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I think that's right on the money! Asking your target users what they want. Maybe I could share a few things for what it's worth. Back then I wanted to build a

I think that's right on the money! Asking your target users what they want. Maybe I could share a few things for what it's worth. Back then I wanted to build a Yelp! like site just for the sake of it. I was thinking that guys like me would benefit from it. To cut the long story short it didn't go so well. Anyways a couple of months before my failed attempt I built a simple to-do list application. My dad saw it and asked me what else does it do. To cut another long story short this simple to-do list evolved into a full fledged project management application that is aimed towards people who are in the same line of business as my father. It's feature set was built specifically by the recommendation of my users. And by God's grace I have four companies lined up in the trenches ready to buy my software :-). So yeah without a FGD (focus group discussion) my company wouldn't be where it is right now. I was constantly amazed by the difference between what I want as a user and what my target users want. So never underestimate a good FGD session or similar to my case several FGD sessions.

imsteve 19y ago
Just weighing in here... I'm never again considering what people say they want without a mountain of salt. All too often, what people say they want ends up not being used at all, not even by those who requested the change or addition. Users don't seem to be magically smarter than the developers in my experience. Design by committee has never worked so well for me. Especially in such a flexible medium as the internet. But, releasing early is a good way to measure what people will actually use.
- nostrademons 19y ago
  Agree. At my last employer, we did a bunch of market research before building the product. The CEO thought there was enough interest to go forward, so we built it. (Personally, I think he was suffering a bit from confirmation bias...) We took it before potential customers, they said, "We don't want that. But if you could solve this problem, we'd pay big bucks for it..." So we built that product. I left right as it was going to market, but from what I've heard from coworkers, it's had no more success in the marketplace than the first version. Personally, I think the best way to figure out what your customers want is to do their job. Even if it's just on a trial, couple-of-weeks basis. Just make sure you try to do it to the best of your ability and actually seek out best-of-breed existing solutions. People differ greatly in their needs, but most people doing the same thing run into the same problems. So if you're a financial software startup, try to make money with your investments. If you're a gaming startup, play lots of games. If you're a dating or social networking startup, try to get laid. If you're an e-mail startup, manage your company through e-mail. If you're a bugtracking software startup, put lots of bugs in your product. ;-) Really, just a variant on "eat your own dogfood", except you can start imagining yourself as a dog before the dogfood actually exists.
- mattmaroon 19y ago
  It's best to listen to what people say they want, then ask why over and over. You'll notice that as you dig through levels of answers to that question, that very different requests come down to the same basic unmet needs. Then you engineer a solution to that.
  - imsteve 19y ago
    When the goal is entertainment though, I don't see that strategy getting you far.
    - mattmaroon 19y ago
      It works even there. Entertainment is as much science as any other business. Even the most popular songs around are more or less scientifically crafted.
      - mattmaroon 19y ago
        I should say many of. Rock and maybe country are pretty much the only organic forms of music you'll find on FM radio these days.

imsteve 19y ago

Just weighing in here... I'm never again considering what people say they want without a mountain of salt. All too often, what people say they want ends up not being used at all, not even by those who requested the change or addition. Users don't seem to be magically smarter than the developers in my experience. Design by committee has never worked so well for me. Especially in such a flexible medium as the internet. But, releasing early is a good way to measure what people will actually use.

nostrademons 19y ago
Agree. At my last employer, we did a bunch of market research before building the product. The CEO thought there was enough interest to go forward, so we built it. (Personally, I think he was suffering a bit from confirmation bias...) We took it before potential customers, they said, "We don't want that. But if you could solve this problem, we'd pay big bucks for it..." So we built that product. I left right as it was going to market, but from what I've heard from coworkers, it's had no more success in the marketplace than the first version. Personally, I think the best way to figure out what your customers want is to do their job. Even if it's just on a trial, couple-of-weeks basis. Just make sure you try to do it to the best of your ability and actually seek out best-of-breed existing solutions. People differ greatly in their needs, but most people doing the same thing run into the same problems. So if you're a financial software startup, try to make money with your investments. If you're a gaming startup, play lots of games. If you're a dating or social networking startup, try to get laid. If you're an e-mail startup, manage your company through e-mail. If you're a bugtracking software startup, put lots of bugs in your product. ;-) Really, just a variant on "eat your own dogfood", except you can start imagining yourself as a dog before the dogfood actually exists.
mattmaroon 19y ago
It's best to listen to what people say they want, then ask why over and over. You'll notice that as you dig through levels of answers to that question, that very different requests come down to the same basic unmet needs. Then you engineer a solution to that.
- imsteve 19y ago
  When the goal is entertainment though, I don't see that strategy getting you far.
  - mattmaroon 19y ago
    It works even there. Entertainment is as much science as any other business. Even the most popular songs around are more or less scientifically crafted.
    - mattmaroon 19y ago
      I should say many of. Rock and maybe country are pretty much the only organic forms of music you'll find on FM radio these days.