Rory asks:
Is there any hope for designers in the online entrepreneur world? As in, people who can for concepts sketches and design layouts, but who can’t program themselves? Or would you say that the ability to program is an absolute must?
I’m a designer who can’t program worth a shit. But I’ve always loved designing interfaces and I’ve always loved building a business. With passion, curiosity, and ambition, there is always hope.
Getting started
I got started by designing text-only interfaces for BBS’s way back before the web. Then I moved to graphical BBS’s when NovaLink Pro was introduced. Then I moved to making music, book, and video organizers in FileMaker Pro. FileMaker Pro allowed a designer to make a product with barely any understanding of programming. Just pop in some fields, set up a few buttons, add a few conditions, and wrap it in a nice UI.
Audiofile in FileMaker
My first foray into product-based entrepreneurship was a shareware product I built in FileMaker Pro called Audiofile. Audiofile was $20 and I uploaded it to AOL. This was the early 90s. A few weeks later my parents gave me an envelope with my name on it that came in the mail from Germany. I didn’t know anyone in Germany. I didn’t know what to do with it. But when I opened it there was a crisp US $20 bill wrapped in a printout of my Audiofile order form. That was my first customer and the moment I realized I can do this.
So over the next few years I released a few other products. BookBin for organizing your books, Videofile for organizing your videos and DVDs. The $20 bills came flooding in. It was really exciting. It bought a lot of beer (and other stuff, ahem) in college.
I met a lot of folks and made some great lasting business contacts through my FileMaker Pro products. Richard Bird, now a great friend and colleague, was one of my first customers. Richard even hired me to design an experimental (and vaporware) project management tool called Sightrope. This was probably around 1999.
Every once in a while I hear from Basecamp customers who connected the dots all the way back to Audiofile. They were Audiofile customers back in the day.
Singlefile on the Web
Eventually I wanted to move these products to the web. I had tired of using FileMaker Pro and tired of building software people had to download. I wanted to build web-based software. I decided the first product I’d take to the web was BookBin, the book organizer. I decided to rename it Singlefile (wayback machine archive).
So I started learning PHP. I never took any programming classes or went to school for any of this. I just got a book on PHP, followed the examples, and wrote some code. It was shitty code, but it mostly worked. But I was stumped. I couldn’t figure out pagination.
Enter David
So I wrote a post on SvN asking for some help. I got a lot of responses, but the best one was from this guy named David Heinemeier Hansson. He was friendly, helpful, and patient. We traded some emails and then I decided to hire him to help me with Singlefile. This was when David was a PHP programmer, a few years before he even discovered Ruby. Remember that?
David and I got along well, our working styles meshed, we both enjoyed swearing, and our general outlook on simple software was the same. So we did a few client projects together. And then we started on Basecamp. The rest is history.
You can do it
Yes, there is plenty of hope for a designer who wants to build a product business. Having business sense will help. Being able to spot and attract other talented people will help. Having a knack for spotting the right opportunities will help. But being curious enough to just figure things out on your own will help the most. If you can’t program today it’s because you haven’t tried to learn yet. Just a little effort may pay serious dividends down the road.
Who knows where things will lead. My story started with designing text-based interfaces for BBS systems.
So, yes, you can definitely build something great if you’re “only a designer.”
Got a question for us?
We’re looking for interesting questions to answer here at Signal vs. Noise. Got one? Then send it to us at svn@37signals.com (make sure the subject line reads “Ask 37signals”). We’ll cherry pick the most interesting ones and answer them here. Fire away!
Tim
on 23 Oct 07Great post.
It cracks me up btw, that your Flickr account is named “friedster”. It reminds me of American Pie.
Jeff Hartman
on 23 Oct 07I remember AudioFile. :) Never knew that was you.
So what would you say to the people who want to make a living in the online world who are not programmers, designers, or business people? ;)
JF
on 23 Oct 07So what would you say to the people who want to make a living in the online world who are not programmers, designers, or business people?
Learn SEO stuff. There are so many opportunities in that market right now. Then maybe we can hire you to help us improve our results.
Michael Daines
on 23 Oct 07It’s nice to see your design history, what ideas have remained in your work and what’s changed.
