How do I build a better product?

Describe the customer’s problem, test the part you understand least and use what you learn to improve the next version.

The selection and reasons are the library’s guidance. Founder connections and examples have separate source links.

Three books to consider

  1. The Lean Startup

    Eric Ries

    Test the assumptions behind a business and learn from customer behavior.

    Ben Horowitz · Praised

    In his Tim Ferriss interview, Horowitz says The Lean Startup is useful for small companies. The interview does not identify his edition.

    Source

  2. Working Backwards: Insights, Stories, and Secrets from Inside Amazon

    Colin Bryar and Bill Carr

    Describe the proposed customer experience before choosing what to build.

    Brian Armstrong · Read and recommended

    Armstrong says he enjoyed this book and recommends reading it in his August 2021 post.

    Source

  3. Against the Odds: An Autobiography

    James Dyson

    Study repeated physical tests, direct customer contact and the costs of persistence.

    David Senra · Recommended reading

    In Dialectic (1:52:26), asked which biography most founders should read in full, Senra chooses Dyson’s first autobiography. He points to its account of years of failure and persistence.

    Source

Short writing

A founder example

James Dyson

Testing the cyclone repeatedly

An account from Against the Odds: An Autobiography, as discussed in the source below.

Decision
Dyson had to decide whether to keep developing a cyclone that repeatedly failed to work as intended.
Action
He kept building and testing prototypes, refining the machine through many iterations.
Outcome
The account records 5,127 prototypes before production of the dual cyclone. It also describes the exhaustion and doubt behind that result.
Source

April 24, 2023; opening book identification; 13:10, 14:15, 49:30, 52:00, 1:02:20–1:06:20