| name | craft-centric-product-development |
| description | A framework for building high-quality, opinionated software by prioritizing taste, "Main Quests," and direct user empathy over metrics and A/B testing. Use this when entering a crowded market where design is a differentiator, or when restructuring teams to increase individual agency and output quality. |
Craft-Centric Product Development
In crowded markets, design and craft are the primary differentiators. This framework replaces traditional metrics-driven management with a focus on "taste," opinionated defaults, and high-agency project teams. It treats software quality as a retention and trust mechanism rather than a conversion optimization problem.
The Strategic Framework
1. Identify the "Main Quest"
Maintain ruthless focus by categorizing every potential task as either a Main Quest or a Side Quest.
- Main Quest: Tasks that directly progress the core product value and solve primary customer problems.
- Side Quest: Tasks that feel productive but don't move the needle (e.g., custom swag, prematurely optimizing legal/security docs, unnecessary process meetings).
- Rule: If a task does not progress the Main Quest, ignore it or defer it.
2. Build Opinionated Software
Avoid the "flexible software" trap which forces users to spend time configuring tools rather than doing work.
- Design for someone, not everyone: Generalized solutions are weak.
- Set strong defaults: Choose one optimized workflow and build the product around it.
- Reduce choice architecture: Minimize settings and configuration options to reduce user friction.
3. Balance "Magic and Science"
- The Science: Constant user empathy. Everyone (including engineers and CEOs) must answer customer Slack messages and support tickets to build a deep, intuitive understanding of the problem space.
