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AI will be an indispensable tool in UX design of 2018, but how AI will effect UX/UI design? This article will clear the confusion and tell you how to improve UX through AI. AI and UX are inextricably entwined in today’s world where we’re now facing a turning point in the new era of design. They both affect and inform how the other works, however some people think AI will eventually replace designers and the need for human-driven UX. “The end is near”, according to those specialists in artificial intelligence and robotics. One typical example is a TEDx talk of Futurist Thomas Frey, saying that over 2 billion jobs will disappear by 2030, and robots will probably take over a portion of jobs which are now occupied by humans. Looking back to 2017, we can find that AI has been widely applied in various fields, like Uber’s self-driving car, Chatbots of customer representatives, Amazon’s delivery drones — the revolution of robotic is just getting started. Will the rise of AI replace the work of designers, are we in trouble? How will AI impact the design field, designer’s career as well as design tools in the future? Here, let’s explore those questions together. Will Artificial Intelligence Replace Designers? At least No in the near future. You may remember the release of The Grid (a website design and development system powered by AI) several years ago, it announced to make site modules and interactive patterns itself, without help of a designer. However, it’s a disaster when the world see the first website designed by The Grid. As a matter of fact, a majority of jobs taken over by robots will be repetitive & mechanical work done by blue collar. Things are much more complex when you look at design, and humans have the unique ability to create empathy for users and set background for design. — it will be a collaborative effort for designers and robots. Instead of problem, there will be a series of opportunities, including: The truth is 1. Get robots trained to work automatically. The work of image resizing and color adjustment can be done by robots, which increase the designers’ productivity a lot. Most recently, Airbnb has announced a technology that identifies the design sketches and then convert them into coding in real time. In this way, designers will have more time for the strategic decisions of product, and this is something that computers will take at least one decade to learn. 2. Create more intelligent and modular design system. For both large-sized enterprises or start-ups, designers should ensure the system consistency for the consistency between product and users. If coupled with a layer of intelligence, these systems can analyze how users interact with UI elements and which functions are the most effective. Website building platforms like Squarespace and Wix have begun to use AI technology to help users make some minor design decisions. 3. Make personalized user experience. This means your product gives visitors a more personalized experience based on the collected user data, such as where those users come from, what type of device being used, etc. All of those data would be pretty helpful for them to find what they really need, and thus results in more conversion rate. Why We Need AI & Machine Learning Technology? It’s not easy to make a machine understand the emotional part of design, but we have to admit that AI and UX design are “co-evolutionary” relationship. When the machine automate the repetitive tasks for people, then the creativity of human brains will be boosted a lot. Designers will be more focused on management, creative thinking, communication and other more advanced capabilities to keep them competitive. Furthermore, the AI technology can also help SMEs to get a basic design quality judgment for the first draft. For example, a website called eyequant can help provie “unattended eye tracker” service, and below is the result of neural network prediction obtained through data training. Not only can the computer know the focus of users through the movement of eyes, but understand the language through speech. The style of art can also be acquired, not to mention a simple App design. Apart from the effect on the design in practice, AI will help generate a new design role — Trainer. With the further development of technology and AI, there will be more design roles, and it help promote the democratization process of design. like Autodesk can quickly generate hundreds of different design plans after the designers’ input, and designers only need to choose their favorite ones and make them combined to get the most satisfactory results. Design tools How AI Affect UI/UX Design Tools in Long Terms? Obviously, the machine has all the composition and color matching ability of human, but the product experience cannot be easily and alone fulfilled. Based on UX (User Experience), the product in the near future will place more emphasis on EX (Experience Design), which caters to user persona, behavior and context understanding to bring more values to users. As a result, design tools which supports user interaction and will still be heavily needed, but the tools that simply support wireframe or UI mapping will be faced to transform or be eliminated gradually. From UX to EX, designers will need to think more about how to make the best use of tools, empowering themselves rather than being replaced, of which the design thinking and logic seem to be so important. usability testing As shown in the following diagram, a tool that helps designers better implement creativity, communication, material collection and reduce manual labor will be the darling of the future “AI + Design” era. At this point, Mockplus has long been insightful for its unparalleled features: and design mode can quickly layout your conceptual design and page structure, much clear and simple. Mind Map UI Flow , online reviewing and page division make your team communication easily completed anywhere and anytime. Team collaboration A large library of icons and components and page templates of different device size can save you a lot time and efforts finding the needed design resources. Repeater and can greatly save a lot of time to make repetitive elements and thus boost productivity. auto-data fill Wrap Up From those examples above, we can find that the AI technology doesn’t and won’t replace designers, instead help automate the repetitive tasks to make us focus more on the strategic decision of design. This will help to create a better and personalized experience. To make use of machines and use tools like Mockplus as a subsidiary will be the trend of the times.

A Look Back at 2017(II): How AI Will Affect UI/UX Design?

