1.
FROM AN IDEA TO A
PRODUCT
Vishnu Gopal

2.
WHY?

3.
ANYBODY CAN HAVE AN
IDEA

4.
AN ENTREPRENEUR
DEVELOPS AN IDEA INTO A
PRODUCT

5.
IT’S THE PRODUCT THAT THE
ENTREPRENEUR SELLS, NOT
THE IDEA

6.
Idea Product?

7.
ARCHITECTS DESIGN

8.
CIVIL ENGINEERS BUILD

9.
SOFTWARE ENGINEERS PROGRAM

10.
ABOUT ME
Vishnu Gopal
Wrote the first line of
code for SlideShare Inc.
Worked at Datasift Inc.
Degree in Human-Computer
Interaction from UCL

11.
MOBME WIRELESS
CTO, MobME Wireless
Internet & Mobile company
Promoter of StartupVillage
We invest in & mentor
startups :)

12.
SOFTWARE ENGINEERS PROGRAM

13.
DO NOT JUMP INTO CODE

14.
WOULD AN ARCHITECT
DESIGN WITHOUT FIRST
EXPLORING THE SITE?

15.
WOULD A CIVIL ENGINEER
BUILD WITHOUT A PLAN?

16.
TECHNICAL FOUNDER STEPS
TO START
Start by learning the best
language out there.
Use the best coolest
sounding libraries available.
Use the cloud!
.... PROFIT!

17.
BUSINESS FOUNDER STEPS TO
START
Start by researching the
most money making
business idea.
Implement it as fast as
possible!!
Use the cloud!
.... PROFIT!

18.
IFYOU DO THIS,YOU ARE IN
FOR A WORLD OF PAIN :)

19.
Technical
Founders
Business
Founders
Product

20.
TO BUSINESS FOUNDERS:YOU
CAN’T BUILD A
TECHNOLOGY PRODUCT
WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING
TECHNOLOGY

21.
BUSINESS FOUNDERS
EXPECTATIONS
Can create a simple HTML
page.
Knows how web browsers
and the Internet works.
Can speak knowledgeably
about technology
tradeoffs.
Understands and speaks
the lingo.
Values technical
cofounders.

22.
TO TECHNICAL FOUNDERS:
YOU CAN’T BUILD A BUSINESS
PRODUCT WITHOUT
UNDERSTANDING BUSINESS

23.
TECHNICAL FOUNDERS
EXPECTATIONS
You should know how a
balance sheet works.
You can measure business
metrics
Can speak knowledgeably
about market conditions.
Understands and speaks
the business domain lingo.
Values business
cofounders.

24.
Technical
Founders
Business
FoundersBusiness
Product
Tech
Product

25.
TECHNOLOGY IS NEVER, EVER
THE NECESSARY OR
SUFFICIENT CONDITION FOR
SUCCESS

26.
TECHNOLOGY DECISIONS
AND ACTIONS MUST EXIST
WITHIN THE LARGER
BUSINESS CONTEXT

27.
BREAK 1: QUESTIONS?

28.
DO NOT JUMP INTO CODE

29.
WIREFRAME

30.
WIREFRAME
START BY DRAWING “WHAT CUSTOMERS WILL SEE” ON PAPER

31.
DRAW A WIREFRAME FOR A
WEBSITE
“SEARCH ENGINE FOR CARS”

32.
Googlehttp://carzsearch.in
CarzSearch
Type a car name, make or model to start
search. Search
Popular Cars
HOME PAGE
LIKE GOOGLE, BUT WITH POPULAR CARS AT THE BOTTOM

33.
Googlehttp://carzsearch.in
CarzSearch
Ford Search
Results (20 total)
...
Ford Fiesta
Ford Camry
SEARCHING
THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN USERS START SEARCHING

34.
Googlehttp://carzsearch.in
CarzSearch
Diesel Search
Results (20 total)
...
Search Diesel Cars only
FILTERING
USERS CAN TYPE IN COMMON SEGMENTS TO FILTER

35.
Googlehttp://carzsearch.in
CarzSearch
Search
Results (290 total)
...
diesel x
FILTERED SEARCH
AFTER APPLYING A FILTER,THEY CAN SEARCH AGAIN

36.
YOU CONNECT WIREFRAMES
TOGETHER TO CREATE A
PRODUCT NARRATIVE

37.
& FROM THE PRODUCT
NARRATIVE,YOU START
IDENTIFYING TECHNICAL
REQUIREMENTS

38.
TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS
OF CARZSEARCH
Search engine that is really
fast!
Filtered searches
Responsive UI
Store and retrieve quickly
images and other details of
cars

