Build the product

Ship an MVP, work with builders, and iterate toward something people use.

What founders use for build the product, ranked by how many answers lean on it.

  1. Instead of shipping the same heavy page to everyone, you can detect the connection and serve lighter images or defer non... web.dev (Google) Article · 15 min read Adaptive serving based on network quality Google Chrome team
  2. A focused, code first companion on reading the user's connection (and even their data saver preference) and adjusting what you... AddyOsmani.com Article · 12 min read Adaptive Serving using JavaScript and the Network Information API Addy Osmani
  3. Before you optimize a byte, you need to know who you are building for, and Pai's India1, India2, India3 framing is the clearest... SajithPai.com Essay · Long read India2, English Tax and Building for the Next Billion Users Sajith Pai
  4. Mismatched and default fonts are one of the loudest amateur tells, and this fixes them in ten minutes. Butterick gives you... Butterick's Practical Typography Article · ~10 min read Typography in ten minutes Matthew Butterick
  5. The most common amateur tell is inconsistent, random spacing, and a spacing scale is the cure. This explains how sizing every... Built to Adapt (Medium) Article · ~8 min read Intro to the 8-Point Grid System Elliot Dahl
  6. Generous whitespace is half of the short answer, and this explains both macro and micro space clearly. You learn why breathing... Interaction Design Foundation Article The Power of White Space in Design Interaction Design Foundation
  7. Obvious is one of India's most respected product design studios, and their blog distills over a decade of building simple, well... Obvious (India product design studio) Article Obvious blog Obvious (India product design studio)
  8. Polish is mostly restraint, and this lays out practical ways to strip a design down. It helps you resist the urge to add more... Interaction Design Foundation Article Simplicity in Design: 4 Ways to Achieve Simplicity Interaction Design Foundation
  9. A short interview where Kunal Shah argues margins come from desire, which design creates, rather than from utility alone. It is... Outlook Business Article Margins Are Earned from Desire, Not Utility, says CRED founder Kunal Shah Kunal Shah
  10. This is the single most practical book written entirely about the tiny words in your product (buttons, error messages, empty... microcopybook.com (Nemala) Book · ~350 pages Microcopy: The Complete Guide Kinneret Yifrah
  11. Kate Kiefer Lee shaped Mailchimp's famous voice, and this book teaches you to write clear, human interface and product copy and... nicelysaid.co Book · ~272 pages Nicely Said: Writing for the Web with Style and Purpose Nicole Fenton and Kate Kiefer Lee
  12. Most error copy is written for the calm, ideal user, and this short book forces you to design for the stressed, distracted,... A Book Apart Book · ~132 pages Design for Real Life Eric Meyer and Sara Wachter-Boettcher
  13. Sign-up and checkout forms are where founders lose users, and this piece is a focused rulebook for the error text on exactly... Nielsen Norman Group Article · ~14 min read How to Report Errors in Forms: 10 Design Guidelines Rachel Krause (Nielsen Norman Group)
  14. A button or link label makes a promise, and this article gives you a simple test for whether it will be kept: specific,... Nielsen Norman Group Article · ~8 min read Better Link Labels: 4 Ss for Encouraging Clicks Kate Moran (Nielsen Norman Group)
  15. The UK government writes for millions of people in hard moments, and their public guidance is one of the best free sources on... GOV.UK Service Manual Article · ~10 min read Writing for user interfaces GOV.UK / Government Digital Service
  16. Apple's writing foundation is short, opinionated, and free, and it states the button rule plainly: almost always use a verb,... Apple Human Interface Guidelines Article · ~10 min read Writing Apple
  17. Shopify's design system spells out how to phrase actions for merchants running a business, which is close to what many founders... Shopify Polaris Article · ~6 min read Content design: Actionable language Shopify
  18. Google's content design guidance is a free, thorough reference for clear UI writing, including the classic rule of naming the... Material Design 3 (Google) Article · ~12 min read Content design overview Google
  19. Saito was the first UX writer at YouTube and a writer at Dropbox, and this widely read essay shows how a few well-chosen words... UX Collective (John Saito) Essay · ~8 min read The magic of microcopy John Saito
  20. Written by an India-based UX writer, this piece is a useful reality check on why product copy still gets ignored at many Indian... UX Content Collective Article · ~8 min read UX writing is on the rise in India Sidika Sehgal
  21. Practical guidance from someone who has placed many founding designers, on when the hire actually pays off and how to run the... Andy Budd Article How to Hire Your First Founding Designer (and Not Regret It Later) Andy Budd
  22. The counterargument worth hearing: that a strong designer earns their keep before polish, by shaping the product around real... Andy Budd Essay Everyone Talks About Product-Market Fit. A Good Designer Can Help You Find It. Andy Budd
  23. A calm, structured walkthrough of hiring your first designer: what to look for, how to scope the role, and how to evaluate... Designer Fund Article A Founder's Guide to Hiring your First Designer Heather Phillips
  24. From a former Facebook VP of Design, this clarifies what senior design judgment actually buys you, which is the "taste" you... The Looking Glass Essay How to Spot a World-Class Designer Julie Zhuo

Show the next 24

The questions

Building your MVP 18

Build the smallest thing that tests the biggest risk.

What actually counts as an MVP, and what's the smallest one I can get away with? 20 → How do I decide which features to cut from v1? 18 → How long should building an MVP take? 19 → Should I build an MVP at all, or can I validate without one? 20 → How do I get my first users for the MVP? 17 → All 18 questions in Building your MVP →
No-code & low-code building 18

Ship a product without writing code.

Which no-code tool should I use to build my first product? 20 → Can I really build a serious business on no-code, or will I hit a wall? 18 → Should I use an AI app builder like Lovable or Replit instead of traditional no-code? 20 → How do I connect payments and handle data if I'm building no-code in India? 20 → What can I build with just a spreadsheet as the backend? 20 → All 18 questions in No-code & low-code building →
Finding & working with developers 18

Get it built when you can't build it yourself.

I'm non-technical, do I actually need a technical co-founder? 18 → How do I actually find a technical co-founder? 19 → Should I hire an agency or a freelancer to build my MVP? 17 → How do I hire good engineers in India when everyone's competing for the same talent? 18 → How do I evaluate a developer's skill if I can't code? 19 → All 18 questions in Finding & working with developers →
Product design & UX basics 18

Make it obvious, not clever.

I'm not a designer, how do I make my product not look terrible? 18 → What are the core UX principles every founder should know? 20 → How do I know if my product is confusing to users? 17 → Should I learn Figma, and how much design do I really need? 19 → Why does good design actually matter for an early-stage startup? 19 → All 18 questions in Product design & UX basics →
Shipping, iterating & roadmap 18

Ship weekly, learn constantly, prioritise ruthlessly.

How do I decide what to build next? 19 → How often should an early-stage startup ship? 19 → How do I build a roadmap without over-planning? 19 → How do I keep talking to users while I'm heads-down building? 18 → How do product teams keep a consistent shipping rhythm as they grow? 18 → All 18 questions in Shipping, iterating & roadmap →
eChai Partner Brands The partnership →