Before You Code: Full eBook and Workbook Bundle

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BEFORE YOU CODE: Validate Your Idea, Build a Better Product, and Plan Your Way to Success

by Heather O'Neill and Jen Kramer

Foreword by Sarah Doody

Your idea is going to be BIG. You just know it. But before you hire your favorite developer to go build it, take a step back. Creating a brand-new product is a risk; many of them fail within their first year. Is there a proven way to set yourself up for success?

Yes! All it takes is some preparation. By taking the time to do upfront validation, planning and iterating before you build, you can avoid ideas that flop and create a product that exceeds expectations.

Suitable for No-Coders and Coders

While we wrote this book with a coding audience in mind, no-coders are not excluded. The book focuses on planning your strategy and your product, NOT planning your code or your data structure. All materials are relevant and applicable for a no-code audience.

Plan your product's success – from start to finish

Before You Code covers every area of planning you need to create a viable, profitable product every time.

Business & Project Strategy
Start with the basics – how will you achieve company and product goals?
Research & Personas
Get informed – who's in your space now and what do your customers expect and need?
Design & Content Creation
Design intentionally – what's the best flow, structure, and messaging for your product?
Test & Measure
Iterate – what problems can you solve before coding to improve your product?

Execute each lesson using the accompanying editable PDF workbook

As you read each lesson in the book, you'll have a fully editable PDF workbook to plan your own projects. The workbook is essential; it is full of activities and guidance for implementing at every step.

I want this!

Table of Contents: Here's what's inside the book

1. Understand Your Business

To determine whether your product is going to succeed, you need to understand what the business is trying to do, and then use that to inform decisions about your product.

2. Plan Your Projects

Organizing your projects will save you from distractions and keep you focused on the end goal.

3. Conduct Your Research

The best way to succeed is to understand your different audiences through research.

4. Define Your Audience

Put that data into a useful, helpful format to keep your team honest and help you make smart product, design, and workflow decisions.

5. Establish Your Brand

Branding is all about perception, so it’s important to build your brand intentionally rather than letting it happen by chance.

6. Craft Your Content

The words, images, icons, videos, language, and graphics you use need just as much consideration as the workflows and design of your product.

7. Organize Your Information

How do you structure a new product or website? What flows make sense? How should you organize your navigation? What should you include (or exclude)?

8. Create Your Wireframes

Put it all together by sketching out some wireframes. No design knowledge needed – just grab a Sharpie and some blank paper.

9. Test Your Interactions

How do you know if your decisions are the right ones? Test them with real or potential users.

10. Measure Your Impact

Track patterns and measure your results with the hard numbers of your business.

11. Analyze Your Results

The jury is in; you have feedback and data! Now it’s time to analyze, prioritize, and make some changes.