Are you using online whiteboards? Here are five reasons why you should and how they can positively affect your business. Online whiteboards are on the rise, and we can only anticipate that the demand for online whiteboards to continue to increase. On the fence about the benefit of how one might serve your team? Check out the 5 ways your team can benefit from an online whiteboard. 1. Remote Collaboration Employees of organizations both big and small are opting into working from home and to remote work situations. In the recent past, it was an expectation for teams to be in an office space where they were easily accessible. Now, employees see remote work opportunities as an integral part of a compensation package. With the growing desire for remote work opportunities, it is as important as ever to optimize the experience of working remotely. The shift has brought many new challenges. One of which is the need to still be able to collaborate as effectively remotely as if it were in person. We are experiencing something unique unfold: remote collaboration. Remote collaboration is done by using online tools to work toward a common goal. Without face-to-face interaction, remote teams use technology to communicate, often now in real-time. Online whiteboards are one of many tools being utilized to create productive remote work environments. With online whiteboards, content can be created, ideas can be shared, tasks can be assigned, and although teams are not physically together they have a space where they can work together. Online whiteboards create an environment for remote teams to succeed and feel empowered to do their best work. 2. Visualize your Projects Visualizing your projects from start to finish is a big piece to working effectively as a team. Seeing projects at a glance can go a long way in saving time and focusing on the top priorities. By visualizing your tasks on a whiteboard, you can see where pain points might arise, risks, who is working on which task, and what state certain work is in. Visualizing your projects aids in making sure everyone on the team is on the same page. Without visualization, information can easily be misinterpreted, incorrectly prioritized, or lost altogether. Remember the game telephone? One person starts by whispering a statement to the person next to them, that person repeats the phrase to the person on the other side? What happens after a few exchanges is that the message gets diluted, changed, and the end message is nothing like the original. Project planning with multiple team members is much like the game of the telephone. Visualization is the key to making sure everyone has a shared understanding. Visual project management is a way for you to organize and manage work outside of the traditional task lists. It allows you to work at-a-glance, but also hone in on the exact specifications of each task needs as well. You can easily set milestones, due dates, and what work is currently on your plate. Trends and decisions can be made much more efficiently and effectively when all of the information is built out visually. 3. Organize all Your Information in One Place We've all been there, our team member shared a file with us but we can't remember exactly where. Was it in an email, saved to my computer, or shared with me on Slack? We often waste time when our project information is scattered across different tools. Just as visualizing your projects is important, it's just as important to make sure all the information needed is also in the same place. With the growing amount of tools aimed at connecting teams, having several different conversations across several different apps like Slack, email, Google Drives, can get messy and unmanageable, fast. With an online whiteboard platform, all of your most important information can be stored in one place. You can take photos of physical whiteboards and import them into your online whiteboard. You can attach documents and other important information inside your online whiteboard so that all team members can easily access information. Tools like Slack are great for getting a hold of your team members, but with an online whiteboard, all of your important conversations can be stored on your board.  It makes it easy to see large amounts of information quickly, in one place. 4. Ensure Everyone’s Voice is Heard When holding a meeting, ideally you want all participants to feel heard. Not only does this allow for diversified opinions and ideas, but it also creates an environment where teams can become more connected. It can be difficult to make sure everyone is heard, especially in meetings with a large number of participants, introverted personality types, or remote participants. Oftentimes the best ideas are not reserved for the loudest speakers. With all variables to consider, it is important to choose a tool that can help overcome these barriers to meeting equality. Online whiteboards, like CardBoard, include tools that allow each team member the option to participate at their own convenience. Team members can drop in comments for the entire channel to be notified of without the burden of having to interrupt another member. They can drop in digital sticky notes, add annotations of elements that need further conversation, or even vote on cards that are the highest priority. If someone misses a meeting they can quickly see all of the updates to stay organized. They can also add their own updates at their own convenience. You can collaborate and hear everyone's ideas without setting up a meeting each time. Using an online whiteboard allows everyone the opportunity to speak up, collaborate, and provide feedback at their convenience and comfortability. 5. See your Business From Every Angle Few tools allow you to see your business from every angle much better than an online whiteboard. An excel sheet is great for recording data and reports charts. However, what if you need to build a persona or mind map to garner a deeper understanding of your customer base? Chances are you will have to add additional tools to your workflow causing more complexity in an already complex project. An online whiteboard has templates and customizable abilities to see your project all the way from the ideation stage into the delivered project. For example; you can begin by having a mind mapping stage to get all ideas out onto the table, follow up with an opportunity canvas to see potential gaps in the market, move into the persona phase of who you can provide a solution to, build out the solution in a user story map, then use a lean coffee retro to review how the project went, and understand what can be improved in future iterations. Complex projects can be simplified through all of the features a strong online whiteboard platform provides. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out to . Or Try out a FREE 14-day trial by signing up for CardBoard HERE. If you have any questions, comments, additional feedback please reach out to us via email at iman.tucker@cardboardit.com support@cardboardit.com . Originally published at on July 1, 2021 https://cardboardit.com

5 Reasons Your Team Needs an Online Whiteboard

Learning is a journey of discovery, and the road to mastery involves developing a deep understanding of a subject, acquiring the ability to apply what you have learned, and then continuously refining your knowledge and skills. Cryptocurrency, as a subject, presents an interesting case study due to its multidisciplinary nature, involving areas such as technology, economics, and finance. This article will explore a comprehensive strategy for effective learning, using cryptocurrency as our subject. Why Should You Learn Crypto? Crypto is the future. Cryptocurrencies will be like the internet. You probably heard this many times. This may be an example of the that is currently emerging. More and more people have access to the internet, are digitally native, and have at least heard about digital assets. These will continue unless significant factors change. New technology means new opportunities if we know to leverage it. How are you preparing for these changes? secular trend Crypto is not only about investing or trading. This is a new ecosystem where other skills are needed. Marketing, development, sales, writing, and community management, to name a few. There is a big chance that you find something for yourself here. Define Your Learning Objectives The first step to effective learning is defining what you want to achieve. Your learning objectives will guide your study plan and help you focus your efforts. For example, if your goal is to understand how blockchain (the technology underlying most cryptocurrencies) works, you must delve into topics like , , and . cryptography distributed systems consensus algorithms If finance brings you to cryptocurrency, you must obtain different knowledge. Are you a trader looking for quick wins or a fundamental investor who wants to play out secular trends? If the second approach is for you, check also my to better define your goals and create a plan to achieve them. book Develop a Study Plan A well-structured study plan helps maintain consistent progress. You can break down your overall learning objectives into smaller, manageable chunks. For instance, you could dedicate the first week to understanding the basics of blockchain, the next week to learning about different types of cryptocurrencies, and so on. You can find many resources on these websites: https://a16zcrypto.com/posts/article/crypto-readings-resources/ https://github.com/jpantunes/awesome-cryptoeconomics https://www.realvision.com/videos/crypto Here is a mind map that I use to structure my knowledge about crypto investing. I created it using , which I highly recommend. Xmind Balancing Breadth and Depth Striking a balance between breadth (knowing a little about a lot of topics) and depth (knowing a lot about a few topics) is important. In the initial stages of your learning journey, aim for breadth. As you start understanding the broad concepts, you can dive deeper into topics that interest you the most. For example, once you have a broad understanding of different cryptocurrencies, you may choose to dive deeper into Bitcoin's underlying technology or the economic model of Ethereum. Check the Top 10 or 100 (depending on your time) the biggest crypto projects based on their market capitalization. You find them on coin aggregator sites like . Now, try to explain why each of those projects has a high market capitalization. Don’t focus on value but on the price. The value cannot explain why many are in the Top 100. CoinGecko meme coins For example, Bitcoin was the first crypto project. Ethereum was the first . was the first . Try to give the same explanation for other coins. smart contract platform Tether stablecoin I know that the statements above are oversimplified. You do a more detailed summary using . The point is to have a big picture of the whole crypto market. SWOT analysis Bonus question. Try to explain what needs to happen for each project to fall out of the ranking. Active Learning Active learning involves engaging with the material, not just passively reading or watching. As you learn about cryptocurrency, try to apply your knowledge. For example, you could set up a digital wallet and engage in trading on a crypto exchange or . Even try to develop a simple smart contract if you're learning about . DeFi Ethereum . Learning by doing is a great solution for this. We don’t know what we don’t know Seek Feedback and Clarification Learning is a cyclical process of understanding, application, feedback, and improvement. Participate in online discussions, ask questions, and seek advice from more experienced individuals in the crypto field. If you encounter an unclear concept or practice, don't hesitate to ask for clarification or search for additional resources to understand it. Discord, Twitter, Telegram, and Reddit are the most popular crypto media. Choose whatever best serves you. Reflect and Assess Your Progress Self-assessment is an important part of the learning process. Regularly take time to reflect on what you've learned. Try to explain the concepts to someone else or write a summary of what you've understood. This process of reflection and explanation reinforces your learning. It is important to perform an evidence-based evaluation to determine whether we are progressing toward our learning goals. This evaluation should confirm that we are on the right track and identify ways to promptly expedite our progress and achieve our goals. By utilizing evidence, this process can be improved continuously. If your goal is to be a better investor, you can use these questions to review your learning outcomes: What were my accomplishments? – We embarked on some financial targets. Were these achieved? If not, what could be the possible reason? What are my feelings toward this? – What are your emotions regarding these outcomes? Regardless of whether we've met our targets, satisfaction can still be attained. What was my performance like? – How do we measure up our results against those of other investors? How were we affected by the market trends and other external influences? What insights have I gained? – What knowledge did I acquire from the previous assessment period? What was I aiming to understand during that time? What areas need enhancement? – What aspects do I want to better in my investment approach? Why does this matter to me? Continuous Learning Learning never stops in a field like cryptocurrency, which is rapidly evolving. Even after achieving your initial learning objectives, continue to follow the latest developments in the field. Subscribe to relevant newsletters, follow influencers and experts in the field, and participate in webinars and workshops to keep your knowledge up-to-date. Learning about cryptocurrency exemplifies the approach to learning any complex subject. By setting clear objectives, curating quality resources, actively engaging with the material, seeking feedback, reflecting on your progress, and committing to continuous learning, you can effectively master your chosen field of study. What Next? You can find more in my upcoming book .” “CRYPTOCURRENCY INVESTING The Fundamental Analysis Guide: How To Become A Successful Cryptocurrency Investor Using Fundamental Analysis This is the book I wish I had read when I started my journey. Follow me on to get a sneak peek of what is coming! Twitter

