{"id":242,"date":"2007-09-08T14:14:42","date_gmt":"2007-09-08T12:14:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.maratz.com\/blog\/archives\/2007\/09\/08\/dont-create-features-for-yourself\/"},"modified":"2010-06-03T14:05:57","modified_gmt":"2010-06-03T13:05:57","slug":"dont-create-features-for-yourself","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.maratz.com\/blog\/archives\/2007\/09\/08\/dont-create-features-for-yourself\/","title":{"rendered":"Don\u2019t create features for yourself."},"content":{"rendered":"

Creating features based on a personal preference is wrong<\/h2>\n

On almost every development team meeting somebody brings a new idea about how to \u2018improve\u2019 already adopted feature set.<\/p>\n

Naturally, every person involved in the project development has her own opinion about how the things should work on a web site. Most of the time, it\u2019s based on her personal taste and preference. That\u2019s wrong. That is not user-centered design<\/a>.<\/p>\n

You are not creating a feature set for yourself, you are creating it for a thousands of users you\u2019ve never met… and if you are serious about the web site, that\u2019s a millions of users you\u2019ve never met<\/em>. Always keep in mind: You are not a typical user of a web site you are developing.<\/em><\/p>\n

First person view, third person view<\/h2>\n

If you are usually explaining a feature by I would never use this feature…<\/q> or If I would like to do something on this page…<\/q> (note the I<\/em> pronoun), it\u2019s a good sign you\u2019re thinking of yourself, not the users.<\/p>\n

Creating personas<\/a> is a good way to start asking What would Janet, the office manager, like to accomplish on this web site?<\/q> or How would James, the insurance agent, use this feature?<\/q>. This way, you are focusing on users, not yourself.<\/p>\n

Resources<\/h3>\n