Behind many a successful crowdfunding project is a smart designer: someone who can tell an inventor if their idea is viable; create a prototype; and then help them with the campaign. WIRED sheds light on the tactics that work on Kickstarter.
Backers tend to be early adopters, so products need to appeal to this audience. "Things designed to solve a specific problem are more likely to succeed," says designer Oscar Diaz, whose campaign for his Pixo tablet-mount was cancelled in May after funding proved too slow. Diaz's takeaway? "We should have set aside a budget for advertising the product in order to reach our target audience."
Rather than spend time and money working up concepts, "Do the minimum to create a model for a video presentation," says Jon Marshall at Kickstarter specialist MAP. They designed the hugely successful Kano DIY PC, which raised more than $1.5 million (£1m) in 2013. Just use a 3D printer to create a physical manifestation of your first idea.
Play up the idea behind the product, says fuseproject founder Yves Béhar. "Invest the money to get a great video, prototypes, in-use images and solid branding for your Kickstarter page." fuseproject's Ouya console pulled this off, attracting 63,000 orders totalling $8.5m. Tweeting and blogging about your campaign is almost as important as the product.
Listening to too much feedback from backers can cause problems. "Because people are investing, they feel like they can suggest more features," says Marshall. "We advise clients to hold their nerve and save add-ons for the next version." MAP's design for Kano, for example, had seven versions – but only the first was available on Kickstarter.
If an idea stinks, the designer should try to talk the would-be entrepreneur out of pursuing it. "If it's not a good idea, we don't take it on," says Austen Miller at 3form Design. His company once turned down a "wireless light" that wouldn't have worked without wires. "Even Kickstarter has put a stop to such self-harming ideas by requiring a working prototype," says Miller.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
