Ask HN: Should you strive for perfection when you are experimenting with an idea

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1918691

by ssing • 16 years ago

7 7 16 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

If you are experimenting and not sure of your idea, do you need to strive for perfection (UI, flow) or just hack to make minimum viable project and release.

kingsidharth• 16 years ago

  Ship > Feedback > improve
  Ship > Feedback > improve
  Ship > Feedback > improve

x n times

pedalpete• 16 years ago

It is nearly impossible to get UI/UX or 'flow' right the first time. You'll go through a few iterations. But it is best to whiteboard your options or use something like balsamic to play with a few of your potentials and see what feels best. Show it around to friends and get feedback.

Then build. go back to those people you showed it to and add a few people to the list and watch them interact with it, get feedback. Repeat.

At first the changes may seem minor, and then when you really get it out into Beta, and start getting more feedback and ideas, that's when things will really start moving.

I took a look at your site, and I think you are coming at it from the wrong angle. You go right to 'how to get started' but I don't even know what it is yet or why I'd use it. Doosra Cricket means nothing to me. 'Pick a fixture' also has no meaning. What's a 'fixture'. I may not be your target market, but anybody who comes across your site should know what the purpose is without trying to decode your lingo.

Then you go into asking for email right off the bat with a sign-in, before I can even start doing anything. That is not good. Let people see what is happening on the site, get them interested and then you'll get sign-ups.

Hope that helps

ssing2• 16 years ago

Thanks for looking into the site and giving early feedback. The reason I asked this question was I found myself spending too much time trying to get things like login, fb like on the front page and organizing the layout. It is good for learning but it is preventing me from addressing other key issues.

Zev• 16 years ago

What platform? Whats your goal for the idea? What do you need from the idea? How much time do you have to put into it?

ssing2• 16 years ago

It is on Ruby On Rails. The idea is simple and niche. If it has user acceptance I would be interested in continuing with it. I am getting sucked in just trying to make the UI better. Just in case if you are interested but it is work in progress http://doosracricket.com/

curt• 16 years ago

I always make sure the interface actions and flow is near perfect even before I even begin to develop. Artwork and graphics are easily changed at any time, but how the user interacts with the interface is much more complicated and much more important.

If you piss off the early adopters, they aren't coming back and you're going up a creek without a paddle.

kaiserama• 16 years ago

Love this question. I have a partner who comes from the retail world and he is constantly leaning toward perfection before launching for an idea that may or may not be a good one. I agree with kingsidharth but it's hard to convince him. Seems most people who build a retail location need it to be as close to perfect when you open as possible.

Ask HN: Should you strive for perfection when you are experimenting with an idea

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