12 ways to effectively document your new hardware business concept / idea without needing an engineer. TLDR: Take photos of the problem / sketch out the use case. Pictures are worth 1000 words. Write down a basic description of how you believe your hardware concept solves the problem(s) at hand. Who cares? List at least 3x different types of people who you believe would want this solution. Write down 3x different types of people who you believe would pay for this solution. See the difference there? Materials? List the top 5 materials you think the hardware product should be made from. Other tech? Are there any other features which are not simply passive materials that are required for your concept to function properly? Electrical engineered circuits? Software interactivity? Patent worthy? Try to identify at least 10+ aspects / features of your concept that are new, useful and non-obvious. Patent ready? Review your work and then write down 10+ steps on