sicutdeux@blog:~/links$cat if-your-product-is-great-it-doesn-t-need-to-be-good-2010.md
If your product is Great, it doesn't need to be Good (2010)
---
source_url:
source_name:
paulbuchheit.blogspot.com
published:
2026-06-23
status:
published
---
If your product is great, it doesn't need to be good. Pick three key attributes or features, get those things very, very right, and then forget about everything else.
paul buchheit’s 2010 take on product design holds up because it cuts through the feature-creep trap that kills most projects. the core insight: shipping with 80% effort on three core things beats shipping with everything half-baked. uses ipod/iphone as exemplars of ruthless scope discipline, contrasted against the failed feature-checklist approach. notably honest about the tradeoff—simplicity means you’re not for everyone, and that’s intentional. the gmail example is particularly grounded: they consciously half-assed the address book to ship faster. worth revisiting when you catch yourself adding “just one more feature” to hit some competitor’s spec sheet.