getting real in development

Getting Realin Development

The smarter, faster, easier way to build a successful application 

based on book of 37signals

What is Getting Real?

Getting Real is about skipping all the stuff thatrepresents real and actually building the real thing

Getting Real is less. 

Getting Real is being agile

Getting Real starts with the interface

Getting Real is about iterations and lowering thecost of change.

Getting Real delivers just what customers needand eliminates anything they don’t.

The Starting Line

Build Less• Do less than your competitors 

to beat them

What’s Your Problem?• A great way to build software is to 

start out by solving your own problems

Have an Enemy• Sometimes the best way to know what your app should be is to know what it

shouldn’t be

It Shouldn’t be a Chore• If your app doesn’t excite you, something’s wrong

Stay Lean

Less Mass• When it comes to web technology,

change must be easy and cheap

• If change gets too expensive, you’re dead

• Let limitations guide you to creative solutions

Priorities

Make one-point vision of the App

Ignore Details Early On

It’s a Problem When It’s a Problem

Scale Later• “Will my app scale when millions of people start using it?”

Make Opinionated Software• Don’t go chasing people you’ll never make happy

Feature Selection

Half, Not Half-Assed• Take whatever you think your product 

should be and cut it in half

It Just Doesn’t Matter

Start With No• Each time you say yes to a feature, 

you’re adopting a child

Process

Race to Running Software

Rinse and Repeat 

From Idea to Implementation - From HTML sketches to coding

Avoid Preferences

“Done!” - This isn’t brain surgery

Test in the Wild

Shrink Your Time

Interface Design

Interface First• Design the interface before you start programming• What people see is what you’re selling

Three State Solution• Design for regular, blank, and error states

Context Over Consistency

Code

Less Software• KISS• No CODE  is More Flexible 

Optimize for Happiness• A happy programmer is a productive programmer• Your team needs to work with tools they love

Code Speaks• Listen to your code. It will offer suggestions

Manage Debt• Pay off your code and design “bills”

Open Doors• Get data out into the world via RSS, APIs, etc.

Words

Don’t Do Dead Documents• Eliminate unnecessary paperwork, do only real docs.• There’s Nothing Functional about a Functional Spec

Post-Launch

Better, Not Beta

All Bugs Are Not Created Equal• Prioritize your bugs (and even ignore some of them)

Conclusion

Start Your Engines!

37signals Resources• Main site (www.37signals.com)• Getting Real (getreal.37signals.com).

Visit www.owely.com :)

Thank you very much!