Discuss Your Project

Project Brief Guide

Project brief guide

Turn an early idea into a factory-reviewable brief

Define the inputs that change machine architecture, deployment and delivery. You do not need every answer before contacting the project team.

Get the brief template Submit what you know

Factory decision framework

Three decisions behind a useful first review

Good preparation is not about filling every field. It is about giving the factory enough evidence to identify the right structure, operating constraints and delivery path.

01

Can the product dispense reliably?

Start with the real product or user outcome, not a machine style.

Prepare
  • A physical sample or exact dimensions, weight and packaging photos
  • Fragile, flexible, irregular or temperature-sensitive behavior
  • The purchase, pickup, rental, return or interactive outcome
What this changes
  • Dispensing and pickup method
  • Capacity versus product protection
  • Sample and release test plan

Useful example: Rigid gift box, 180 × 120 × 60 mm, 450 g, rather than ‘souvenir product’.

02

Can the site operate it day after day?

The right machine must fit replenishment, payment and service conditions after launch.

Prepare
  • Indoor or outdoor placement, footprint and service access
  • Power, network, payment method and currency
  • Who replenishes, cleans and maintains the equipment
What this changes
  • Cabinet protection and placement
  • Payment and remote-management scope
  • Service access and operating workflow

Useful example: Indoor museum lobby, 900 × 700 mm footprint, rear service access and venue Wi-Fi.

03

Can the project move toward delivery?

Destination and scope determine how far standard configuration can go and where custom work begins.

Prepare
  • Destination market, voltage, plug and interface language
  • Estimated quantity and target launch timing
  • Brand finish, software, data and integration needs
What this changes
  • Localization and custom scope
  • Prototype or batch-production path
  • Quotation assumptions and delivery handoff

Useful example: United States, 20 units, bilingual interface, card and NFC payment, target deployment in October.

Risk signals

Resolve uncertainty before it becomes redesign work

These conditions do not stop a project. They show where samples, interface confirmation or environment review should happen before production assumptions are fixed.

01

No physical sample or packaging evidence

Nominal dimensions do not reveal friction, deformation, balance or packaging variation.

Recommended response

Provide a representative sample or packaging video and define a sample test before structure approval.

02

Fragile, flexible or irregular products

A standard dispensing assumption can create jams, drops or product damage.

Recommended response

Identify the risky movement and validate the release and pickup method with the real product.

03

Outdoor placement or unstable infrastructure

Heat, humidity, power quality and network coverage can change cabinet and operating requirements.

Recommended response

Confirm environment, power, connectivity and service access before fixing the enclosure scope.

04

Rental, return, identity or custom software flow

Complex user states require hardware, interface and data responsibilities to be defined together.

Recommended response

Map the user journey and confirm required interfaces before prototype development.

05

Payment method or destination is still open

Reader, currency, language, voltage and delivery assumptions cannot be fixed without a target market.

Recommended response

Name the first deployment market and preferred transaction method, even if alternatives remain open.

A useful exchange

Your evidence should produce a factory decision

The first review should return more than a request for more information. Each input should narrow the recommendation or expose a specific validation need.

You provide Factory review
Actual product, packaging and user flow
Platform, dispensing direction and sample test need
Venue, footprint, power, network and service access
Placement, cabinet protection and maintenance constraints
Destination, payment, quantity and launch timing
Localization, custom scope and prototype or batch path
Photos, drawings, samples and reference files
Validation gaps, next tests and quotation prerequisites

One-page working brief

Take a useful brief into the first conversation

Copy or download the structure below. Mark unknown items as “factory recommendation needed” instead of delaying the conversation.

See a concise example

Museum retail example: Indoor lobby; rigid gift boxes, 180 × 120 × 60 mm and 450 g; card and NFC payment in USD; venue Wi-Fi; 20 units; bilingual interface; target deployment in October. Unknown: final replenishment frequency and product sample test.

SMARTVENDBOX PROJECT BRIEF

1. Project purpose and venue
- Venue type and location:
- Indoor / outdoor:
- Available footprint and service access:

2. Product or user outcome
- Product / service:
- Dimensions, weight and packaging:
- Physical sample available: Yes / No
- Purchase, pickup, rental, return or interaction flow:

3. Operation
- Payment methods and currency:
- Power and network conditions:
- Replenishment and maintenance owner:

4. Destination and scope
- Destination market, voltage and language:
- Estimated quantity and target timing:
- Branding, software or integration needs:

5. Known unknowns and attachments
- Factory recommendation needed for:
- Attached photos, drawings, samples or reference files:
Open the project form

Choose the right next path

Use the resource that matches the decision