
Andrew Chen: Do you ever say, "MySpace is sooo ugly?" This blog's for you... - andrew_null
http://andrewchen.typepad.com/andrew_chens_blog/2007/11/do-you-ever-say.html
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alaskamiller
Why is MySpace popular? Why is trashy tv popular? Why is McDonald's popular?

Wait wait wait wait...

You mean geeks really don't get what most of average folks want but are snobby
shits about it? Wow! Here in the valley that's called echochambering.

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imsteve
I'm kind of glad that myspace is so ridiculously ugly. Design best practice
snobs need an abrupt wakeup.

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edw519
"But the rest of the world is not like us, and that's the problem."

That's why analysis is still more important than development. Doesn't matter
how slick it is, it HAS to be something people want. If you don't know what
that is, ask.

I could cite many examples of great products that we loved and nobody bought,
but I forgot them already. (That's the whole point.)

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imsteve
I can give you many examples of people not knowing what they want.

Better to measure than to _ask_. Critical difference.

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edw519
Better to ask first.

Problem is that systems analysis is a lost art. People don't know HOW to ask.

People know what they want. They just don't know that they know.

Here are just a few to the things you have to do (that almost no one does
anymore) in order to elicit requirements:

\- Spend time with users doing what they do, asking questions until you
understand how things work. If this means sitting at their desk, following
them around their office/factory/route, or wading hip deep in <whatever>, then
DO IT.

\- Ask questions to groups of people at the same time, so they can argue with
each other and learn together what's really needed.

\- Ask lots of "Yes/No" questions.

\- Ask lots of "On a scale of 1 to 10..." questions.

\- Ask lots of "What is the probability that ..." questions.

\- Cover the wall with paper and draw pictures of EVERYTHING. Leave the paper
there for all to see for weeks. Let them understand and learn together.

\- Put every piece of paper they use in their jobs (or personal life) on the
wall, so they (and others) can really see what they have to deal with on a
daily basis. Not blank sheets, but paper with real data on it.

\- Identify every data element. How do you know when you're done? Keep asking
until there are no more answers.

\- Feed people while you ask them. (Amazing how smart people get while eating
pizza.)

\- Then (and only then) give them a prototype to play with. (I suppose here is
where your "measure" comes in to play.)

\- Exactly right? No? Keep going until it is.

Aside from the prototype, we haven't written a single line of code. Is this
hard? Absolutely. Maybe that's why most of us don't do it anymore. Does it
work? It you know what you're doing: every time.

(Aside: Notice I never mentioned using crap like Rational Rose or UML. That
stuff was never meant to help this process. It was meant to make people who
don't know what they're doing appear as it they did. Built an industry by
paying junior people $50k and billing them out at $250/hour.)

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nonrecursive
This is very helpful, thanks!

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mattmaroon
Yes. Yes. I love you. Yes.

This is actually a large part of the tech talk I plan on giving on justin.tv.
It's a symptom of a much bigger problem in the valley.

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jmtame
Don't put down aesthetics in the name of MySpace. It's simpyl a weak argument
to make. I explain here: [http://jtame05.wordpress.com/2007/12/01/when-you-
grow-up-des...](http://jtame05.wordpress.com/2007/12/01/when-you-grow-up-
design-matters/)

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kirse
At least Myspace knows how to handle their 404s.

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crxnamja
myspace is gorgeous.

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downer
> This is how they want their profiles to look.

This doesn't take into consideration that profile layout is a pain in the ass
and most people don't want to deal with the mess of CSS.

MySpace layouts tend not to be what people _want_ , just what they _settle
for_. As it is, it's too much work to get it the way you want it.

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omouse
It's why there are so many MySpace layout creation websites. If MySpace was
well-designed, there would be no need for those other sites.

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umertino
Andrew chen I agree, teen market is quite difficult to tap

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copenja
Half the myspace users are over 35:

<http://www.comscore.com/press/release.asp?press=1019>

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andrewfong
How many are pedophiles?

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Goladus
Less than half, but more than the number of bogeymen.

