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30 Ease of use. Designing products that are easy to use is a challenge in itself—one made more difficult because people with varying technical literacy will be using those devices. "What may seem easy to an installer or a contractor may not be easy for an employee in a commercial space or a home user," Cheema explains. "Having multiple users, each at a different level of technology savvy, makes it difficult to create something that's easy for everyone to understand." Cheema believes that a successful device must be easy for everyone to use. To find that sweet spot between the contractor and the end user, keep in mind the overall context in which the technology is being deployed and used. Contractors may learn once, and then become adept at installing the product because they install it over and over in many places. But when you begin thinking about end users, their needs and expectations are different. Cheema says, "For homeowners, it's not just about the person who sets the device up but about those who live with this smart tech in their home." Many factors contribute to ease of use, including physical design and a good onboarding process. Ideally, a device will make calculated guesses about the optimal setup for a given user. "Companies must invest in the design and user experience of their device," Cheema emphasizes. "When those steps are accidentally or deliberately skipped, the product suffers." Lifecycle of components is a big issue and a major design challenge is a tradeoff between costs and future upgradeability. "It's tempting to make the short-term, low-cost decision," Cheema says. "But you have to realize that there are costs on either side. If your product is not future-proofed, you may have to create another version, and you will have unsold inventory. These are costs, too." "When some manufacturers upgrade their components, they try to keep the footprint on the printed circuit board consistent with older versions."

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