The Best Way to Learn About Crypto

The first time I heard about mind mapping was in David Allen’s seminal book, . Getting Things Done I instantly got the point and began to use mind mapping for virtually every process and workflow from creating content and book summaries, to project planning, to giving presentations. I became a certified mind mapper and a MindMeister certified pro. But what’s mind mapping, anyway? Mind mapping was invented by Tony Buzan in the 70s. Since then, it became popular and has been . introduced into public education And it’s a good thing because your mind works in a non-linear way, too. Mind mapping promotes non-linear thinking. Why use mind mapping for your content creation efforts Mind mapping is a creative process. You draw on a central idea that you want to discover. Next, you create branches from your main idea to expand your thoughts and knowledge on the topic. Then you create sub-branches, and so on. You can then organize your ideas (branches) as you want to and create all kinds of relationships between them. And that makes mind mapping a powerful tool for creating content outlines. Although you can use for you, Google and your audience won’t necessarily love it. The human effort continues to remain a central element of content creation. AI tools to create content and outlines , the benefits of outlining and the outlining process itself has been a controversial topic in cognitive science. Some argue that simultaneous writing and editing are better than prior outlining, some say that it depends on your personality, while others say it’s a good thing. According to the American Psychological Association An revealed the top three major benefits of mind mapping: authoritative mind mapping survey Improved understanding of complex issues Increased knowledge capture & organization Clarity of thinking All three have a direct relation to writing. Mind mapping is the best tool to create and organize your ideas. Plus, . Finally, mind mapping takes a lot of fun, which is why you want to use it to supercharge your writing. mind mapping makes it easy for you to discover relationships between ideas and turn them into emerging points Let’s figure out how. The best mind mapping tools for creating content outlines A good tool improves the way you work. A great tool improves the way you think. - Jeff Duntemann There’re now a ton of mind mapping tools available on the internet. Some are online tools, some are desktop applications or a combination of the two. If you’re curious, I picked up the for you with features and pricing, along with their pros and cons. 21 best mind mapping apps Some apps offer an outline mode and easy exporting functions to supercharge your content creation process. You’ll find them in the article above, too. I began my mind mapping journey with XMind and Coggle, then I switched to iThoughts and MindMeister for a long time. Recently I used Miro until I discovered a brand-new app, called iOctopus, which I instantly fell in love with. What I like about is that it’s so simple, yet beautiful and versatile. What’s more, I always look up who’s behind the app, and I liked the small and dedicated team and their message. iOctopus That’s why I created the outline of this story in iOctopus. How to create an outline with mind mapping Here’s how it looks like the mind map of this Hackernoon story. First, I created the central idea, then I added the main branches as the subheadings of this story. Then I worked my way up to the main points I want to discuss under each subheading. I could have added images, icons, links, and relationships to each branch, but I like to keep my mind maps simple. The next thing is to put aside my mind map and let the thoughts sink in for a day. The next day, I may update my mind map (or not), and I begin writing the content in Notion. How to create the content in Notion First, I embed the mind map in Notion. It’s easy: you just share your mind map and copy the link into a Notion page as an embed. Notion will then automatically embed your outline as a mind map. You can play with it if you want to. You can adjust the size and drag your mind map on the screen. I’ll share my process on how I create my content in Notion in another story. For now, I want to address the tools I use further down the line. When I finish my writing in Notion, I use: My Notion pre-publishing checklist to make my final draft. RankIQ to run an SEO report on the post. MS Word to run a spell check on the draft. (Hey, I’m a native Hungarian guy, so I need to make sure my English is free of mistakes.) Grammarly to run a grammar check on the post. Unsplash to find a cover photo. (I used to work with Canva to make mock-ups, but I realized it takes up too much time, so I stopped doing it.) When I’m done with my pre-publishing process, I continue with my post-publishing checklist in Notion. If you want to learn more about what productivity tools I use and recommend, . check this article Wrap Up As you may notice on my mind map, I deviated from my outline to some extent. When you begin to write your content and consult your outline, you’ll come across new ideas. It’s a natural process. Without my mind map, however, I could have jumped from one random idea to the next without a clear context and story. And it could have taken more time and effort for me to beat procrastination and start writing with a blank page. So, next time when you’re writing a blog post, don’t start with a blank canvas—create a mind map first. Cover photo by on Mark Fletcher-Brown Unsplash

How I Use Mind Mapping to Create Content (This One, Too)

Cómo utilizo los mapas mentales para crear contenido (este también)

Comment j'utilise la cartographie mentale pour créer du contenu (celui-ci aussi)

मैं सामग्री बनाने के लिए माइंड मैपिंग का उपयोग कैसे करूं (यह वाला भी)

マインド マッピングを使用してコンテンツを作成する方法 (これも)

Como eu uso mapas mentais para criar conteúdo (este também)

Cách tôi sử dụng Bản đồ tư duy để tạo nội dung (Cái này cũng vậy)

