

The most important thing to understand about new products and startups - robot
http://paulbuchheit.blogspot.com/2008/02/most-import-thing-to-understand-about.html

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edanm
From 2008.

Fyi, Hacker News convention is to put the publication date in brackets next to
the title, if it's an old article. E.g., "The most important thing to
understand about new products and startups [2008]".

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ubasu
Eye-opening, in an amusing way:

 _I sent [Gmail] out to a few people for feedback, and they said that it was
somewhat useful, but it would be better if it searched over their email
instead of mine._

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rglover
Paul makes a lot of good points in this article. I can say that I often make
the mistake of placing too much importance on "my piece" of the puzzle
(design) which can delay my work. But I think the idea here is much bigger
than not being picky about your talent. It's about focusing on the people
you're making the product for: your customers. Instead of guessing what users
might want, ask them. Iterate your work as feedback comes in. That way you're
aware of what features are really important and can work to avoid unpleasant
customers (as well as make some decent money from your project).

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JVerstry
Totally agree, the market is the fuel. No market, no mileage.

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zb
I wonder if he's regretting using MySpace as an example.

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brandnewlow
Why? The founding team sold it for ~$575m. It's not entirely their fault it
fell apart after NewsCorp took the reins.

