUI is implemented, its done.
The GUI can be produced in any number you like, ready to melt the
hearts of your users, and positioning you in line to climb to the top of
the pyramid in your specific market.
“But hey, hold up!” you might say.
“If I want smooth graphics and animations, my hardware requirement
will push my price point past its limit.”
For now, we’ll just say “No. It doesn’t have to be that way.”
At the end of this e-book, under the when segment, we’ll get into
why we can build stellar GUIs on low-cost hardware.
This short Embedded GUI Breakdown begins with the why and how
to win user hearts and market shares With embedded GUIs.
Let’s dig into the top three reasons why embedded GUIs should
be your next product development endeavor.
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What is the difference between a product launch that generates
record-breaking sales numbers, wins market-shares, and puts your
brand at the top of your industry, leaving nothing but empty shelves
and happy customers behind…
… and one that barely breaks even and leaves you, your product, and
your brand at a business-as-usual market-position, barely keeping
heads over water in a jam-packed consumer market?
Believe it or not, many still think it’s a matter of:
• Cheap development cost and hardware choices.
• The amount of features, blinking lights, buttons, and colors
you add to your product.
• Or, the money spent on ground-breaking marketing
endeavors.
In our experience, it’s a different story.
Renowned User Experience experts and commercially-skilled Product
Owners will tell you that products are not bought, costumers are not
empowered, and your business will not be rewarded with record-
breaking profits until your product wins user hearts.
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The ugly truth is that the users hold your product’s destiny
in their hands. Win their hearts and they will make you an
industry hero. Ignore them, and best case is you will end up
with more products in storage than out there in the real world.
Henrik GoulUser Experience Consultant
Mjølner Informatics
So how do you win a user’s heart? You start a courtship. Not a flirt, a
courtship; a serious commitment to start a sincere, long-term
relationship with your user.
1. First step is to understand and meet your users on their
terms.
2. Then, show your users all the great things you have to offer.
3. And finally, knock out any other suitors.
Sounds complicated? No worries, we have you covered. Read this
chapter and hopefully it is much more straight forward than you
think.
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Tap into the ‘3h 35min a day’-Expertise in Device Operation Your Users Already Have
• First step is to understand and meet your users on their
terms.
Modern users want easy and intuitive devices, and your intuition
is based on your frame of reference. Your intrinsic muscle-memory
approach to any new machine or device operation is based on what
you already know. Let’s rephrase that; what you already do. Because
that’s the whole point.
The ultimate shortcut to meet your users on their terms is to give
them something that feels familiar and new at the same time. And
that familiarity in an embedded product context is smartphone use.
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US adults will spend an average of 3 hours and 35 minutes per
day on mobile devices in 2018.
- eMarketer 2018
Mobile devices have practically grown in to us by now. They are not
just an outside add-on. They’re part of most things we do.
Add an embedded and touch-based GUI, like the one your users know
so well from their 3 hours and 35 minutes daily mobile device time, to
your product to meet the users on their terms.
In rough terms, by knowing your users’ general routines, habits,
needs, and ways of work, you can cover 80% of the GUI design. Do
that and save the 20% theoretical mischiefs for another day.
Ultimately, you’ll bring down the learning curve for product
operation.
An added benefit of the GUI route is that the user experience how,
when, and where of GUIs is a well-described academic field. Both in
terms of theory and methodology. This gives you tons and tons of
tried and tested how-to and research to back your user-centric
product development.
Eliminating the guesswork of embedded product development.
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Unlock the Functionalities of Your Product the Right Way
• Then, show your users all the great things you have to offer.
Washing machines, water pumps, stove tops, industrial scales, heart
monitors, yeah, light switches even, can hold more than one
functionality today. The list goes on. You might even have your own
product to add to it. Let’s use the washing machine to illustrate:
Traditional washing machines are mostly operated by a dial that can
be turned to select any of the pre-set washing programs. The
diameter of the dial is pivotal to the diversity of programs you can
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offer your users. Technically, your washing machine is probably able
to do much more than can be communicated to the user through the
dial.
The touch, swipe, and animations that a GUI can add will help you un-
lock the hidden functionalities of the washing machine in two ways:
1. A digital control module provides a flexibility in
functionality communication to both users and hardware
that a physical dial simply cannot compete with. In many
ways it’s a product development dream come true; the
functionality matrix is expanded exponentially. But hold your
horses! As with anything, less is typically more, which brings
us to the next functionality benefit of a GUI.
2. Complex functionality needs simple communication. The
more you have to offer your users the simpler you need to
put it. And with a user-centric approach it is not that hard.
You have to understand what your users love about your
product. What is the key benefit that users return to your
product for? Make this the hero of your product, the focal
point of your GUI and structure the rest around it.
To sum it up: The product’s GUI development power to unlock
functionality is great. With great power comes great responsibility.