What I’ve been wondering for a while, though, is where this yellow-highlighted text design meme came from! I notice that it’s used in the front page of Singlefile. Any particular source of inspiration besides, well, highlighter pens? It’s a small thing, and maybe this is silly, but I certainly smiled a bit when I first saw it on your sites.
Matt Brown
on 23 Oct 07Great thread started here! Very inspirational… those are my favorite.
I’m a Developer with seven years experience and I would also consider myself having intermediate+ design skills.
Regardless of who you are, if the passion is there, the sky is the limit.
J Lane
on 23 Oct 07The other option to consider is to learn something with a really shallow learning curve. I’m not going to win any awards for my code monkey skills, but with ColdFusion, I can throw together pretty much anything on the web. It’s a dead simple tool.
Or you could look for somebody to code as Jason did. I’m out on my own these days, I can program most stuff, and I’m a so-so designer. Starting a business is no fun on your own though—looking for a partner?
OverTheCounter
on 23 Oct 07Jason,
Curious as to which of the other stuff you spent the money on in college? I remember reading a Wired article a few years ago about a Cisco engineer who solved one of the hardest problems in Cisco’s history due to some thoughts he had on LSD. Well let me just come out and ask, what drugs, if any, have the 37signals crew done? Obviously you might not want to answer that, but you guys have a tendency to be gutsy, so I’ll take my chances.
Geof Harries
on 23 Oct 07For years, I’ve been a designer who has found an easy way to act like a programmer with ExpressionEngine.
EE allows me to build and implement websites + small apps that do things I never could have done by hand-coding. In 2000 I started out with ColdFusion just like J Lane, but EE is so much faster and the product community is fantastic.
But, that said, software like EE can only take a designer so far. At some point, what you want to accomplish will be more than it will be able to handle. And that’s where being honest about your abilities is key. If you know your strengths and weaknesses, you can search for a trustworthy, smart programmer who can compliment your skills. Then things really start to happen.
This is where I’m at currently: partner 1 of 3 in a media company whose technology I can barely wrap my head around. It matters not though, somebody else plays the programming role and I do what I’m best at.
Jacek
on 24 Oct 07Jason,
so, what happened to Singlefile? I’m very curious, because we’ve just recently been thinking about starting a web app like this with my friend.
thanks a lot.
Jeff Mackey
on 24 Oct 07Quite possibly my favorite SvN post so far. Thanks so much for sharing, Jason, and for asking the question, Rory.
Very inspirational, as always.
From my point of view, I fancy myself more of a developer and designer-wannabe, but the main passion is in requirements gathering, IA, and front-end coding. Taught myself layouts using MS Access back in 97, then graduated to PHP, like yourself. I pretend I know Photoshop. ;)
Only recently have I focused on building my side-business into something I hope to make my only business, which means identifying my own strengths and weaknesses.
Hal!
on 24 Oct 07I had the same question about a year and a half ago. My bread and butter is design. 0 code. 0!
So I had an idea, I told my wife, she said go for it even though it will cost us out of pocket, but I made this promise to her and myself and I recommend for anyone in the same boat. Do everything, EVERYTHING you can on your side before you start paying a dime to anyone (coding wise).
I registered the domain, formed a proper company (LLC), figured out the interactions for the app, designed it, created the templates for the app, and designed and uploaded the interim site.
For th interim site, I just added on a domain to where I host my pportfolio at no cost (well a cost that was there regardless of this app).
As soon as I had all of my ducks in a row, and there was nothing more I can do for the idea that would not cost me $$$, I went ahead and found a developer, bought some proper (cheap) hosting for the development of the app, and the other costs that come with this crazy adventure.
But, as a designer, you are half of your cost. So think of that as a plus in your column. Just do EVERYTHING you can before you start paying anyone else.
Oh, and always go for it, even if you have no idea what you are doing. I have learned so much in the last year and a half. I have applied that knowledge to what I do in my day job, and have added value to myself (as a designer) and the company I work for. Even if your idea is not a mega success, the knowledge you gain during the process of getting there is worth every penny.