我如何使用思维导图来创建内容（这也是）

is important today because it helps us innovate and think outside the box. Knowing how to use your creativity can open up a world of opportunities, so it's worthwhile taking the time to sharpen these skills with the right tools. Creativity Using the best tools to sharpen your creativity is a great starting point if you want to get started on this journey. This blog will share advice on improving divergent thinking, , and cultivating an environment welcoming of creative solutions - all of which will help jump-start your journey into creative success. brainstorming methods 1. Mind mapping software A mind mapping software is an awesome tool that can help you visualize, organize and develop ideas. Popular programs like XMind and MindMeister allow users to create graphic maps of all sorts of concepts, from projects, and workflows, to even how to pack for a vacation. By representing your ideas in a mind map, you can brainstorm more easily and connect thoughts that may not have otherwise been snagged. Making it easier for you to identify relationships between ideas and find new creative solutions. To use mind mapping software effectively, start by writing down the core concept or topic at the center of the map and then create branches with related concepts or subtopics. Make sure to add reminders of sources or further reading next to each branch, colorful visuals, and add symbols too. The combination of connected words, visuals, and symbols is what gives rise to powerful ideas. 2. Project management tools: Project management tools are software applications that help individuals and teams organize and manage their work. These tools typically include features such as task lists, calendars, project timelines, and communication tools, which can help teams stay organized and on track. Trello and Asana are two popular project management tools that are widely used by businesses and individuals. Trello is a flexible tool that allows users to create customizable boards, lists, and cards to track tasks and projects. Asana is a more comprehensive tool that offers features such as task dependencies, recurring tasks, and project templates. The reason why a project management tool is great for creativity is that it helps you organize and prioritize tasks. And it frees up mental space for creative problem-solving. By using these tools to create clear and actionable to-do lists, you can focus on one task at a time and avoid getting overwhelmed. Labeling and categorizing tasks can help you prioritize your work and stay organized. Setting deadlines for tasks can help you stay motivated and ensure that you complete your work in a timely manner. To use project management tools effectively, it's essential to be consistent and disciplined in your use of the tool. Regularly updating your task list and progress can help you stay on track and make sure that nothing falls through the cracks. It can also be helpful to set aside dedicated time for managing your tasks and projects and to review your progress regularly to identify areas for improvement. 3. Collaboration tools A huge part of creative work is collaboration. You need to be able to work with other people from anywhere in the world. And this is where tools that support collaboration come in. These software applications allow individuals and teams to work together in real-time, regardless of location. They include features such as document sharing, group chat, video conferencing, and task management, which can help teams stay connected and communicate effectively. Google Workspace, Slack, and video conferencing tools like Zoom are some of the most popular platforms used by businesses and individuals. Google Docs is a cloud-based word processor that allows multiple users to edit and collaborate on documents in real-time. Slack is a messaging and collaboration platform that provides a central hub for team communication and file sharing. And Zoom is a video conferencing tool that allows users to hold meetings and have face-to-face conversations with anyone, anywhere. can spark new ideas and help you think creatively as a team. Collaboration tools By setting up regular meetings and check-ins, you can stay in touch with your team and discuss ideas and projects. Group chat and video conferencing can help you stay connected and communicate effectively, even when you're not in the exact location. Sharing documents and files in real-time can also facilitate collaboration and allow you to work together more efficiently. To use collaboration tools effectively, it's important to establish clear communication guidelines and ensure everyone on the team is on the same page. It can also be helpful to set aside dedicated time for team meetings and to use the tools consistently to stay connected and up-to-date. Finally, be sure to take advantage of the features offered by the tools you're using - for example, use video conferencing to have face-to-face conversations and use document sharing to collaborate on projects in real time. 4. Drawing and design software When it comes to applying creative ideas practically, it’s critical to have the right tools to support your ideas. Drawing and design tools help create and edit , graphics, and artwork on a computer. These tools typically include features such as brushes, shapes, text tools, and layers, which can be used to create a wide range of visual effects. visual designs They help bring your ideas to life visually, whether you're a professional artist or a casual doodler. By familiarizing yourself with the interface and tools of the software you're using, you can learn to create a wide range of designs and effects. Experimenting with different styles and techniques can also help you find your own creative voice and develop your skills. Seeking feedback from others, such as other artists or design professionals, can also be a great way to improve your work and get new ideas. However, just the right tools aren’t enough. It's important to be patient and practice regularly. Don't be afraid to make mistakes and try new things - the more you use the software, the more comfortable you will become with it. It can also be helpful to seek out tutorials and resources online and to join communities of other artists and designers to share ideas and get feedback. Finally, don't be afraid to take breaks and return to your work with fresh eyes - sometimes, a little distance can help you see things in a new light. 5. Writing apps Perhaps you express your creativity through . writing Fortunately, today, there are a number of writing tools designed for writing and editing texts. You might wonder why you need specialized writing apps when you can just use a document editor. The reason is that good apps include features such as word processing, spell check, and document organization, which can make it easier for writers to create and edit their work. If you’re writing a book, then you’ll need something more user-friendly and sophisticated than a run-of-the-mill editor. Scrivener and Evernote are two popular writing apps that are widely used by writers and content creators. Scrivener is designed specifically for writers, with features such as customizable templates, outlining tools, and revision history. Evernote is a note-taking and organization app that allows users to capture and organize ideas, notes, and documents in one place. Writing apps can help you organize your thoughts and ideas and provide a space for creative writing and brainstorming. By setting aside dedicated writing time and using prompts and exercises to stimulate your creativity, you can make the most of your writing sessions and get your ideas flowing. Revising and editing your work is also an important part of the writing process, and writing apps can make it easier to track changes and improve your writing. It's important to establish a writing routine and stick to it. Setting aside dedicated writing time and clear goals for each writing session can help you make the most of your time and stay focused. It can also be helpful to use prompts and exercises to stimulate your creativity and get your ideas flowing. And if you want to take things to the next level, revise and edit your work carefully, and seek feedback from others to improve your writing. Conclusion Creativity is essential for any writer, artist, or creative professional looking to make a lasting impact with their work. Drawing and design software as well as writing apps can be invaluable tools in helping us to think more creatively and express our ideas effectively. It's important to take the time to get familiar with these tech tools so that you can use them confidently and effectively while expressing your creativity. By experimenting with different styles and techniques, seeking from others, setting aside dedicated writing time, using prompts and exercises, revising your work carefully, and staying open-minded about new possibilities – all of which are made easier by utilizing technology – we can unlock our potential for creating something extraordinary. feedback

