Tell HN: I developed and sold 100 bathroom privacy devices last year | Hacker News Reader

Tell HN: I developed and sold 100 bathroom privacy devices last year

Loodio (https://loodio.com) is an automatic music player that provides bathroom privacy for people living in small homes or work in small offices.

Many commented on HN said there was no market it but I managed to sell a hundred units last year with no marketing. It’s not much but it’s my first year in business.

I find not having something to cover your bathroom noises is a mad paradigm we have just accepted as modern people.

HN thread: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31181237

I think I could have sold more but my efforts have gone to developing next version.

Launching a battery operated version with better sound in a few months.

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You should totally do a Kickstarter, I can barely imagine what sort of jokes will make it viral!

I might do that once the new version is ready!

My work just has a cheap fm radio in there

Nice! Activated by light switch?

One of my past workplaces had the same audio/music that they got in the reception area.. non-stop soft/elevator music.

It was the same speakers that were used for announcements/fire-alarms/evacuations/etc. so the infrastructure was there to begin with.

I don't know what are the rules for "playing music in the office" (licensing etc. - it's not a resto, and it's only in the bathroom), but I remember 20+ years ago when I was a sys-admin tasked to find 'music for our call-center' I found some nice royalty-free music.

Cool. I currently deliver the unit with copyright-free music and it can stream web radio as well.

Is this is sincere question? Or just thinly veiled marketing that you have a feature that a radio doesn't? Because you have to admit that a simple radio is absolutely your competition. If you have features that people should know about that make your solution the better one, just state them.

Marketing works when it is simple, concise, and honest: "I have product X that resolves problem Y, with features Z, and want people to be aware of it."

Yes I was wondering how they turn it on to understand the customers better? And I’m not unhappy they solved it in some other way, it just confirms the market demand.

I'm like 2 weeks late, but as a regular old employee it's just always on. maybe cleaners turn it on/off at the start and end of each day, but i'm not privy to that

I think it's likely a sincere question. I, for one, would not wanting to be physically touching a radio that people may have been turning on/off depending on whether the device is located before or after their ability to wash their hands.

Not the OP but maybe they just leave it on all the time?

For people interested in soundproofing it's probably best to have a multi-angle approach, like most headphones today. They don't focus just on being louder than other noises but on blocking them too.

I find it's not so much the small spaces but how shitty the construction is - hollow core doors, large gaps around the door, thinnest possible drywall, etc. Changing to well fit solid core doors would be a big benefit. Then of course there is old noisy bathroom fan to cover most remaining noises.

Agreed. Loodio will not cover all sounds but makes it a hundred times better than having a dead silent room, distracts and dampens anything going on inside.

What was your process for developing this into a real product? I saw an early post about this being a raspberry pi prototype. I have the ability to prototype something like this, but I have no idea the process for turning it into a physical product, so I'm curious what that was like for you.

It’s still got a raspberry (zero) in it and I’m selling it as a prototype still. Next version going for a smaller and cheaper MCU.

I’m just trying to move as fast as I can without chewing too large pieces. When I started I had no damn clue how to go forward but as I started chugging along stuff started resolving itself. Never thought I would be designing custom PCBs for example. Or sending physical products by mail to people on the other side of the world.

I guess my advice would be to try to get to a stage where you can deliver a product to someone as soon as possible.

What about the enclosure? Is that off the shelf or custom?

I made it from empty PCBs hence the squared shape.

Very interesting. I love seeing PCBs abused for other purposes.

Reminds me of the Sound Princess in Japan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toilets_in_Japan#The_Sound_Pri...

That's basically the device I'm trying to replace because I think it's so dated. The problem with is; a) It's ugly and plays annoying sound b) it's wall mounted with screws c) and mainly; due to the user having to hold their hand in front of a proximity sensor which then indicates to everyone you are doing something embarassing it doesn't really solve the problem in a good way.

It's not going to cover loud sounds, but this something I wondered why it didn't exist.

Definitely needs the battery version. In my country, theres no outlets in the toilets.

You're right. It's not perfect but as I mentioned in another comment it does 90% of the job and is so much better than having a needle drop silent room.

Finally, a privacy technology that's actually interesting to me! I never thought of this before but it seems really nice to have.

You should definitely try the new version coming out soon! The customers already love the current one and the next one will be 10x better!

I remember you launching this, that’s awesome that you’re seeing traction without any marketing. Great signal.

Thank you! Yes I’m very excited even if it’s still early!

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