At Akrity, we follow three core principles for every project:
- Don’t build what you don’t need
- Build what you need really well
- Build usage, not features
In an earlier article, we discussed the first principle, Don’t build what you don’t need.
In this article, we take a look at our second principle: Build what you need really well.
To better understand this principle, it needs to be included with the first one.
Let’s take an example: WhatsApp.
When WhatsApp started out, its primary focus was solving one burning problem for users: making communication free, to put it rather simply.
Back when WhatsApp was launched, calls and text messages cost a lot, especially if you wanted to talk to someone overseas.
WhatsApp came around and changed all that. Now, you can chat with your family and friends for free, irrespective of their geographic location.
It’s important to note, however, that WhatsApp back then was a completely different app than it is today. It didn’t have all these fancy emojis, didn’t have the attachment options, didn’t have the call option. But it did solve the core problem.
Essentially, they didn’t build what they didn’t need (which is exactly what our first principle is).
What else did they do?
They made sure that they built what they needed really well! Our second principle.
If new business owners focus on only the features they need, it makes it quite easy for them to build that particular feature to the best of the team’s ability. Their efforts are focused on making just one or two features really well and that makes it easier for them to abide by our second principle.
These principles are simple, but most often counter-intuitive, as more often than not, people try to build a ‘complete’ product, which leads to a mediocre product that doesn’t excel in any of the features.
What are your thoughts on this article? Let us know in the comments below.