5 Tech Tools to Sharpen Your Creativity

Let's face it. Many people interested in the productivity space are master procrastinators. After all, checking new productivity tools and hacks seems like a perfect excuse to put real work off. But that ends now! In this review, we revisit a personal knowledge management system from Thiago Forte that promises to put you into high gear to finally get stuff done! Building a Second Brain Is the book worth your money? Can it help you scale the slopes of personal productivity? Let's find out. 💡 Before you start... Haven't heard about knowledge management? Be sure to check other similar articles on the blog where we cover it in detail. 🏗️ How To Build a Second Brain for Distributed Teams 🗂️ The Zettelkasten Method for Distributed Teams 🤯 Can't Get Things Done? Stop Thinking About GTD as Your To-Do List! Table of Contents [ ] hide 1 🧠 What is Building a Second Brain (BASB) 1.1 Who Is Building a Second Brain For? 2 🌟 How to Build Your Second Brain in 2022 2.1 "What Tools Do I Need to Get Started?" 2.2 The Foundation: C.O.D.E. + P.A.R.A. 3 🤔 Should You Buy Building a Second Brain? 4 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) 🧠 What is (BASB) Building a Second Brain Building a Second Brain (BASB) is a system created by productivity expert Tiago Forte. BASB is designed to help you free up your brain's resources by storing notes, ideas, to-dos, and projects in an external digital brain. personal knowledge management (PKM) According to the official Forte Labs blog: "Building A Second Brain is a methodology for saving and systematically reminding us of the ideas, inspirations, insights, and connections we've gained through our experience. It expands our memory and our intellect using the modern tools of technology and networks." "Wait, I think I've heard that already..." Building a Second Brain isn't exactly new. People have been coming up with ways of recording ideas, thoughts, and observations for thousands of years. From commonplace books to intricate systems like Niklas Luhmann's Zettelkasten, the PKM business has been going places. Forte's BASB blends all those tools and techniques into an appealing (and acronym-filled) commercial product. There's a lot to unpack here, so let's start from the beginning. Who Is For? Building a Second Brain Forte's Building a Second Brain doesn't teach you how to consume information. You probably know how to do that all too well. It teaches you how to use information effectively. BASB is for productivity masters as well as chronic procrastinators. It's a resource for content creators, writers, students, and academics. BASB is for everybody who's either a self-professed or a designated knowledge worker and can't keep up with the information overload. You should consider building a second brain if you: 🤷‍♂️ Have too many ideas that slip through the cracks. 🤯 Are tired of constantly forgetting "the important stuff." 📑 Waste too much time looking for files and documents. 🧱 Need ready-made building blocks for all kinds of projects. 🧩 Want to add depth and context to your creative process. Sounds great, right? But there's a catch. Much of the content in the book is actually readily available on the official Forte Labs blog completely for free. If you've already snooped through Tiago's blog archives and mastered the core principles of BASB, you should probably spend that $28 on something else. But if you're new to the concept or need a little more organized guide---and you don't feel like paying upwards of $1500 for the course---here's a breakdown of what the book has to offer. 🌟 How to Build Your Second Brain in 2022 "What Tools Do I Need to Get Started?" The short answer is... a note-taking app. That's it. While you can keep your trusty pen and notebook for quick notes, Forte recommends using digital tools as the "home" of your digital second brain. And there are some compelling reasons why digital beats paper anytime: 🚀 The ability to search and tag: The nostalgia for pen & paper is strong. But digital notes are easily discoverable, which means that retrieval is much faster than with analog tools. Plus, the ability to #tag entries are a bonus you can't miss out on. 👁️ Data manipulation and visualization: Note-taking apps let you transform information in many different ways. You can print, copy, and export notes to other apps. You can also visualize data in mind maps or tables. The possibilities are endless. Already using Taskade? You can switch between ---List, Board, Calendar, Action, Mind Map, and Org Chart six unique project views ☁️ Multiple backups: Unlike analog notes, your digital musings are not bound to a single physical medium like a notebook. You can create as many copies of your notes as you like and keep them spread across cloud storage and hard drives for redundancy. 🎞️ Beyond walls of text: The human brain is . We love charts, images, videos, and boards because visual information reaches our brains much faster than text. And that's another compelling reason for going digital. hardwired for processing visual content Want to keep track of your reading list?Organize your books visually by from Amazon and Goodreads embedding covers 🧑‍💻 Syncing across multiple devices: Information should be portable. You may forget to grab your notebook when leaving home. But you can still access synced notes on any device or in a web browser wherever you are (as long as there's an Internet connection). 🤝 Collaboration across time zones: Your second brain (or parts of it) is meant to be shared. Whether that's sending DIY notes to friends or collaborating on documents with colleagues, a digital system opens a world of possibilities compared to paper. 🖼 Customizable templates: Forte's formula leaves plenty of room for experimentation. Choose a tool that lets you create your own, reusable BASB template you can develop and improve. This will help you make the system more compatible with your unique workflow. And speaking of templates, here's a free Building a Second Brain template. Customize it, save it to your workspace, and start building a better, digital brain in minutes. 👇 Still need a hand in choosing from a wide array of popular tools? Here's our list of the . best apps to use when building a second brain The Foundation: C.O.D.E. + P.A.R.A. Forte's methodology consists of two core components: C.O.D.E. (Capture, Organize, Distill, Express) and P.A.R.A (Projects, Areas, Resources, Archives). The first is the workflow for using and maintaining your second brain. The second helps you organize notes into folders. C.O.D.E. (Capture, Organize, Distill, Express) 1. Capture Your second brain needs information to grow. In this stage, you capture all kinds of notes, and resources into four containers (more on that in a bit). Whether you're highlighting passages from a book or saving snippets of conversations, there are a few rules to keep in mind: ❤️ Keep what resonates: This is a gut check about the information you capture. Ideas that "resonate" may be unusual, counterintuitive, or interesting. More often than not, they refute what you already know. Follow your intuition and be selective. 🍰 10% of the original content: Reading a book or an article online? Highlight what's interesting, save snippets, but don't go crazy with it. Forte recommends capturing no more than 10% of the source. It will save you some organizing and editing later on. ⚡ Do it quickly: Don't overthink. If a passage in a book strikes a chord, highlight it and keep reading. If a YouTube video has something you're interested in, save the link with a time stamp and move on. You'll zoom in on the information in the next stage. ✂️ Use capturing tools: BASB is all about efficiency. Look for ways to optimize note-taking. Typing on your keyboard rather than with a pen is one thing. Web clippers, screenshot tools, and OCR software will take your second brain to the next level. 2. Organize (P.A.R.A.) Folders and notes, that's all you need to organize your second brain. Instead of dumping things into dozens of ambiguously named piles, Forte recommends the P.A.R.A. (Projects, Areas, Resources, Archives) approach, a set of four (yes!) folders to capture everything, 📂 Folder #1: Projects These are active projects you're working on. Projects have a fixed timeline, clear deadlines, and specific tasks you need to complete. Most people have five to fifteen projects going on at the same time. Projects can be anything from writing a book to developing an app or learning a new language. 📂 Folder #2: Areas Areas are long-term responsibilities and future goals. They focus on specific domains in your life like health, finance, or self-development. Areas are umbrella categories and can spawn individual projects. For instance, the area of "health" can lead to projects like "lose 20 pounds" or "prepare for Ironman 2023." 📂 Folder #3: Resources Think of Resources as your Misc folder. If you come across something interesting that doesn't have a clear connection to one of the active projects or areas, you dump it here. You can create Resources for hobbies and interests, life hacks, or any other topics you may want to reference at some point in the future. 