Business of Software 2008 was going to be hard to match, but I think Neil and Joel pulled it off. Inspiring speakers, great location, power outlets for everyone… oh, and I almost forgot the bright blue snuggies / slankets (who comes up with these names?). After a little reflection, there were three standout speakers whose messages kept coming back to me. And here they are (ineloquently paraphrased by me):
Geoffrey Moore
He was the conference opener and he certainly deserved the spot. Geoffrey talked about innovation and the difference between your core (your differentiator, your competitive advantage – in other words, what makes you money) and context (the other stuff you have to do to keep up or to improve productivity – which might even be mission critical). Once you divide everything into these two camps, it’s easy. Innovate on context just enough to get you by – then focus all your efforts on your core. So simple, yet such a useful way of thinking, particularly when it comes to prioritisation.
Kathy Sierra
I hadn’t come across Kathy before, but I wish I had. She had one premise, which she repeated in so many ways it couldn’t fail to get through our heads – make your users feel awesome! Yes, that’s it. It’s not about the killer app, it’s about the killer user. I was used to thinking about software from the user’s point of view, but this takes it a step further. And it makes sense. If software (like chocolate, alcohol, Disneyland – debatable?) makes you feel good, you’ll love it.
Ryan Carson
I respect Ryan for putting so much of his creativity and personality into his company, Carsonified. He made me want to start a company, just so I could make it a really fun place to work. He had a whole lot of tips, ranging from be creative to give back to the community to just hire a designer, but it was more the overriding focus on making it a great workplace that got me.
Conclusion
This is not to say that the other speakers weren’t brilliant (because most were). But these three stood out because:
- They had one point that they got across clearly
- The point was just so obvious and natural, it made you wonder why you didn’t think of it earlier
And to me, they’re the marks of a great speaker.