39.
FROM TECHNICAL
REQUIREMENTS,YOU MAP TO
THE BEST TECHNOLOGY

40.
MAP REQUIREMENTS TO
PRODUCTS
Search engine that is really
fast!
Filtered searches
Responsive UI
Store and retrieve quickly
images and other details of
cars

41.
THIS GUY IS TALKING A LOT,
WHEN IS HE GOING TO TALK
ABOUT PROGRAMMING?

42.
PROGRAMMING?
MORE IMPORTANT THINGS TO FOCUS ON FOR A TECHNICAL
FOUNDER
30%
20%
20%
10% 20%
Design Wireframing Architecture Programming QA

43.
THERE IS SOMETHING SPECIAL
ABOUT THE CRAFT OF
PROGRAMMING

44.
ARCHITECTS DESIGN

45.
CIVIL ENGINEERS BUILD

46.
SOFTWARE ENGINEERS PROGRAM

47.
HOW IS PROGRAMMING
DIFFERENT?

48.
WE WORK WITH COMPUTERS
THAT ARE INFINITELY
MALLEABLE.

49.
OUR BARRIERS TO CHANGE
ARE FEW

50.
WHILE ARCHITECTS & CIVIL
ENGINEERS HAVE TO BE
REALLY SURE ABOUT DESIGN
BEFORE BUILDING, CAN WE
BE LESS SO?

51.
Googlehttp://carzsearch.in
CarzSearch
Search
Results (290 total)
...
diesel x
Ad
CARZSEARCH ADS
WE WANT TO MAKE MONEY, SO LET’S HAVE ADS!

52.
Googlehttp://carzsearch.in
CarzSearch
Search
Results (290 total)
diesel x
Ad
INFINITE SCROLLING
TEST OUT NEW INTERACTION PATTERNS

53.
“NOTHING IS CONSTANT BUT
CHANGE”
-HERACLITUS

54.
WE HAVE A CRAFT THAT IS SO
RESPONSIVE TO CHANGE
WIN!

55.
IT’S WONDERFUL, BUT ONLY
IFYOU WORKTO ITS
STRENGTHS

56.
DON’T APPROACH
PROGRAMMING LIKE
ARCHITECTURE.THE “DESIGN”
IS NEVER SET IN STONE.

57.
DESIGN IS A MOVING TARGET.
SO LET’S OPTIMIZE FOR IT.

58.
THE BETTER WAY IS AGILE

59.
AGILE MANIFESTO

60.
THE MOST IMPORTANT
IMPACT OF AGILE ON
SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT
HAS BEEN A REINFORCED
BELIEF IN THE IMPORTANCE
OF OF AUTOMATED
SOFTWARE TESTING.

61.
THE BEST WAY TO WRITE
SOFTWARE IS TO WRITE TESTS
FIRST.

62.
TEST-DRIVEN DEVELOPMENT.
TDD.

63.
Requirements
Program
QA & Test
Deliver

64.
Requirements
Program
QA & Test
Deliver
More Requirements
Program
QA & Test
Deliver
A A+B

65.
Requirements
Program
QA & Test
Deliver
Requirements
Program
QA & Test
Deliver
A A+B
Requirements
Program
QA & Test
Deliver
A+B
+C

66.
Requirements
Program QA & Test
Deliver
QA & TESTING IS CONTINUOUS AND OUTSIDE THE LOOP

67.
TDD IS CRUCIAL, BUT THERE
ARE LOTS OF OTHER THINGS
THATYOU SHOULD KNOW
ABOUT.

68.
CONTINUOUS
INTEGRATION
SCRUM
KANBAN
RESPONSIVE DESIGN
LEAKY ABSTRACTIONS
MYTHICAL MAN-
MONTHDEVOPS
CONTAINERIZATION
HORIZONTAL SCALING
BDD
STORYBOARDS
USABILITY

69.
APPROACH PROGRAMMING
LIKE A CRAFTSMAN
CONSTANTLY TRYING TO
IMPROVE.

70.
ALWAYS TRY TO LEVEL-UP!

71.
IT’S THE PRODUCT THAT THE
ENTREPRENEUR SELLS, NOT
THE IDEA

72.
TO TRANSLATE IDEAS INTO
GOOD PRODUCTS,WE NEED
GREAT CRAFTSMEN.

73.
QUESTIONS?

74.
PHOTO CREDITS
Slide 7
Slide 8
Slide 16
Slide 30