Manufacturing design looks a lot like software: You iterate through possible solutions, and the manufacturing itself is about repeating the making process. But building software means learning about the problem as you solve parts of it. For that, you want flexibility. How do you find your ideal process?

Starting a project without understanding can lead to a mess from a usability perspective. Too often, we build what we can without taking the time to question whom we are building it for and why. A user story is a simple but effective tool to determine how much we understand about the context of a problem.

Mobile or PC apps that crash, have poor user experience, don’t run smoothly, or lack features give your customer the idea that whatever they bought didn’t get the tender, loving care it deserved—even if they know the issues can be fixed in a later release.