Nothing determines the success of your software more than your users’ ability to succeed with it, and to succeed with it they must understand it.

But first you must understand your customer by facilitating an almost obsessive focus on your users’ needs and wants. In today’s world, software start-ups are nowhere nearly as expensive to start and ramp up as they were just a few years ago. Product development has taken on a rapid pace due to the availability of a wide array of development tools and platforms. The only remaining competitive advantage in the software space these days is achieved by targeting the perfect customer persona or market segment and thoroughly understanding their needs and desires.

Further, you must create extreme alignment between your product experience and how your user wants to experience it. Gone are the days where users must shape their behavior to suit the software. There are simply too many choices for today’s consumers to allow developers to continue to determine how products are used.

So, in order to help users understand your product, you need to gain insight into exactly how they want to use it. You must then deliver the knowledge in a highly focused, agile manner.
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