It's summer and I've been thinking about sailing. I didn't get to do any this summer, but I can still think about it. Thinking about sailing reminded me of the 1995 America's Cup race between the US and New Zealand. That race is a great illustration of the importance of both getting close to our customers and of rapid feedback.
To design their boat, Team New Zealand made…
Products that do everything they're supposed to do and offer consumers something they like, but didn't know they wanted, make customers happy. And that is what most of us in software development ultimately need to accomplish. But how do you separate the must-haves from the bells and whistles? And how do you make sure you're including the right bells and whistles? This article gives you clear advice on how to determine which features to include in order to meet and exceed your end users' expectations.
Users are often kept at arm's length. We ask them for their input on the design, but then we, as the experts, take it from there. This article asks you to bring users into the design process as participants rather than simply as founts of information. You might be surprised at where it takes you.
This article presents very specific advice on seven things a product owner or customer can do to get better software from his or her development team.
