After several random, semi-failed attempts at creating consumer websites, I’ve come to a new appreciation for companies like IDEO, and industries like video games, for pioneering rapid prototying techniques. By failing faster and more often, they are able to converge to a good solution faster than a slower, more deliberate method. (Think of them as two different search algorithms for finding web concepts that engage people)
A long, long time ago, I thought that starting a business was about The Business Plan ™. That was the master document of all the things you wanted to do, the markets you wanted to attack, and the means for how you were going to do it. After very deterministically planning with god-like omniscience, you’d have a tome of Truth that no one could challenge.
Years later, I would find that a very silly approach – I’ll write more about that later.
In the meantime, I wanted to share one of my favorite rapid prototyping articles, coming from the games industry. It’s a bunch of pages – just keep clicking until you reach the end.
Link: Gamasutra – Feature – "How to Prototype a Game in Under 7 Days".