So we’ve made some progress on the trademark efforts with our web application. We’ve selected a rather generic name, and there happen to be a few other companies using the same name (in other industries). We’re confident we will be able to use the name and are going through efforts to make sure. Thanks to Sean Tierney at Grid7 for recommending someone.
The next step is to finalize this design! We’ve been going left and right about certain features we want to have in version 1.0. There comes a time when you have to say “let’s go live with this and this, and leave that out.” That time is quickly approaching as our intention is to get this product to market sooner, rather than later.
Something I’m noticing more and more is that everybody works in vastly different ways. We all go about our lives and do things in ways that differ ever so slightly. You’d never notice by casually observing a team of people work. The important thing about building a web application is to cater to the many ways people do things. Not just the way you do things. If you can create something that isn’t cluttered, and allows people to work the way they work, you have won.
One key thing I always keep in the back of my head is that as you increase the number of features, less people find your application useful.
Our web application does have some existing competition. In fact, you could say some of them lead in their markets. However more often than not I’m finding that this only drives us to build a better product. Having their product to look at certainly helps, but it inspires us because we know they have a user base we can tempt. Competition is a good thing.
So, do you think I should start up a separate blog to talk about building our web application? Something like Bare Naked App, perhaps? Or should I keep it all here on BrainFuel? I can’t decide.
13 responses to “Human Nature is to Add More Features”
Nah, just share it with us here. You already have a well established audience, and you’ve already teased us enough with it.
See, I don’t want to come off as a snob. So if I ever start sounding like a snob just lemme know.
snob? It’s your blog, it’s your software, if you don’t talk about it who’s gonna?
This also reminds me of the some of the stuff that Marissa Mayer, Google’s director of consumer Web products, talked about it the article, “The Beauty of Simplicity.”
Have you read the article? I think it is one of my favorite reads of the year.
Your readers are here, this is the place to promote and tell the story about your super-cool app!
More of the same from me: do it here. If you increase the number of blogs, fewer people will find them useful. Maybe not, just trying to carry the point.
Hi everyone. Thanks for the encouraging words. We have been working steadily on the product and made significant progress. I printed that Google article, mark, and I have it set aside to read later tonight.
The decision is: leave all of the web-app discussion here on this site.
That means, I’ll be posting more about it in the future, and likely will create a new category for the product.
Looking forward to it (reading more and beta testing)
Hey Mike, thanks for stopping by!
You folks hip to John Branford republishing your content on his Splogs?
http://phoenixsnews.com/node/7638
Details here:
http://theheadlemur.typepad.com/ravinglunacy/2006/08/splogger_john_b.html
I do enjoy reading this website. But do 30 posts a month of “I’m working on something, it’s cool I promise, but it’s a secret.” even need to be here, let alone on their own blog?
Don’t worry MrFunk. I’ll be sure to make them interesting. For example, this picture.
Sweet, cowboys!
Now we just need some pirates, MAYBE a ninja, and we’ll be set! =)