Sunday, March 31, 2013

The 'break even' death spiral

Isn't achieving break-even the best thing to happen to a startup? You are generating enough cash to fund your operations and even generate cash profit. As a founder, you should be proud.

Or is it?

As a founder, achieving cash break-even should be a milestone towards the destination, not the final destination itself. She should constantly challenge herself and the team:
- How sustainable is the current cash flow?
- Where should I invest the cash? Is the path to growth clear? Is cash flow distracting you from the overall vision of the company?

Early success and cash might take you into a slumber. It might be the right time to rock the boat, and take company to the next level.

Swipe vs. click

In the new world of touch, swipe should replace click as the primary user input method.

One of the biggest issues I have with Gmail iOS app is the typical '2- click process' to delete/archive mails. With the new Mailbox app, I can handle mails much faster due to swipe based input.

A lot of apps translate PC UI, optimized for qwerty keyboard, to smartphones / tablets - which results in poor interface.

All app developers should optimize their user input on swipe and shake.