ITGumbo: spicing IT up

Hello to all developers out there.

Back to the question of increasing the number of users of your system.

Following my previous post http://itgumbo.com/openforbusiness/2008/09/how_to_increase_the_numbers_of.php.

Lets start with a protest:
This is a BLOG for developers. You may think that this kind of ideas should be raised by your friendly Product Definition colleague.
Now would you?
No! I say, developers should take responsibility into their own hands. Ideas for new functionality can come up by simply looking at your users.

So, back to reality. What is required is to get familiar with non-users in the customer's organization.

For example, you probably know the accounting department because they call you all the time.

Now the question is, who are they serving? who serves them? within that periphery you should find at least one who is not a user of your system.

This guy (or girl) is not your user but he interacts with users, so maybe there is some need there.

Maybe these poor fellows who need the service of the accounting department (poor them) need some information in that area but it is not accessible to them.

So, my dear developer, you should know your customers, go and find out these guys and characterize them.

Once you do it, the next idea will pop.

I promise that in the next posts, I will share one idea of mine that you will be able to use.

Power to the developer!

Noam