Archive for April, 2010

Building a better AutoMap

Posted on: April 27th, 2010 No Comments

ePublisher includes tools to create designs (Pro), stamp them out (Express), and automate builds (AutoMap).  The thing is, AutoMap, as it exists today, is not always the right fit for our users.  It offers more capability than some folks will ever leverage.  For them, AutoMap is simply too expensive.  Others make extensive use of AutoMap’s command-line capabilities to maximize their use of the product.  In their eyes, AutoMap is huge bargain.

I’d like to figure out how we can better address both types of customers in the future.  Doing so might mean splitting AutoMap into distinct products.  Let’s see if we can define some product offerings that better fit everyone’s needs.

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Is anybody out there there?

Posted on: April 2nd, 2010 No Comments

Market research is tricky business.  Knowing how to help your current customers is an easy affair (Focus, Focus, Focus).  Keep your ears open and they will tell you what they need.  Finding something new that both your current customers and potential customers find exciting is quite a bit more difficult.  I can’t ask a customer focus group from 2011 what I should be working on today.  So, like everyone else, we just do our best by gathering market data and reading the tea leaves.Recently, I blogged on our approach for validate market directions with sketches (Sketching the Future).  Now I’ll show you how we are working to locate those potential directions.  Our goal for each market is to simply understand:  Is anybody out there there? (more…)