Jason Fried

37signals

Co-founder & CEO

Edmund Hillary Fellowship (EHF)

Fellow

Inc. Magazine

I write a monthly column for Inc. Magazine called "Getting Real". You can read my columns here: http://www.inc.com/author/jason-fried

Columnist

Founder & CEO at 37signals (makers of Basecamp and HEY). Non-serial entrepreneur, serial author (Getting Real, REWORK, REMOTE, It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work). Email me at jason@hey.com.

My general rule of thumb is "as low-fi as possible".

This is why I'll often rough sketch an idea on paper with a Sharpie, take a picture, and send it to someone rather than get out the iPad, launch a drawing app, grab the tools, (over)do the thing, export, share, etc.

The pen/paper + photo/share flow is such a native flow on mobile devices that it's often the simplest, fastest, and least frustrating way to get a visual idea in front of someone.

Don't overdo it.

People getting together to talk about something, or even riff on something, is not collaboration. I'm surprised at how often this is misunderstood. Meetings are not collaboration simply because multiple people are in the same room.

Collaboration is people doing the actual work together. Where anyone chiming in has the skills and ability to impact the work by doing the work.

Anything else is pure suggestion. And there's nothing wrong at all with giving someone a suggestion, tossing ideas around, of general riffing. It's hugely enjoyable and can lead to real breakthroughs.

But collaboration is about doing the work itself, together.

Burak Buyukdemir

I've never created content, I've written things down.

I've never created content, I've said things out loud.

I've never created content, I've recorded a video.

I've never created content, I've shown someone around.

I've never created content, I've pointed something out.

When making products, you can think of them as a collection of features or answers.

Some people may say "you mean features or benefits?" No, I mean answers. Answers are counterpoints to questions people have in their heads. Answers fill holes, answers snap into sockets. Benefits don't have such places in people's minds.

For example, you could make a feature that shows you which tasks are overdue. Or, you can build something that answers the question "What's late?"

You could make a feature that's a timeline of activity. Or, you can build something that answers the question "what's been happening lately?"

You could make a feature that shows where a project stands at this very moment. Or, you can answer the questions "Where are we? How far along are we? How much is left to actually do? And how much time is there to get there? And how do we actually /feel/ about where we're at right now?"

The differences may seem subtle, and I'm sure you can imagine both directions leading down the same path, to the same point, but the mindsets that make each version are quite a bit different. And those mindsets manifest in small ways that add up to big differences in how you approach the solution.

As we continue to improve Basecamp, and build a new version of the basecamp.com site (the image sliver below is from not-yet-launched work in progress), I'm continually thinking about questions and answers vs. features and benefits.

I'd encourage you to do the same.

Summarization is the best way to miss something important.

I'd be willing to bet "Our most popular plan" on most pricing charts is far from the most popular plan. Suggestions may ultimately make it so, but misleading people initially is a no go.

Taplio

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