Sorry for the long comment. – H!
engtech
on 24 Oct 07Were you in iCE or ACiD back when you were doing BBS screens?
That was my first foray into computers as communication tools, which lead to irc.
I often think running a blog is like having your own BBS again.
JF
on 24 Oct 07I ran a BBS on Hermes. It was one of the few BBS software programs that ran on a Mac.
Toji Leon
on 24 Oct 07Thanks, Jason. I always wanted to read this ‘autobiography’ of yours.
David, I would like to read yours too.
Martin Polley
on 24 Oct 07Seems to me like a designer (who can’t code) looking to build a business is probably in a better position than a programmer (who has no design skills).
People with dev skills seem to be more of a commodity these days than people with design skills and vision. You don’t hear about design being outsourced to India.
Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah, I know there are a million shades of gray (designers who can code and coders with design skills). But I think my general point holds true.
Mimo
on 24 Oct 07Martin you are right. The Time of the developers (SUN, Oracle, Microsoft,...) is “over”. Now it is the time of the designers.
Nick Toye
on 24 Oct 07Jason, great article and a great inspiration to designers who know squat about developing.
Although that isn’t completely true for me, I understand basic Rails (through the Agile books), but I am more of a designer and feel more comfortable dreaming up ideas (I have loads) and throwing some pixels around in Photoshop.
What advice would you give to someone looking for someone to develop alongside design. I think its more satisfing to build up a project yourself without the need to bring in angel investors, but finding someone who is as passionate about a project as I am and getting them to work with me on a 50%/50% basis is not easy.
There is also the fear that the developer may take the idea and re-incarnate themselves, cutting you out of the loop. Are the ways to protect yourself from this, or is it just a suck it and see method.
BradM
on 24 Oct 07Interesting timing on this post and it’s comments. Just yesterday I decided that it may be time to start looking out for some external consulting work.
Currently, for the past year I have been working on an internal project. However, I am starting to miss the client work (if you can believe that). So I wanted a way to find a designer / entrepreneur that may be interested in hiring a developer like me for some extra work.
I do have ample design skills but I just cannot stand HTML/CSS and would rather focus on strictly Business Logic code.
For anyone else interested, I came across ProgrammerMeetDesigner.com. I haven’t really used the site as I just registered but it seems like a good idea. I am familiar with 37S Gig posts and C. Molls site, but I just feel there must be something else out there for designers, developers looking for small / gig jobs.
RJ
on 24 Oct 07While this might work for designers, it won’t work for a jock with no skills. That requires a different approach.
Joel.
on 24 Oct 07Great post! Finding myself in the same boat as Rory, I was really curious to see how you would respond, Jason. Even though I’d made several attempts at learning a programming language, last Monday I just resolved to stick it out no matter how hard it would be.
I picked up a free book online from Sitepoint (which I think is still available) for learning RoR. I spent about 35 hours last week understanding the concept of RoR, and am now just trying to remember to put the right things in the “controller” instead of the “view.” I’m sure it will take practice, but I’m just sick of asking my friends to develop apps and sites for me.
Thanks for the continued inspiration, and keep up the “ask 37signals” posts!
Laszlo Marai
on 24 Oct 07It may be so that designers have better chances than coders for starting a business. And the reason for this can be found by reading your comments here: there seems to be an adequate level of support for building simple software while there aren’t really tools for putting a simple ‘web2ish’ design together. Or at least I’m not aware of any.
But the emphasys is on the word simple. Most of todays web based services are simple ideas that can be done in a quick’n’dirty way at least for the prototype. And that’s a good thing. But it doesn’t mean that developers, and I mean developers with sw design and analysis skills are commodity. I gues that it wouldn’t be so hard to create an application that helps creating decent stylish web interface prototypes by drag and drops. Most of the current design principles can be made into simple rules. Then you’ll only need a few good looking icons and logos that you can outsource to India :).
Also the comment that developers are commodity just because there are a lot of developers in India and maybe China doesn’t tell anything about the market value of coders relative to designers. Yes, maybe they haven’t yet realized that they should do that as well. Bu trust me, if there are enough talented developers then there will sure be enough designers.