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The Competitor Knock-Out Now we’re at the final stages of your user courtship. You have 1) met
your users on their terms and 2) showcased everything you have to
offer, putting your best foot (core functionality) forward, of course.
Now it’s time to…
• … knock out any other suitors.
The amount of consumer products out there is hard to comprehend.
Buying a coffee machine, new medical equipment, or a washing
machine calls for highly developed decision-making skills on the
consumer part = your user.
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There is a lot to be said about the consumer decision journey. Much
more than what can be said in this short e-book. A couple of
important notes, however, as to how to make consumers choose you
over your competitor, thereby knocking other suitors out, are these1:
• 86% of buyers are willing to pay more for a great customer
experience.
• 73% of buyers point to customer experience as an important
factor in purchasing decisions.
• 65% of buyers find a positive experience with a brand to be
more influential than great advertising.
• By the year 2020, customer experience will overtake price
and product as the key brand differentiator.
The numbers above clearly show that putting the user or costumer
experience center stage of your product development is a great way
to influence buyer decisions in a highly competitive market.
Adding to the urgency of the customer experience battle grounds is
the fact that the combination of stunning GUIs and low-cost
hardware in many ways is an unexplored market opportunity. Your
unique and cost-effective way to knock out your competitors.
1 SuperOffice referencing Temkin Group and a Walker study.
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Bring down the learning curve by building
on the device operation expertise your users
have and eliminate the guesswork of product
development.
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You get the power to expand the functionality
of your product greatly, but remember, that this
comes with a great responsibility to simplify.
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Stunning GUIs and low-cost hardware is an
unexplored market opportunity, giving you a
head start in the fight to beat your competitors
to the punch.
Next up is 2 x how to implement an embedded GUI successfully.
Unknown territory often comes with dangers, and in our experience
there are two major pitfalls that most new-comers in embedded GUI
development are prone to step into:
The danger of overcomplicating the GUI work here and now. Thereby
delaying time to market and effectively outplaying the role of your
new unique market differentiator.
And on the other hand, the danger of underestimating the impact in
the long run. This leaves you with a less than satisfying feeling as you
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push the release button and face thousands of customers out in the
real world, without having the full control over your product’s future.
Don’t be too alarmed!
We have two simple steps to help you overcome these dangers and
bring you safely to your destination: Winning user hearts and market
shares with embedded GUIs.
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The Importance of a Strong Product OwnerTo fight the first immediate danger when implementing an embed-
ded GUI:
• The danger of underestimating the impact of adding an
agile software project to a hardware world in the long run.
The most concrete action you can take, to overcome this danger, is to
have a strong Product Owner in place very early in the process.
A Product Owner’s finest responsibility is to maintain the speed
of your operation by gate-keeping functionality, look and feel, and
evaluating any new idea coming into play. The most effective Product
Owners, in our experience, are those that understand their users and
their importance.
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A strong Product Owner has a strong executive decision-making
mandate and should be able to answer questions, verify iterations,
and prioritize tasks singlehandedly and continually. Operating within
the boundaries of a locked business case.
Why are we doing this, what is our aim? Print your answer on
a large piece of paper, hang it on the Product Owner’s office
wall for him or her to see and be reminded of every day.
Bent BisballeEmbedded Solution Architect
Mjølner Informatics
This is to make sure that you keep your eyes on the goal of this
project and avoid being distracted by all the alluring possibilities that
come with embedded GUIs.
In other words: Think big. Start small.
Focus on the most important functionalities first. Build them and
make sure that they bring value before you start your next GUI
build-out. Especially if this is your, or even your industry’s, first
meeting with embedded GUI, it is of the utmost importance to test,
test, test.
No real world problem has ever been solved by locking yourself in the
basement, coming out for air 5 years later with a top-tuned rocket
ship only to realize that all your users needed was an electric scooter.
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Agile Software Development in a Hardware WorldNext up is combatting the second immediate danger when
implementing an embedded GUI:
• The danger of underestimating the impact of the
embedded GUI addition in the long run.
There is immense promise in the opportunities of combining
hardware and software, but the two are fundamentally different. If
the implementation of an embedded GUI is the first addition of
application software into your hardware product, there is one critical
variable worth having in mind.
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The ‘Fail early, fail cheap’-mantra is practically religion in an
agile and iterative software industry. This clashes with the fact
that iterations in hardware are expensive.
Bent BisballeEmbedded Solution Architect
Mjølner Informatics
The typical set-up, when embarking on embedded GUI applications is
a buyer-supplier partnership; you hire the best embedded software
consultancy to take your hardware product to the next level. If you
want a sustainable and profitable hand-over, however, you must
have the competencies needed in-house to host, operate, and
develop the product further. They do not have to be experts in as-
set management or embedded software, but they must understand
these areas enough to make qualified decisions about your product
maintenance moving forward.
