The PocketSmith Blog

Hey folks,

Jason and James have been working like dogs to get a first version of Pocketsmith featuring the basic functionality. I must confess they have been very productive as we are about the release the alpha version after 5 weeks of work! One thing we have learned from reading other startup experiences was that it is essential to launch a first version of your product quickly. According to the Y Combinator library, launching quickly forces you to actually finish some quantum work. In other words, it is not good to be too perfectionist and/or to wait until you release your last super-start feature. Moreover, we are conscious that we need feedback from early users as soon as possible. In fact, spending 12 hours a day in a room in front of a computer can easily drive you to forget that at the end of the day the market is driving you…

Here is the list of stuff that have to been done to prepare the first release:

1. Get the big picture: what are you trying to achieve with this release? What are the possible outcomes? Are you ready to face early critics? Let’s hope we are ready
2. Set up a deadline. We have decided to launch it by the 1st of August
3. Decide what you want to include in this first version. This part is a tricky one as you don’t want your baby to look ugly and being consequently underestimated by the first users. On the other hand you need to be realistic and recognize you can only do a certain amount of work within this time frame. Regarding on the current development of the application, I am pretty confident we will unveil a balanced first version of Pocketsmith
4. Identify your target. Start small. We are thinking about 20 people to start with from various background – bankers, accountants, students, family representatives… Make a good use of your network. This is a perfect time to ask the enthusiastic people that support you from the beggining to spend some time helping you to improve the product. Picking up people you know allows you to expect serious feedback. Moreover, you would have more opportunities to spend some time with them. Finally, you can hope they will be very honest while criticizing your product. It is pleasant to know our job is great but it is more constructive to point out its drawbacks!
5. Prepare a questionnaire you intend to submit to your alpha-testers. As the number of people interviewed is small, make sure you customize each of them regarding on your target. More information will come once we had time to look at it!
6. Summarize their feedback in a formal document. Share this document with your testers and show them your appreciation for their time and kindness.
7. Go back to work!

I might make some changes to this post as we discuss this issue further on the track. Kowabunga!

Tags: alpha, pocketsmith, release, version

This entry was posted on Monday, July 21st, 2008 at 5:52 pm by Francois and is filed under Releases. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.