Singer’s vital elements of product design

Great post by Ryan Singer: Vital elements of the product design process. He outlines a simple way to think about the pieces of a product: the job it does, the design patterns you use, and the resulting product concept.

Lots to like in this article, including this gem of an analogy:

“When the job isn’t well-defined, the team doesn’t know what to include and what to omit. They design based on logical speculations, not real situations. Instead of targeting a problem like a sniper, they cast a net and hope to catch the value somewhere within its expanse. Casting a net means building more functionality in more places, so the project grows in scope and complexity.”