In our experience, a co-creation approach will work wonders for the
final hand-over of your product. All GUI design and software
decisions made during the development of your GUI product hold
well-articulated and concretized training opportunities for your staff.
By working closely together, buyer and supplier hand in hand,
throughout the project development period, we can minimize the risk
of an unsuccessful embedded GUI hand-over. At the same time, we
make sure that all aspects of the GUI are aligned with the business
case print-out on your Product Owner’s wall.
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So, now you know that there are three ways in which an embedded
GUI can help your product win user hearts and market shares.
With an embedded GUI you can: 1) meet your users on their terms,
2) show the users all the great things you have to offer, and 3) knock
out any other suitors.
Adding to this, in the previous chapter we’ve learned that there are
two important HOW-TO’s when you want to implement a successful
and sustainable embedded GUI:
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To overcome the danger of overcomplicating the
GUI work and delaying your time to market, you
have to have a strong Product Owner in place
very early in the process.
2
The danger of underestimating the impact of
the embedded GUI, can be defeated by preparing
for a sustainable hand-over with a close
collaboration between supplier and buyer.
As the final theme for this e-book, we are left with the complex and
unavoidable question of when the embedded GUI path is right for
your business.
Back to the very relevant question we mentioned at the beginning of
this e-book:
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“If I want smooth graphics and animations, my hardware requirement
will push my price point past its limit.”
And we said “No. It doesn’t have to be that way.”
Price points are crucial in a cutthroat consumer market, and you
simply cannot compromise here.
In the final chapter, we’ll tell you why it doesn’t have to be that way.
Combine top-of-the-line GUI design skills with the right hardware,
and you can build a modern, smooth, and cost-effective user
experience.
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Get Your Return-on-Investment (ROI) Calculator ReadyIt is our strong belief that the final choice of whether or not you will
embark on a new product development adventure with embedded
GUI, all comes down to the business case and return on investment
on your part. And that’s the way it should always be!
The entire e-book so far has been about the promised return-side of
things. This segment addresses investment.
A major variable in the ROI calculations of products with embedded
GUIs is the unit cost of your hardware platform.
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The hardware industry has acknowledged this challenge, and they are
moving in a rapid speed to overcome it. Combine top-notch design
and embedded development experts with the right hardware
platform, and you can achieve stunning user experiences on even
entry-level hardware.
You just have to work smart.
One way to work smart is TouchGFX.
Back in 2011, a team of inventive software engineers discovered a gap
in the market. The smartphone era had begun and people everywhere
now had smartphone expectations for every GUI they met. But smart-
phone graphics need smartphone hardware, and that means smart-
phone prices. There had to be another way…
Fast forward to 2013, and TouchGFX is born, an advanced algorithm
that decodes what is showing on-screen and enables the GUI to only
use resources to draw graphics that are visible at any given time.
TouchGFX is one way to bring down the investments on your side.
And with TouchGFX experts on board for creating the embedded GUI,
you should be in for a small investment with a great return.
We’ll leave the specific ROI calculations up to you.
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CONCLUSIONThis e-book started with the statement:
Combine top-of-the-line GUI design skills with the right
hardware, and you can build a modern, smooth, and
cost-effective user experience. A unique way for you to
win user hearts and market shares.
Our hope is that this e-book helped you understand why that is the
case, how you can implement an embedded GUI successfully, and
when the embedded GUI path is right for your business.
But just to be sure, I’ve summed it all up here:
3 x WHY:
1. The GUI approach is an unexplored market opportunity,
giving you the first shot in the fight to beat your
competitors to the punch.
2 x HOW:
1. To overcome the danger of overcomplicating the GUI work
and delaying your time to market, you have to have a strong
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Product Owner in place very early in the process.
2. The danger of underestimating the impact of the embedded
GUI, can be defeated by preparing for a sustainable hand-
over with a close collaboration between supplier and buyer.
1 x WHEN:
A major variable in the ROI calculations of products with embedded
GUIs is the unit cost of your hardware platform.
The hardware industry has acknowledged this challenge, and they are
moving in a rapid speed to overcome it. Combine top-notch design
and embedded development experts with the right hardware
platform, and you can achieve stunning user experiences on even
entry-level hardware. You just have to work smart.
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More info including cases, videos, and how-to:
mjolner.dk/en/services/embedded-user-interface-development/
Feel free to contact us with any questions you might have:
Anne Busch BallebyDelivery Executive, Mjølner [email protected] / +45 41 95 36 41
Martin SchumannBusiness Development Manager, Mjølner [email protected] / +45 41 95 36 17
E-book is based on interviews with:
Henrik GoulEmbedded User Experience Expert, Mjølner Informatics
Bent Bisballe NyengEmbedded Solution Architect, Mjølner Informatics
Written by:
Signe Juul Madsen, Communication & Marketing Manager, Mjølner Informatics
Layout by:
Anna Lindballe LønborgDigital Designer, Mjølner Informatics
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