Getting Real

A talk version of the book "Getting Real" by 37signals, delivered to Game Dev Society on 16th November 2016.

Transcript

1. Getting Real The smarter, faster, easier way to build a successful web application
2. @elliotblackburn
3. Starting Line Steady, steady!
4. Build less
5. Don’t ONE UP
6. Not the Cold War Don’t ONE UP
7. less You need features
8. less You need options & settings
9. less You need staff and org structure
10. less You need meetings
11. less You need promises
12. What’s your problem?
13. Cheat! Build for yourself
14. Fund yourself
15. Fixed time Fixed budget Flex scope
16. “We can launch on time, on budget, and on scope” - Dumb and Stupid
17. Prioritise the important
18. Half a product not a half-assed product
19. Have an enemy
20. It shouldn’t be a chore
21. Consider it all, before you start
22. Stay lean Lean, not lean
23. Reduce your mass!
24. Increase your mass Long term contacts Excess staff Permanent decisions Meetings about meetings Thick process Inventory Tech “lock-ins” Proprietary data formats Past ruling the future Long-term roadmaps {
25. Reduces your mass Just-in-time thinking Multi-discipline team members Embracing constraints Less software, and less code Less features Smaller team size Simplicity Pared-down interfaces Open data formats Open culture, admitting mistakes {
26. Team of three for version 1!
27. 1 - Designer 1 - Developer 1 - “Sweeper”
28. “It’s a problem when it’s a problem”
29. Hire the right customers
30. Make opinionated software
31. Feature selection Hold the mayo
32. Half not half-assed
33. “We’ll build everything but the kitchen sink” - Dumb and Stupid
34. “We’ll build everything but the kitchen sink” - Dumb and Stupid Nope!
35. Start with “no”
36. 1. Say no. 2. Force the feature to prove its value. 3. If “no” again, end here. If “yes,” continue... 4. Sketch the screen(s)/ui. 5. Design the screen(s)/ui. 6. Code it. 7-15. Test, tweak, test, tweak, test, tweak, test, tweak... 16. Check to see if help text needs to be modified. 17. Update the product tour (if necessary). 18. Update the marketing copy (if necessary). 19. Update the terms of service (if necessary). 20. Check to see if any promises were broken. 21. Check to see if pricing structure is affected. 22. Launch. 23. Hold breath. Hidden costs suck
37. Can you handle it?
38. Bin feature requests
39. Process Hold the mayo
40. “Real things lead to real reactions. And that’s how you get to the truth”
41. Brainstorm Sketches HTML Coding
42. Brainstorm Paper prototype Core mechanics / scene Coding
43. Avoid preferences
44. Say “done” a lot
45. Awful idea = -1 Weak idea = 1 So-so idea = 5 Good idea = 10 Great idea = 15 Brilliant idea = 20 No exec = $1 Weak exec = $1000 So-so exec = $10,000 Good exec = $100,000 Great exec = $1,000,000 Brilliant exec = $10,000,000 To make business, multiple two of these - Derek Sivers
46. Test in the wild
47. Team
48. The Zone TM
49. Little wins
50. Staffing Hire good writers
51. Hire less and late
52. “Kick the tires”
53. Actions, not words
54. Generalists over specialists
55. Wordsmiths
56. Interface Design Your product is your interface
57. Interface over Function
58. Epicentre design
59. GET DEFENSIVE!
60. Copywriting is interface design
61. Code Learn to write good code
62. Optimise for happiness
63. Open door policy
64. Words Write wisely
65. Functional specs aren’t functional
66. Don’t do dead documentation
67. Personify your product
68. Pricing & Signup Drug deals are good role models
69. Drug deals are good role models
70. Easy on Easy off
71. Promotion Hollywood get it right
72. Teaser => Preview => Launch
73. Powerful promotion site
74. Ride the blog waves
75. Study the logs and data
76. Post launch Be present
77. Tune up after 30 days
78. Keep blogging
79. Beware the bloat monster
80. Go with the flow
81. Stay real