The main thing you need for a startup is probably vision and desperation. They say that ideas don’t really matter. I hope that it’s not true, because I’m also starting my own business and I have more ideas than desperation :). Oh, well, and I’m a developer (with strong R&D background) and not a (web)designer. Another important factor to consider is that whatever your main competence is, it will be really hard not to become a generic business guy but to be able to continue to use your original skills at least in part time.
Gayle
on 24 Oct 07You’re soooo positive, which is hard to find in this embittered world of ours. I love you guys.
qwerty
on 24 Oct 07This is an interesting thread. Having said that, I like to add some words of caution. Ultimately you want an application to do something automatically. And for this you need development skills. Hence, you either need to acquire the skills or need somebody else and I see no way around this. Likewise, a developer needs to think about interfaces. Telling from own experience (advanced degree in CS) and the look and feel of the Linux GUI environment, most developers are not that too good at this and better work with somebody who deeply cares about it. To make this work, both sides have to understand each other and this is where it becomes interesting. Because at least traditionally, there isn’t too much respect for the other camp (code monkeys versus pixel pushers). Hence, finding the right people isn’t easy but once you have them, great things can happen.
Roger Wong
on 25 Oct 07Ha! I had no idea that was you with AudioFile! Being the packrat that I am I just found my email receipt from 1997 for AudioFile. I do recall that I liked the interface design and that was one of the reasons I bought the software!
Regarding the question/answer: I’m in a similar situation. I’m a designer by trade and I have all these ideas all the time. I can hack together some shitty CSS and HTML and even PHP, but anything complex, I’m useless.
Random Dude
on 25 Oct 07This has to be one of your best posts jason!
Joni
on 25 Oct 07I’m a web designer and I’ve partnered with a graphic artist and we have a hard core php programmer on standby at all times. My partner and I get along well as far as our work ethics, work habits and personalities are concerned. Instead of trying to be a one man band, I decided it best to concentrate on what I do best and find other people whom I could trust to help in areas where I’m weak. I can charge top dollar and my clients are getting the best from every angle. It’s a win-win situation. Besides that, once business picks up, someone’s gotta handle administrative and client details while others draw and code. :-)
James
on 25 Oct 07Well if you have a good idea and someone finds it useful, then you’ll probably find yourself in business.
However, if you don’t have any skills then find someone who does. As much as some people try, there is no magic software available that will let you create the next great application without knowing how to program. There’s no shame in hiring a good developer—it’s hard to find them these days, but a good one will certainly help you more than you can imagine.
Being a developer, I sometimes grimace when designers with no programming skills want to make web applications without learning anything more than a few rudimentary tutorials. I can pick up a few tubes of paint and some brushes and get the hang of painting, sure. However, if I truly want to master my art I must become intimately familiar with the medium.
“Good enough,” is what it is and I won’t knock it. I do paint and have never taken a class in my life. Will I try and make a career on it? Probably not until I know more about painting first. ;)
Good post though. As a programmer, I didn’t actually go to school for it and just grew up with it instead. However, nowadays I find myself programming for the personal interest as much as for profit (though the former is usually far more engaging). Sometimes you just fall into things—just keep you head up and be smart.
Cheers.
Brian
on 25 Oct 07Engtech beat me to the question – I was wondering what kind of design Jason was doing for his BBS. Ascii or ansi? I was in iCE for several years and ran an OBV/2 board. There is a really thorough documentary at http://www.bbsdocumentary.com/ that covers the warez, h/p/a and art scenes from the BBS days. Fascinating in many ways.
I didn’t know you could run a BBS on a Mac back then… I thought they were only for playing Oregon Trail. ;)
JF
on 25 Oct 07Brian: It was both ASCII and ANSI. Started ASCII then experimented with ANSI.
Yup, I ran the BBS off a Mac SE. There weren’t many options, but Heremes was good as far as text-based BBSes went. Then I switched to NovaLink Pro once that had a GUI client thing.
Old times.
hideto
on 28 Oct 07I’ve translated this wonderful post into Japanese. May I publish it on my blog? It will encourage many designers in Japan.
This discussion is closed.