technology

Startup design and MVP

technology

Dave McClure, a well-known Silicon Valley investor who now runs 500 Startups, has a thing about design. He notes:

Addictive User Experience (Design) and Scalable Distribution Methods (Marketing) are the most critical components of success in consumer Internet startups, not Pure Engineering Talent.

The emphasis on good design is a concept that’s gaining more traction in the startup world. I see it in the slick Web pages and mobile interfaces of hot new products, but I also hear the UX mantra from experts who say that while “minimum viable product” (MVP) is important for getting a prototype out the door and starting feedback loops, the design element can’t be ignored. An advisor for my startup suggested that for a consumer-oriented product the emphasis should be on “minimum delightful product“, or MDP, rather than MVP. The post struck a nerve … to date there have been more than 40 retweets of this post.

Highs and lows in a tech startup

technology

In the six months since our Craigslist app has gotten off the ground, there have been a lot of ups and downs. Of course, ups and downs are a part of any career. But I quickly found that the mood extremes are far more pronounced at a startup than at a multinational tech media company or large research university.

It turns out that the startup roller coaster actually quite typical. Fortunately, there are tactics for managing the highs and lows, as I discuss in the Invantory blog (see link, above).

I also think it’s important to note that while we are still in the early stages, every day when I get up, I look forward to getting started on my company’s business. The challenges change every day, but the wins, when they come, are positively exhilarating.

Educational “badges” as an alternative to diplomas?

online education, technology ,

The Chronicle of Higher Education has an interesting article on the rise of educational badges, a reward/accomplishment system that some online educational services like Khan Academy are using. Here’s the summary:

Educational upstarts across the Web are adopting systems of “badges” to certify skills and abilities. If scouting focuses on outdoorsy skills like tying knots, these badges denote areas employers might look for, like mentorship or digital video editing. Many of the new digital badges are easy to attain—intentionally so—to keep students motivated, while others signal mastery of fine-grained skills that are not formally recognized in a traditional classroom.

The article goes on to ask whether easy-to-understand badges that denote focused study or skills will undermine traditional diplomas, which offer very little insights into the specific skills or abilities that were attained.

In my opinion, this is unlikely, at least for some professions such as information technology. We’ve seen efforts like this in the past, such as certification programs based on in-class or online instructions. While certification exams are a prerequisite for certain occupations, they are sometimes seen as a poor indicator of how well someone will perform in real-world situations. Badges and certificates also suffer from short shelf-lives relative to the value of a diploma, which has brand power that can last decades.

It will be interesting to see how the badge system evolves, and whether it can gain strength through acceptance of widely followed standards or partnerships with testing organizations or government agencies.

Cambridge startups turn to the CIC

technology

I’ve written a post about the Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC) in Kendall Square. This is where hundreds of other nascent tech startups spend a lot of time planning, meeting, coding, and testing. It’s a fascinating place that provides office space, amenities and a network that can provide advice and connections necessary to build a business.

The CIC has really helped my partner and I get our dream off the ground, and we already have a prototype Craigslist app in the hands of testers. The CIC is also relatively cheap, at least for those startups that are taking advantage of the “C3” co-working space.