The survival of a web application

I focused on the apps that affect the way I run my business, and the decisions I make; Basecamp, Roundcube web-mail, Freshbooks, FastDial, Wordpress, Statto, Things, WriteRoom, MyDisk, CandyBar and the likes.

A few years ago I often tried out “umbrella”-apps that I thought I needed to run my business. I wanted quick dashboard overviews and access to contacts that were incorporated in to my ongoing projects. In that same view I wanted calendars related to those contacts and projects, linked to the calendars I needed for time tracking and invoicing, not to mention the file system, prospects, to-dos, might-dos, must-dos, e-mail overviews, RSS-updates, bookmarks, inspiration-stuff and sketches for upcoming projects. Back then I was stressed as hell, not organized, often angry and working 24/7.

Since a year ago my mood has changed, I’m less stressed, more focused, more organized and much happier. What changed?

I have the same type of clients, I’m involved in the same amount of projects, I even handle larger projects, have more people involved, keep up with more deadlines and at the same time I have moved about a 2 hour train ride away from my customers. So why isn’t my situation even worse than a few years ago?

Well, the answer lies in the applications I use.

The way you behave is ruled by split-second-decisions that you make but can not control, it’s your gut-feeling that your daily behaviour is based on. You make subconcious decisions even before your brain has reflected on the decision just made. You feel that something shall be this or that way long before you can put your finger on what made you feel that way.

Apps that supports those split-second desicions instead of interfering with them is the apps that will survive.

Normally when an app or product is developed the goal is to create something that will do everything for you (and everyone else), include tons of features aimed at making it unbelievably “flexible”, and “the only app you’ll ever need”. But why? What’s wrong with the people who think I need that kind of app? It’ll make me unflexible, outdated and totally locked in to the logics of the app in no time without actually working with me.

Look up the words “function” and “feature” in a dictionary; “function” translates to “working”, feature translates to “show”, “demonstrate”, “characteristics”. “Feature” does not relate to working in any way. And that is the most significant difference between the apps that will survive and the one that will be passed to the deadlist. Functions live, feature dies.

Our main tool when running a business is our brain. Period. That is the only tool you should focus and rely on. Your brain makes 95% of your calculations and decisions, it sorts out logics, information and stores relations. 95% of your project management system is located in your brain. So when you use a software app you really just need a place to store the results and decisions that are coming out of your brain. If you enter a tool or app that forces you, due to the architecture of the app, to redo the sorting, calculations and decisions it will be contra-productive, it will make you feel insecure, stressed and it will affect your business and clients in a negative way.

For an app to support your split-second decisions and your gut-feeling-decicions it must be clean, well designed, and above all contain a minimal amount of functions.