📂 Folder #4: Archives The Archives folder includes completed, canceled, or deferred projects. Any projects you're not actively working on should end up in the Archives folder. The Archives are a valuable resource when starting new projects, so you should get into the habit of moving notes here rather than deleting them. 🗂️ You can organize your second brain with , and color-coded Workspaces, Folders, Projects #tags 3. Distill (Progressive Summarization) You have your notes and folders in place. So now what? Your notes, as compact as they may be, are still in a raw format. According to Forte, this is where most note-takers give up. You've probably created many intricate systems, captured a lot of valuable content, and then let those notes collect digital dust. But not this time. Once you've captured notes into your second brain, you need to distill them. In a nutshell, every time you revisit an entry, you need to chew on it, read and reread, and extract the core message. This is where Progressive Summarization comes in. 📥 Level 1: Raw Format First, read, listen to, or watch source material and capture the interesting bits. You can highlight passages in books/articles, save code snippets, or save show notes from a podcast. Remember, 10% is enough, so choose wisely. 🅱️ Level 2: Bold Once you've added the highlighted passages to your second brain, it's time to refine them. Read and reread the material and bold the really important parts. Focus on keywords and tips that reflect the core message. 🟡 Level 3: Highlight "More highlighting?" Yes! The bolded passages may be the crème de la crème but there's still room for improvement. If you're dealing with a long and complex note, highlight bits of the bolded passages and scrap the rest. 📝 Level 4: Create an executive summary Sometimes you may come across a particularly lengthy note that's difficult to encapsulate in a sentence or two. For such notes, add a bulleted summary at the top and try to describe what the note is about in your own words. 🟢 text to distill notes and add a bulleted executive summary at the top Highlight 4. Express Gathering knowledge for the sake of it is pointless. Sure, you may nurture your little garden, walk around and marvel at all the notes and ideas you've collected. But hey, you're in the knowledge game. And that means you need to make the best use of what's in your second brain and create new value out of it. Here's how to do that. 👇 🧱 Use Intermediate Packets: Intermediate packets are chunks of work, both past and present, that you can reuse in future projects. That can include distilled notes (see the previous step), unused resources, presentation slides, or checklists, just to name a few. Build on top of those blocks to kickstart new projects much quicker. 🏃‍♂️ Work in increments: Don't wait until you're ready to write your 600-word bestseller. Start with an outline, progress to a paragraph, and the next thing you know, you'll have a whole chapter in place. Deliver your work in increments, even if that means writing non-stop for just 30 minutes each day. Consistency is king. 🤹 Embrace remixing: Every idea and project piggybacks on the ones you had or completed in the past. Look back at your intermediate packets and find ways to incorporate them into your work. Shake things up, spot contradictions, build better arguments, and always have a bunch of building blocks at the ready. Bonus: How to Navigate The Second Brain As your system grows, you'll need to learn how to find information quickly and efficiently. Whether you're trying to write a blog post or find inspiration for a movie script, there are four ways in which you can use your second brain in the creative process: 🔎 Search: This is an easy one. Digital notes are easily searchable, so you can just look for bits and pieces, keywords, and phrases related to your current project. 📚 Browse: Sometimes making a detour is more beneficial. Browsing your second brain folder by folder, checking files, and looking up resources is a great way to discover new building blocks in surprising places. Plus, it's an opportunity for some maintenance. 🏷 #tagging: Looking for building blocks for your next project? Run a regular search inside your second brain and add a relevant #tag to every resource you find. Once you're done, filter everything with the #tag and focus on a smaller slice of the pie. 🤩 Serendipity: Serendipity---or "happy accidents" as Bob Ross would say---means "finding valuable or interesting things by chance." Broaden your search, peek inside folders and areas of interest you haven't touched in a while to find hidden gems. 🔎 Use global to find notes, tasks, and keywords.You can also look for and by typing them into the search bar search #mentions #tags And that's it! 🥳 🤔 Should You Buy ? Building a Second Brain There are two problems with *Building a Second Brain. *None of them is serious enough to throw the book off of your buying list, but we feel compelled to talk about them anyway. With all the focus on brevity, selectivity, and summarizing, Forte's book is surprisingly long for the type of advice it offers. While that's not necessarily a bad thing, much of the overhead is filled with philosophical musings that contribute very little to the overall picture. It's hard to shake the feeling that the book could've been a pamphlet. And if you've followed Tiago's blog long enough, you probably know everything you need to get started. The book is a great addition to BASB, but you'll get the best bang for the buck if you're new to the concept. Another problem that also pops up in many reviews is the common-sense nature of the method. After all, it's not like we don't know how to take notes or be productive. Don't procrastinate. Focus on one task at a time. Take regular breaks, pay attention. ... This knowledge has been around for thousands of years. And now that we have powerful tools to match, Forte's advice doesn't seem all that revolutionary. But does it have to? Sure, Thiago Forte's BASB offers common-sense advice. But so does Dale Carnegie's and Cal Newport's . Heck, even the concept of "resistance" from Steven Pressfield's isn't exactly new. How to Win Friends and Influence People Deep Work War of Art Still, all those books offer a ton of value. Forte doesn't hide his inspiration with Sönke Ahrens or David Allen's . And that's perfectly ok because he mashes all those fine resources into a simple and intuitive framework anybody can start using in minutes instead of hours. How to Take Smart Notes Getting Things Done 🐑 Before you go... Are you ready to build your digital second brain? Try Taskade. Taskade is an outliner and a note-taking tool that has everything you need to get started (it's free!). 👇 ⚡ Quick startup and a gentle learning curve 📲Real-time sync across all your devices 🔗 Quick project cross-linking with @mention 🟢 Color-coded tags with autocomplete 🎨 300+ built-in templates for all kinds of projects ✂️ Web Clipper plugin for quick web capture And more! or visit our to take Taskade for a spin! Create a free account live demo page Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Is Building a Second Brain Worth It? is a good investment for anybody who's seriously interested in personal knowledge management (PKM). For $28---$22.99 if you can pick it up on sale---you get everything you need to know to build and maintain a digital second brain. Building a Second Brain What Is a Second Brain App? There are many apps you can use to build your second brain. Look for note-taking tools that offer essential BASB features like search, tagging, organization into folders, and quick capture. Want a few recommendations? Check for a detailed comparison. Best Second Brain Apps For Knowledge Management What Is the Para Method? The PARA (or P.A.R.A.) method is a simple organization system that's part of the Building a Second Brain methodology. PARA divides notes into four containers: Projects (active projects), Areas (goals and long-term commitments), Resources (reference materials), and Archives (completed/canceled/deferred projects). How Much Does the Building a Second Brain Course Cost? The five-week course has a hefty price tag of $1,500. A more expensive Premium Edition includes 5 additional Q&A sessions. There's also an Executive Edition (limited to 12 participants) that features 1:1 coaching and priority support. Is Building a Second Brain Course Worth It? The course covers the tools and techniques you need to build your second brain, but you can get all that by browsing the blog or buying the book, which is much cheaper. We're not entirely sold on the community factor and lifetime access either. If you have the money to throw around, go for it. But there are many other educational investments with a much better ROI. What is C.O.D.E? CODE is an acronym for Collect, Organize, Distill, and Express. It is used for maintaining your second brain and helps with organizing notes into folders.

