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Getting Real

What is Getting Real?
A smaller, faster, better way to build software
About 37signals
Our small team creates simple, focused software
Caveats, disclaimers, and other preemptive strikes
Responses to some complaints we hear

Less Mass
The leaner you are, the easier it is to change
Lower Your Cost of Change
Stay flexible by reducing obstacles to change
The Three Musketeers
Use a team of three for version 1.0
Embrace Constraints
Let limitations guide you to creative solutions
Be Yourself
Differentiate yourself from bigger companies by being personal and friendly

What’s the big idea?
Explicitly define the one-point vision for your app
Ignore Details Early On
Work from large to small
It’s a Problem When It’s a Problem
Don’t waste time on problems you don’t have yet
Hire the Right Customers
Find the core market for your application and focus solely on them
Scale Later
You don’t have a scaling problem yet
Make Opinionated Software
Your app should take sides

Half, Not Half-Assed
Build half a product, not a half-ass product
It Just Doesn’t Matter
Essentials only
Start With No
Make features work hard to be implemented
Hidden Costs
Expose the price of new features
Can You Handle It?
Build something you can manage
Human Solutions
Build software for general concepts and encourage people to create their own solutions
Forget Feature Requests
Let your customers remind you what’s important
Hold the Mayo
Ask people what they don’t want

Race to Running Software
Get something real up and running quickly
Rinse and Repeat
Work in iterations
From Idea to Implementation
Go from brainstorm to sketches to HTML to coding
Avoid Preferences
Decide the little details so your customers don’t have to
“Done!”
Decisions are temporary so make the call and move on
Test in the Wild
Test your app via real world usage
Shrink Your Time
Break it down

Hire Less and Hire Later
Add slow to go fast
Kick the Tires
Work with prospective employees on a test-basis first
Actions, Not Words
Judge potential tech hires on open source contributions
Get Well Rounded Individuals
Go for quick learning generalists over ingrained specialists
You Can’t Fake Enthusiasm
Go for happy and average over frustrated and great
Wordsmiths
Hire good writers

Less Software
Keep your code as simple as possible
Optimize for Happiness
Choose tools that keep your team excited and motivated
Code Speaks
Listen when your code pushes back
Manage Debt
Pay off your code and design “bills”
Open Doors
Get data out into the world via RSS, APIs, etc.

There’s Nothing Functional about a Functional Spec
Don’t write a functional specifications document
Don’t Do Dead Documents
Eliminate unnecessary paperwork
Tell Me a Quick Story
Write stories, not details
Use Real Words
Insert actual text instead of lorem ipsum
Personify Your Product
What is your product’s personality type?

Free Samples
Give something away for free
Easy On, Easy Off
Make signup and cancellation a painless process
Silly Rabbit, Tricks are for Kids
Avoid long-term contracts, sign-up fees, etc.
A Softer Bullet
Soften the blow of bad news with advance notice and grandfather clauses

Hollywood Launch
Go from teaser to preview to launch
A Powerful Promo Site
Build an ace promotional site that introduces people to your product
Ride the Blog Wave
Blogging can be more effective than advertising (and it’s a hell of a lot cheaper)
Solicit Early
Get advance buzz and signups going ASAP
Promote Through Education
Share your knowledge with the world
Feature Food
They’re hungry for it so serve it up
Track Your Logs
Study your logs to track buzz
Inline Upsell
Promote upgrade opportunities inside the app
Name Hook
Give your app a name that’s easy to remember

Feel The Pain
Tear down the walls between support and development
Zero Training
Use inline help and FAQs so your product doesn’t require a manual or training
Answer Quick
Quick turnaround time on support queries should be a top priority
Tough Love
Be willing to say no to your customers
In Fine Forum
Use forums or chat to let customers help each other
Publicize Your Screwups
Get bad news out there and out of the way

One Month Tuneup
Issue a major update 30 days after launch
Keep the Posts Coming
Show your product is alive by keeping an ongoing product development blog post-launch
Better, Not Beta
Don’t use “beta” as a scapegoat
All Bugs Are Not Created Equal
Prioritize your bugs (and even ignore some of them)
Ride Out the Storm
Wait until knee-jerk reactions to changes die down before taking action
Keep Up With the Joneses
Subscribe to news feeds about your competitors
Beware the Bloat Monster
More mature doesn’t have to mean more complicated
Go With the Flow
Be open to new paths and changes in direction