Rapid Prototyping Strategy for a Para-Medical Device Startup

Project Context

This engagement began with a straightforward request: design a custom PCB within a two-month window to support early product development.

The client was a solo founder with strong domain expertise and a clear vision of the problem to solve, but no existing hardware implementation. The project was at a very early stage, with external discussions already underway with potential partners, users, and investors.

The initial assumption was that a custom PCB was the fastest path forward.

Initial Exploration

During early discussions, it became clear that the real objective was not a finished electronic design, but the ability to demonstrate a credible, functional product quickly.

Several uncertainties were still present:

• user interaction assumptions had not been validated
• feature priorities were not yet clear
• system-level trade-offs were still theoretical

Committing to a custom PCB at that stage would have introduced unnecessary risk, cost, and delay.

Strategic Pivot

Instead of starting with a custom PCB, Atallis recommended building the first product iterations using development kits and modular hardware.

The objective was to:

• assemble a functional prototype rapidly
• expose assumptions to real usage
• delay irreversible design decisions

Within two weeks, a working prototype was ready to be demonstrated to potential users and investors.

Iterative Prototyping Phase

The prototype was tested with early users shortly after initial demonstrations. These tests quickly revealed several flaws in the original product assumptions, including interaction details and feature prioritization.

Over the following weeks:

• the prototype was iterated three times
• each iteration incorporated direct user feedback
• changes were implemented using development kits rather than custom hardware

This phase significantly reshaped the product definition, without incurring the cost or inertia of early PCB revisions.

Decision to Design Custom Hardware

After approximately six months of iterative prototyping:

• product requirements had stabilized
• critical features were clearly identified
• limitations of existing development kits became a bottleneck

At this point, no single development platform could support all validated requirements. Only then did it make sense to design a custom PCB.

The custom hardware was designed with a clear understanding of:

• which features were essential
• which constraints were real rather than theoretical
• which trade-offs were acceptable

Outcome

As a result of this approach:

• the client successfully raised investment capital
• early alpha users began generating revenue
• the product transitioned from concept to a credible early-stage device

The first custom PCB was not an experiment, but a consolidation step.

Ongoing Role of Atallis

Following the initial hardware integration, Atallis continued to support the project by:

• guiding the consolidation of multiple prototype versions
• developing new innovative features
• maintaining technical continuity across iterations

What began as a PCB design request evolved into a longer-term partnership focused on speed, robustness, and decision quality.

What This Case Illustrates

This case illustrates how delaying custom hardware, when appropriate, can significantly increase the chances of success for early-stage hardware products.

By using development kits to learn quickly, expose flawed assumptions, and iterate safely, teams can arrive at custom PCB design with clarity rather than urgency.

Note: This case study is intentionally anonymized and based on real projects completed by Atallis. Certain details have been simplified or combined to respect confidentiality commitments