What building hardware at Frappe has taught me

Frappe is known for building world-class open source software like ERPNext, Frappe CRM and Frappe HR. So what happens when a software company builds hardware? You don't have to guess as I will be taking you through my journey of building Frappe Box.

Frappe Box is Frappe's first ever hardware product. It is a plug-and-play server in a Mini-PC form-factor that runs Frappe apps on your own premises.

In this talk, I'll walk through the real decisions behind Frappe Box and why I made them:

• How the enclosure evolved from a purely utilitarian box into a design that balances form and function

• Designing for manufacturing and assembly, and why a design that can't be manufactured is only a prototype

• Repairability and Right to Repair in open hardware

• How small details make for great user experience

You'll leave with a practical picture of how a hardware product actually gets developed, and what software developers should know before building their first one.

• The stages of building a hardware product, from prototype to manufacturable design

• Why designing for manufacturing and assembly decides whether a product ever ships

• How open hardware builds trust and makes repair easier