iPhone App Development: The Missing Manual

Feedback: Don't Take Your Own Word for It

Now that you're done learning some of the basics of the design process, it's time to start thinking about what drives your decisions. The answer is both simple and complex. You're building this product for people to use. Their feedback should be the most important factor in the design.

The Providers of Feedback

You're probably thinking: "Dude, it's simple. Feedback comes from customers!" Which is absolutely true. But customers come in many different forms.

You

You're the most important customer. If you don't use and love your own product, how will your customers? The product came about because you had an itch that needed scratching: You tripped in the dark one time too many. So now you have a flashlight on the phone in your pocket.

At the same time, you're the worst customer. You're atypical because you know every single nuance of the product. People who are downloading your app from iTunes are not in that enviable position. But they'll be quick to notice things that you've overlooked!

Your marketing department

Developers tend to look at marketing people with an evil eye. They get a bad rap for asking for things that are hard to implement or that don't seem logical. They're looking at your product like a normal person would. Their motivation is to position, promote, and sell that product to other normal people.

The best marketing people are the ones who act as a conduit of information and ideas between you and the person who buys your creation. ...