TheRoad
Product Strategy. Hands-on Consulting.
Contribute to the upcoming title: Smart Tangibles
Your Product Story
Calling for: Contributions
As I continue to develop Smart Tangibles (Due 2026), I am collecting case studies of connected physical products that demonstrate the impact of connectivity, flexible interfaces, sensory capabilities, as the emergence of connected service layers and beyond.
If your team helped build something that knows, responds, or evolves, we’d love to include your story.
What Is Smart Tangibles About?
Smart Tangibles is a forthcoming book about the new frontier of product management - where physical products meet connected software capabilities.
The book explores how connected devices that sense, adapt, and evolve are reshaping business models, customer expectations, and long-term value creation. Written for product managers, innovation leads, and founders, the book looks at the real-world shift from “built once” to “grown over time.”
Case studies will illustrate key patterns, pitfalls, and breakthroughs. This is where your story can help bring the next wave of product thinking to life.
Does Your Product Belong in the Book?
I'm curating a set of compelling real-world examples to illustrate what makes a tangible product truly "smart" - beyond just connectivity or the mere use of buzzwords. I am looking for the following:
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Physical products, suites, or platforms with connected digital interfaces
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Examples of service layers that accompany products along their life cycle
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Ecosystems and market places enabled by the digital layer
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Prolonged customer relationships and resulting business models
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Smart tangible challenges emanating from new paradigm
We welcome case studies from:
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Product teams (consumer, industrial, medical, etc.)
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Vendors or OEMs with smart components or systems
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Consultants or design firms involved in connected hardware
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Platform providers powering smart features
What You’ll Need to Provide
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Product, suite, or platform name
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Media and brand assets (with permission to publish)
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What makes it “smart” (1–3 sentences)
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Business challenge it addresses
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Advantage or result it helped achieve
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Authorized permission to publish (media/images if applicable)
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Contact info for follow-up (name, role, email)
That’s it. No formal case study writing required. Just your story, in your words.
Note: All submissions will be professionally edited for clarity and format by the book team.
You will have the opportunity to review and approve any changes prior to publication.
A separate author conversation or interview may be added to enrich the case study.
