Don't define the problem This is the most important step. Don't skip it, because all other steps would fail. You want to create a nice, decorative design. You're an artist. Problems come and go, the art lives forever.
Your assumptions are right Even Steve Jobs said that users don't know what they want. Don't ask anyone anything. Don't test anything. You're right.
Assume you are the user Your ego is more important. Protect it. It doesn't matter if no one would use the product you're building. At the end of the day, we're in the builders' era. Who cares about solving real problems? Let's build.
Let AI decide your product strategy Blank pages are boring. Blank canvases are boring. Who has time to draw, sketch, iterate, and rethink everything? Ship your first shot. It would be the next big thing.
Copy competitors Even digital products want to be accepted. There's no point in being different. Different is weird. Have a look at the cool features of other products and copy them. Don't dare to create something unique.
Design by committee Don't trust your instinct. Ask your peers for approval. Try it. Just ask them. Make sure you change your idea to please others. Your unique point of view is not important.
Don't trust the design team If you're currently paying a designer to create your product or brand, guide him. There's no point in trusting him. You have the power and ownership of your company. Don't let product and brand decisions be in the hands of the design team.
Focus on speed over craft The ticktoticization of building digital products is here. When everything seems to move at the speed of light, there's no point in having a process, a way of doing things. Focus on the outcome. Ship it as fast as possible. Remove the friction of working with useless human beings and automate everything.
Start coding, then design Don't spend too much time thinking. Don't play with ideas. Don't iterate. There's no time for that. Pen and paper exploration? Forget about that. Those are old tools. Just ship it. The company must enable the revenue stream. Getting it right is not important right now.
Don't test your hypothesis A builder knows what they're doing. Ship it, and they'll come. Imagine a digital queue, as we saw in Apple stores when the iPhone was launched. People are waiting for the product in the making. Ship it as quickly as possible.
