Essay · 5 min read

Interface First

37signals · Getting Real (37signals) Free Beginner

This backs up the sketch the flows part of our answer. Design the screens before anyone writes code, because a paper sketch is cheap to change and code is the most expensive thing to change. For a non technical founder that is empowering: the interface is the part you can actually own and communicate, and it gives the developer a concrete target instead of abstract requirements.

  • Sketch the screens before code, changes on paper are nearly free
  • The interface is the product the user actually experiences
  • A designed screen gives a developer a real target to build toward
Open on basecamp.com ↗

It answers 2 questions

  1. How do I write a spec for a developer when I'm not technical?
  2. How much should I invest in design polish for an MVP versus just shipping something functional?

Read with it

  1. Michael Seibel, who ran YC, makes the blunt case for shipping something almost embarrassingly simple and learning from real... Y Combinator Startup Library Video · ~10 min video How to Build an MVP Michael Seibel
  2. The book that gave the world 'MVP', 'build-measure-learn', and 'validated learning'. It reframes a startup as a series of... theleanstartup.com Book · ~330 pages The Lean Startup Eric Ries
  3. The permission slip to recruit users by hand, do things manually, and deliver 'insanely great' experiences to your first few... paulgraham.com Essay · ~15 min read Do Things That Don't Scale Paul Graham
  4. Video · ~13 min How to Plan an MVP Michael Seibel (YC)
  5. Design tactics written specifically for developers and non-designers who need to ship good-looking UI without a design... refactoringui.com Book · ~250 pages Refactoring UI Adam Wathan & Steve Schoger
  6. The most accessible, practical intro to usability ever written, you can read it in a weekend and immediately fix your product.... sensible.com Book · ~200 pages Don't Make Me Think, Revisited Steve Krug
eChai Partner Brands The partnership →