February 26, 2004

Iterative Development

David Hornik writes about the power of iterative design, discussing the Handspring Treo phone/PDA and then generalizing the experience. A quote:

Similarly, I have always viewed as one of the key strengths of building a web business, the ability to rapidly evolve a product or service based upon specific, quantifiable user feedback. Successful web businesses have never sought to put out the perfect product. Rather, they have put out products that can be measured and tracked, and have been quick to revise those products based upon the direct feedback they receive. The more agile a company is in responding to that user feedback, the more likely it will ultimately build a product or service that best meets the needs of its customers.

Amen.