Derrick Loo

November 1, 2024

Thoughts on "V1 is for us" by 37signals

The first version of any product is often created for yourself—it's born from the frustration with existing solutions that simply don't meet your needs. You know you can do better, and that drive fuels your development.

Once you launch your product, you gain invaluable insights into what features to prioritize or improve because you’re using it every day. This leads to an important question: Are you truly dogfooding your own products?

One of the biggest challenges is allowing your clients the time they need to adjust to this new and improved way of doing things. Encourage them to give it a few more days or even weeks to fully experience the benefits. Even industry leaders like David have faced this adjustment period when transitioning to new technologies, such as driving a Tesla.

Instead of simply taking orders for the features your clients say they want, focus on understanding the underlying problems they wish to solve. By doing so, you’ll often discover innovative and effective solutions that not only address their concerns but also delight them in unexpected ways.

About Derrick Loo

Hey! I'm Derrick, a product designer at OmniHR who codes. I typically blog about design, business, cycling, and life in general. You can find me on X, Instagram, LinkedIn and at derrickloo.design. Thanks for coming by!!