Software is too complex. Too many features, too many buttons, too much to learn

Base camp turned project management on its head. Instead of can’t charts, fancy graphs, and stats-heavy spreadsheets, basecamp offers message boards, to-do lists, simple scheduling, collaborative writing, and file sharing

The leaner you are, the faster things get done

Ship less features, but quality features

Give the users byte-size pieces they can digest

The faster you get the user feedback the better

The goal is to win the customer by building what they want

Defensive, paranoid companies can’t think ahead, they can only think behind. They don’t lead, they follow

Build software for yourself

When you solve your own problem, you create a tool that you’re passionate about. And passion is key. Passion means you’ll truly use it and care about it. And that’s the best way to get others to feel passionate about it too

You need to have a desire to tell the story

People are stoked by conflict and understand a product by comparing it to others

It’s important not to get too obsessed with the competition. Over analyze other products and you’ll start to limit the way you think. Take a look and then move on to your own vision and ideas

What is the key problem we are trying to solve and how can we solve it?

For the first version of your app, start with only three people. A developer, a designer, and a sweeper (someone who can roam between development and design)

Constraints drive innovation and force focus

Instead of meeting in person, we communicated almost exclusively via instant messenger and email which forced us to get to the point quickly

Differentiate yourself from bigger companies by being personal and friendly

Good customer service is the biggest request any client will ever make

Make decisions just in time, Enron you have access to the real information you need

Find the core market for your application and focus solely on them

Make building a solid core product your priority instead of obsessing over scalability and server farms

Create a great app and then worry about what to do once it’s wildly successful

“Innovation is not about saying yes to everything. It’s about saying NO to all but the most crucial features.” - Steve Jobs

Instead of banking on getting everything right upfront, the interactive process lets you continue to make informed decisions as you go along

People need uninterrupted time to get things done

The alone zone is where real progress is made

Getting in the zone takes time. And that’s why interruption is your enemy

If you take a 1 minute interruption by a coworker asking you a question, and this knocks out your concentration enough that it takes you half an hour to get productive again, your overall productivity is in serious trouble

Don’t have meetings

Meetings are toxic

Meetings break your work day into small, incoherent pieces that disrupt your natural workflow

Meetings usually convey an abysmally small amount of information per minute

Meetings often contain at least one moron that inevitably gets his turn to waste everyone’s time with nonsense

Meetings require thorough preparation that people rarely do anyway

Brooks law “Adding people to a late software project makes it later.” - Fred Brooks

Go for happy and average over frustrated and great

Always hire the better writer

Design first. Then program

Epicenter design starts from the core of the page and builds outward

For each screen, design for regular, blank, and error states

It’s okay to be inconsistent if your design makes more sense that way. Give people just what matters. Give them what they need when they need it and get rid of what they don’t. It’s better to be right than to be consistent

Each time you increase the amount of code, your software grows exponentially more complicated

Don’t take action on an idea for a week and see if it still seems like a great idea after the initial buzz wears off

A happy programmer is a productive programmer

What to include on a promo site:

Overview: explain your app and its benefits

Tour: guide people through various features

Screen captures and videos: show people what the app actually looks like and how to use it

Manifesto: explain the philosophy and ideas behind it

Case studies: provide real life examples that show what’s possible

Buzz: testimonial quotes from customers, reviews, press, etc

Forum: offer a place for members of the community to help one another

Pricing & sign up: get people into your app as quickly as possible

Weblog: blogs keep your site fresh with news, tips, etc

The developers should talk to the customers so

Use inline help and FAQs so your product doesn't require a manual or training

Strive to build a a tool that requires zero training

Quick turnaround time on support queries should be a top priority

Customers don't expect your product to be perfect and they don't expect that all of their features will be implemented. However, customers do expect that you are listening and acknowledging that you care, so show that you care

Get bad news out there and out of the way

Be as open, honest, and transparent as possible. Don't keep secrets or hide behind spin. An informed customer is your best customer

Post FAQ's, How-tos, tips & tricks, new features, updates, & fixes

A blog not only shows your app is alive, it makes your company seem more human

Don't use 'beta' as a scapegoat

Often times adding a new feature may even be more important to your app than fixing an existing bug

The last thing you want is an environment where bugs are shoved under the rug instead of openly discussed

Subscribe to newsfeeds about your competitors

With web-based software based on the subscription model, people pay a monthly fee to use the service. You don't need to keep upselling them by adding more and more and more, you just need to provide an ongoing valuable service

Success is all about great execution

The key is balance. Constantly seek out your weak links and focus on them until they're up to par

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www.37signals.com

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