Building a Second Brain Review and Complete Guide

With every new day we see a development in the software industry. as the world becomes more technology orients the need for high-functioning software becomes imminent. In fact, if you think about it, every machine that we currently use is powered by software. The arena is constantly bustling with new developments and raging competition which threatens to leave every slacker behind. software development services What Is Software Development And Why Is This Process Important For Your Business? The software development process is crucial for every digital project you embark on. Whether we are shopping online, chatting with friends, or doing simple tasks like sharing a document with a colleague. All of this relies on software. Software plays an integral role in a lot of the applications that we use. Making a simple phone call is possible thanks to software development. However, developing software is not an easy feat. Other than the nitty-gritty of the process itself, the entirety of this technical entity needs careful attention. This is why in software development there are different systems employed within the process of the software’s generation. These systems are called . software development models Common Software Development Process Models The Spiral Model, V-model, and the Agile model are some of the most common software processing systems in use. These models ensure that the completion of the software application development goes full term. This goes along with website and mobile applications. Currently, there are approximately 7 software process models: Spiral Model V Model Waterfall Model Agile Model Incremental Model RAD Model Rational Unified Process Regardless of the team, software development typically goes through several stages. It is called the software development lifecycle. It is divided into 6 various steps. The software development lifecycle methodologies (SDLC) or the Systems Development Life Cycle method aids in the design process of the software. It makes sure that the team, through their production, meets the requirements of the client. A properly segregated methodology will always support the maintenance of software long term. Each phase of the SDLC will introduce deliverables that are needed to administer the next step of the process. The requirements are eventually transformed into designs. Codes are then relayed according to the plans that are called the development phase. Every stage is contrived with the assistance of software development services experts who are important for every step. No phase is possible to complete without the other running. But Why are These Stages Important? Before we look at the details of the , let us see why they are so important. software development life cycle SDLC phases ensure that there is a level of transparency within the software development process. This is necessary because it allows the team to get a proper idea of who is responsible for what. This allows the project process to run like a well-oiled machine. A properly set process allows for clear communication between the team and its clients. This removes any possibility of misunderstandings, missed deadlines, or rework. Requirement Gathering and Planning You need to make sure that you have all the information on your client’s requirements before you commence product development. Requirement gathering is a fundamental step in both software development and website development services. gives the team a quick mind map of what the product will look like and how it should perform. This stage typically takes up a lot of time since there will be several discussions between the team and the client. The team will ask a lot of open-ended questions with the customers to make sure that they are getting the concept down right. Not only that, discussions between members of the team will take up a lot of time as well. Here, the team will gauge whether they have the skills and resources to bring client's objectives to fruition. The requirement gathering stage forces the team and the clients to get to know the audience being targeted. This helps answer questions like what the purpose of the product would be and how it directly relates to audience needs. In short, you will need to put into words the problem that the product is trying to solve. Product Prototype Design This step will consist of the development of the product that culminates from the specifications laid out by the client. the product design will help the team in understanding the hardware specifications necessary to deploy the product. This also marks out the general architecture of the product while depicting the software modules needed and their links. This is also when the team makes the choice of the development platform they will be using. Whether it is , Java, , FileMaker, or Ruby on Rails. While these choices will depend significantly on client requirements, it will also depend on team preferences. .NET Laravel Furthermore, the user interface and user experience will be designed during this step as well. Coding Software Once the product design has been approved the development team will move on to the coding and implementation phase. After acquiring the required specifications and design needs documents, the developers will begin programming. Other than coding, the developers will also administer module/unit testing so that they can detect potential problems. By identifying problems at an earlier stage, the team prevents reworking the entire project late on. Testing the software After coding and implementation, the team will then move on to integration and validation testing. The teams consistently release different against the set requirements. they also test the product in various parameters to check its resilience in the long run. software applications to test them This phase in turn exposes the bugs that need to be eradicated which the team corrects instantly. Integration testing will be the next step in the testing process. This is where the interaction between individual modules and external systems is evaluated. This is followed by validation testing which tests the end product from the user's point of view. Product Deployment Once the software has passed the testing stage, product deployment commences. The first batch of the readied product is rolled out and exposed to the public. This is called beta testing. The team gathers consumer responses and feedback on the product and fixes any bugs that have been missed previously. The deployment stage consists of setting up the Production server which will run the software. This can either be the company’s own server or a cloud service like Amazon Web Service. Software Maintenance Once the software product has been released in the market it has to be kept operational and up to date. This involves fixing important issues and keeping the architecture updated with the newest trends. The team also handles the expansion of the product when it experiences higher traffic. Similar is the case when the business is looking to grow and add more products. They will add the options and maneuver the backend operations accordingly.

