Software & web development should be defined and driven in the direction of how it’s used by the users (AKA how people will use it).
It should not be defined and driven in the direction of how its developers THINK it will be used by the users.
In other words, development is most efficiently and effectively defined by the market.
Elegantly proven by walkway planning at a university:
A new green college campus was built, but one thing was still debated:
Where in the grass should we put the paved walkways?
One professor had the winning idea: Don’t make any walkways this year. At the end of the year, look at where the grass is worn away, showing us where the students are walking. Then just pave those paths.
From Derek Sivers’ blog. Read full post here.
