Doing it right the first time may take a little longer than you’d like. But the total time spent goes down if you spend that extra bit up front. For example, pulling a list of all buildings in a market that fit a client’s needs prevents the common process of the client finding sites on…
All 10 rules to make your CRE technology better.
Well, we’ve survived. And selfishly I’ve never received better reader quantities over any comparable period so I guess I struck a nerve. For those that like recaps: Ignore the current user, focus on the future audience. Act as if everything you know about the industry is wrong. Focus on the visual! Release the Alpha, Beta, RC1, etc versions…
CRE Tech Rule 10: If it’s broke, fix it!
If it’s broke, fix it! And finally we come to the end. The ultimate rule that guides our hands. A rule so important that all reading this probably live by it already. If it’s broke, fix it. It applies to technology, it applies to life, it applies to our industry. This is the rule that…
CRE Tech Rule 9: Never let a written specification get in the way of a good idea.
Never let a written specification get in the way of a good idea. When building a technology for CRE you’ll likely find yourself with a functional spec and roadmap. Most of your build will try to follow these two documents. Don’t treat these as Gospel. New ideas occur everyday. And most new ideas are bad….
CRE Tech Rule 8: Discover your super users early. What they say should be gold, all other input is second tier.
Discover your super users early. What they say should be gold, all other input is second tier. I know, I know. You’re going to say this is just another continuation of the last two rules. Not true! This rule is about understanding who is on your side and who isn’t. We’re now talking marketing! Systems…
CRE Tech Rule 7: If you try to make everyone happy, you’ll end up making no one happy.
If you try to make everyone happy, you’ll end up making no one happy. This goes back to yesterday’s post of keeping it simple but it’ s worth having as a rule twice over. It’s important to understand that human psychology plays a significant role in building any online system. You have, on one-hand, the…
CRE Tech Rule 6: Keep it simple, simple, simple!!!
Keep it simple, simple, simple!!! That’s right, keep it simple. When you start off in a technology free zone you have ample room to grow. Don’t try to do too much too soon. I played trombone in Jazz band through college. One of the best rules I learned is that gaps in the music can…
CRE Tech Rule 5: Understand that your audience is going to change every 6 months.
Understand that your audience is going to change every 6 months. Especially early on. Adoption rates across regions, markets and approaches will dramatically change the types of users that you have on the system. This will also lead to a change in the types of features being requested. Through the process it will be tempting…
CRE Tech Rule 4: Release the Alpha, Beta, RC1, etc versions for early use. Feedback is critical.
Release the Alpha, Beta, RC1, etc versions for early use. Feedback is critical. CRE is a complex industry. There, I’ve said it. Part of the reason that new technologies haven’t taken off yet is because there is a lot of nuance to the decisions that get made, inconsistent client structures, and many different approaches to…
CRE Tech Rule 3: Focus on the visual!
Focus on the visual! Real Estate is fundamentally about how people and businesses use space. If they can’t understand what they are getting or getting into they’ll never be able to understand the service you are offering them. Numbers and spreadsheets and business intelligence is great but our customers thrive on the visual. Decisions are…