Summary
Building better software products are a huge motivation for most of us. However, being great at programming is not enough. A piece of perfectly crafted software is not necessarily a great product. A great product should be something people want. Building something valuable is not enough. You much find the right market to survive and thrive. Having a sound business model is not enough. Strategies to compete are needed. If your chosen market has too many competitors and me-too products, it is better to be more creative and solve problems unconventionally.
Here are some resources that help us become better product builders and entrepreneurs.
Books
- It gives you ideas and methods to innovate and create unique values in a competitive market.
- The Kelly brothers from IDEO share experiences that make a person and an organization more creative.
- A recently released book by Tony Fadell, the "father" of the iPod. Chapter#3 talks a lot about how to build great products. For example, he mentions the importance of customer journeys and customer profiles.
Processes and methods
Design for Delight (aka D4D)
- Scott Cook called it their #1 secret weapon at Intuit.
- Explanation: https://blogs.intuit.com/blog/2019/07/23/design-for-delight-how-to-fall-in-love-with-your-customers-problems-and-not-the-solution/'
Design Kit, created by IDEO
- Tools for the design processes, such as inspiration and implementation..
- https://www.designkit.org/methods
Blue Ocean Strategy tools and frameworks
- Useful references for the "Blue Ocean" book
- https://www.blueoceanstrategy.com/tools/
If you have other helpful resources, please share them in the comment session below。 🙂