The 6 Stages of the Software Development Process

Many people kickstart their careers with a desire to start a business. They aren’t sure what exactly  the business will cater to— but they know they want to be their own boss. They have an itch to scratch, and they’re not sure how to go about it. Having a desire and knowing how to execute are two very different things, though, which might explain why the startup failure rate is so high; entrepreneurs take any idea and run with it, buying into the startup hype. But here’s the thing — the small biz, startup market is extremely saturated. You need to have passion, it's a vital ingredient. But you also need the killer idea; one that not only sparks curiosity but solves a problem for customers. Why are we talking about this? I started thinking about all of this after an incredible conversation with Christian Shauf. He’s the founder and CEO of , a manufacturer of high-quality survival systems and products made to empower people with the proper gear and education to guide them back to safety in an unanticipated emergency. Uncharted Supply Company From being named Armed Forces Entertainer of the Year by the Pentagon for his time entertaining troops at some of the most dangerous bases in Iraq (he made more than 40 visits over eight years) to surviving a few life or death situations, he is a serial adventurer, athlete, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. On top of that, he’s someone who successfully managed to solve a problem for customers with his survival equipment business: he gives them peace of mind, knowing that in the event of an emergency, they’re covered. “Our mission is to make the world a safer place. My belief is that every human on earth is going to face at least one emergency in their lifetime, where they’re probably going to need more than what they have today.” Have you got a business idea in the works? If so, what problem are you solving for your customers? You may be scratching your head, and that’s okay — today’s blog post is all about finding your niche and getting started. So, how do you go about finding that killer idea? Christian’s story is one that’s full of grit, determination, and a whole lot of hustle. But it’s also one that’s laced with invaluable advice for entrepreneurs — especially those who are just starting out. Having grown up on a Wisconsin farm,  and traveling through war zones as a musician, Christian was no stranger to risk and dangerous situations. “I went to Iraq and war zones where we would pack not knowing if we’d be coming home that night or three days later. And when I was home from Iraq, we’d be hunting and climbing and doing a lot of things outdoors.” Rather than deterring him from danger, however, it only inspired the thoughts that eventually led to Uncharted Supply Company. “One fateful day, I was driving to Colorado to go skiing. It snowed two inches in the mountains behind Orange County. I sat for eight hours in traffic because of two inches of snow, and it just put me in this mindset — if two inches of snow can cause this much disruption, what if something more serious happens?” “I felt a big opportunity to create a product that was high quality, that people could trust, and that would help them navigate emergencies big and small. So I kind of went headfirst into that.” Christian’s problem and purpose Christian is solving a problem for his customers — big time. I was surprised to hear in our interview just how quickly an innocent situation can turn into a full-blown emergency. “Statistically, 95% of survival situations are resolved within 72 hours. But gosh, if it’s 15 below zero, or if it’s 110 degrees, or you have no food or water, you could die in 72 hours. So my whole thesis was this — can we create an affordable, lightweight, small thing that anybody hopefully could afford? Something that would change those 72 hours and make them self-sufficient to get through anything.” It was pretty clear to me in this interview that Christian is not a manufacturer of nick-knacks or trendy gadgets. He’s solving a very real problem for customers, and his passion for the project is evident in everything he does. Identifying customer problems If you know your calling is to start a business from scratch, you are in the perfect position to solve a problem for customers. But what are your possibilities? How can you identify the customer problems you want to solve? 1. Brainstorm your passions Some people would recommend looking at industry markets first, but honestly, I think it’s more important to think about your passions. Use a mind map, write a stream of consciousness — do whatever you need to do to figure out what you’re most interested in. Why? Because research shows that are more successful. By far. They’re more creative, they care more, and they’re more likely to stick with it when the going gets tough. passionate entrepreneurs And it makes sense — if you’re passionate about something, you’re going to put more time and effort into it and you’ll be more invested in the outcome. So, start by brainstorming all of the things you’re interested in, all of the problems you’ve faced, and all of the questions that keep you up at night. Once you have a list, start looking for patterns. What are the common themes? 2. Ask your friends and family Your close friends and family are a great resource for identifying potential customer problems. You can quickly get into conversations with them about what frustrates them, what they wish they could change, and even things they just don’t have time for. If you’re feeling shy about asking, start by just observing. Pay attention to the conversations your friends and family have — what are the topics that come up over and over again? The issue that comes to mind for me right away is meal planning. We’ve seen so many food delivery services and pre-made meals enter the market in the past few years because the pandemic took away many people's ability to go out and shop for groceries. Meal planning is a HUGE pain point for so many people, and there’s still a lot of room for innovation in this area. It’s also an issue right under our noses. What else might you be overlooking because it’s so close to you? 3. Do your research Passion and ideas aren’t your only resources — data is important, too. We’re surrounded by saturated markets and industries; you can never be too sure that your idea is both lucrative and unopposed. is a great place to start if you’re looking for information on your idea’s validity. Google Trends, Find My Audience, and Market Finder can help you understand whether there’s an audience for your product and how to find them. Think With Google Regardless of whether you have a specific idea in mind or not, it’s important to keep an open mind and do your research. The last thing you want is to pour your heart and soul into something that no one wants. 4. Ask potential customers directly The last strategy I really want to touch on is customer outreach. It’s a bit like user testing — you’re getting feedback from people who are potential users of your product. There are a few ways to do this; surveys, interviews, and focus groups are some of the best. You can use tools like Survey Monkey or Google Forms to create surveys, and services like Interview Rocket or Zoom to conduct interviews and focus groups. The great thing about this strategy is that it gives you direct feedback from potential customers. You can ask them about their needs and wants, what frustrates them, and how they would like to see the problem solved. It’s a great way to get honest feedback and learn more about your target market. These are all likely tips you’ve heard before, but it’s important to remember them when you’re starting your business. To take a more simple approach, ask yourself: what specific problem does my product solve? Businesses that solved a problem Christian’s survival company is of course a great example of a company that solved a problem — but as I thought more about our interview, I realized there are countless businesses, both big and small, that are in the same situation. They all solved a problem for their customers. Take Warby Parker, for example. They realized that buying glasses online was a pain because you had to take your prescription to an optical store to get them fitted and order the frames. So they created a process where you could order five pairs of glasses online, try them on at home, and then only pay for the ones you wanted to keep. Or how about Southwest Airlines? They solved the problem of high airfare by creating a model where passengers only paid for what they needed. They also made flying more convenient by offering multiple flights a day to popular destinations. As a more mainstream example — Uber solved the problem of not having a taxi when you need one (or not having groceries in by dinnertime!) by creating an app that connects drivers with passengers and fast-food customers. Businesses that missed the memo Unfortunately, I can also think of plenty of businesses that have failed because they didn’t solve a problem. Believe it or not, there was a startup venture called Homeless Tours. (Yes, you read that right.) The company’s idea was to offer tours of city areas populated by homeless people. This company didn’t solve a problem — they exploited a problem. And unsurprisingly, it failed. Amazon has even experienced a few of its own failures as a result of failing to fill a need. The company, for some odd reason, decided to expand into brick-and-mortar bookstores. But it turns out that people don’t really want to buy books in a physical store when they can just order them on Amazon.com, and stores like Barnes & Noble offer a better in-store experience. So Amazon had to close its stores and focus on what it does best — selling books online. My point here is that, when you look at businesses of all sizes, the ones that are successful invariably solved a problem for their customers. And that’s what you need to do if you want your business to be successful, too. Wrap-up So, what problem are you trying to solve? If you aren’t sure, this might be your time to do some market research. Talk to your customers, talk to your friends and family, and see if there’s a pain point to resolve or . a gap to fill And remember — it’s as much about the execution as it is about the idea. You can have the best idea in the world, but if you don’t execute it well, it won’t matter. So make sure you focus on creating a process and a system that will allow you to solve your customer’s problem as efficiently as possible. Interested in hearing more about Christian Schauf’s experience starting his own business? You can check out the full interview — it’s well worth your listen, whether you’re an entrepreneur or not. here Originally published . here

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