Skip to main content

Product Development Mistakes
Bloozle – the Startup that never was - Part IV

Continued from Product Vision mistakes (Bloozle – the Startup that never was - Part III)

If the service is not ‘personal data service’ (like email), then one should try providing as many features as possible, without requiring users to log in/register. Registration and Login is a big barrier in enticing new users (especially non-techies) to try the service out. If you cannot provide the service without registration, try to provide screencasts and previews or even better, guest logins (slideshare does that!) for new users.

Its important to get at least one section of your site work completely and bug-free than have your complete set of services rolled out but all in a half baked shape. While it is true that beta users are usually tolerant, but they can't be tolerant towards a product that looks full blown, but doesn't work even for some basic requirements. They would rather have fewer sections - but those few work well. Project Management lesson - make sure you get your priorities right!!

Get commitment from the development team that they will not desert the concept before it reaches its logical completion. Our development team changed hands often – what made matters worse was that I was so preoccupied with the product vision and marketing aspects that I never got a chance to dig deep into the technology aspects. So, at one point when our lead developer went away and I got in a new team to carry forward the work, I had to spend my own 2 weeks understanding the way the code worked before I could navigate the new team.

Make sure you have a captive group of users who would be prepared to participate in your beta before you launch. This captive group could be your own developers if you have a large enough team, or your friends – but it must be a group of ‘real’ users. While we tried to create a captive group by asking a few friends initially and later offering a chance to barCamp participants – in true essence, every new feature rolled out was tested only by the developer and me before launching. We did not do cross browser testing – ignored Internet Explorer downright – and our testing too was never rigorous. As a result the product when it came out was bug ridden and every subsequent feature made matters even worse (increasing loading time for the site, but not offering any core performance improvement).

Use standard libraries/development platforms wherever you can – if required take extra time before starting your development to discover the different tools available. When we coded the first version of bloozle, we started from scratch building the most basic Javascript functionalities ourselves. Where we could have crunched our development time by a fourth using Prototype or jQuery, we spend in making our Javascript scriptlets compatible with different browsers. Since, we had just one developer for most of the time, we never used SVN which became a problem going forward when more people got involved with the development.

Document Document Document – we never documented our code or even the basic application architecture. Software development practices such as naming conventions used, class names and database table names were documented (thanks to Manpreet – our first developer who did a fantastic job!) but the working of our code were never put in words. This again became a big problem when the code had to change hands – which unfortunately happened twice over the last leg of the project. I happened to the only person apart from Manpreet to know the architecture of the code when it changed hands and there was no document which I could pass on.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

How will travel industry transform post-Covid

Unlike philosophers, journalists and teenagers, the world of entrepreneurship does not permit the luxury of gazing into a crystal ball to predict the future. An entrepreneur’s world is instead made of MVPs (Minimum Viable Product), A/B Tests, launching products, features or services and gauging / measuring their reception in the market to arrive at verifiable truths which can drive the business forward. Which is why I have never written about my musings or hypothesis about travel industry – we usually either seek customer feedback or launch an MVPised version and gather market feedback. However, with Covid-19 travel bans across the globe, the industry is currently stuck – while a lot of industry reports and journalistic conjectures are out, there’s no definitive answer to the way forward. Besides there is no way to test your hypothesis since even the traveller does not know what they will do when skies open. So, I decided to don my blogger hat and take the luxury of crystal gazing...

A Guide to Privacy on Social Media [apps]

The recent announcement by WhatsApp to update its privacy terms - and 'accept or leave the app' stance - led to an exodus of users from Whastapp to competing, privacy-conscious apps such as Telegram or Signal. A week after the exodus began, Whatsapp clarified its stance - and WhatsApp's CEO went about providing a long Twitter clarification . And then, many returned, many who considered moving stayed put on Whatsapp. This post is meant for those who are still sitting on the fence - it clarifies questions like: What is this all about? What do I do? Is Whatsapp safe? I've heard Telegram is Russian - so how is it safer than Whatsapp? I can't move because my business contacts are on Whastapp - how do I secure myself? PS: I've modeled this post based on several conversations I've had with friends and family on this subject, dealing with the chain of questions they ask, then objections they raise, then clarifications they seek - and finally the change resistance ...

Learning from 11 years in KPMG

It is only when we give up what we have is when we can embrace the new! I quit my job at KPMG one year ago - 22 January 2016 was my last day with the firm. As I reflect back on that day, it felt more like a graduation day! The eerie mix of nostalgia, excitement, anxiety and blues of missing your friends. KPMG was not just my first job but also a place where I learnt everything that I represent professionally. KPMG is one of the institutions I deeply respect and love – and relationships I have built here will stay with me for my lifetime. In my entrepreneurial career as well, I am often reminded more of all the great things I have learnt over my 11 years in KPMG. An year gone by, I realize these learnings have stayed with me and apply equally to the world outside KPMG. Almost all would apply to those working in role of (internal or external) consultants but several are generic and can be applied across professions. I have tried to change the text so that the learnings sound ...