

Ask HN: Best resources for learning to build good products? - badclient

What are the best books/sites to pick up knowledge on building good products?<p>I am mainly interested in decision-making and details of product UX. Basically answers to questions like...<p><i>Do we build out this feature? If so, how should it flow?</i><p><i>How important is this new form style versus the default textbox style we have right now?</i><p>Tips?
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SoftwareMaven
_Do we build this feature?_

In a startup, that's all about customer development. Steve Blank has a book
and a lot to say on the topic.
[http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0976470705/ref=as_li_ss_tl?...](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0976470705/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=theworlofsoft-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0976470705)

 _If so, how should it flow?_

UX is non-trivial you will have to spend a lot of time learning about it. I
always recommend _Don't Make Me Think_ as a starting point.
[http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321344758/ref=as_li_ss_tl?...](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321344758/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=theworlofsoft-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0321344758)

 _How important is..._

There are questions that can be answered by understanding UX patterns and
anti-patterns. There are also questions that require A/B testing. When in
doubt, test.

However, UX can also suffer from premature optimization. Just like in writing
code where you wouldn't use a big array when you need a map, don't ignore UX,
but don't try to answer details until after it is working or you could find
yourself bike shedding instead of shipping.

~~~
ch00ey
Additionally, I HIGHLY suggest taking a look at the Business Model Generation
by Alex Osterwalder and Running Lean By Ash Maurya.

LINKS:

<http://www.businessmodelgeneration.com/>

<http://www.runningleanhq.com/>

