[Martha Stewart via Seattle Times] Take off your shoes and step into your customers’ shoes for a while. Ask yourself, "Is there a use for my idea in her life?"

It’s pretty rare that you’ll see a quote from Martha Stewart here on Furrygoat.com, however I really thought she touched upon some interesting points in Sunday’s Seattle Times that relate to software and the ‘user experience’.

I really think most software today suffers from a common problem: developers write software for themselves, rather than focusing on the needs of the end user. The next time you’re working on a piece of software, keep Martha’s ’second’ rule in mind: Is your idea simple for you to develop and simple for customers to understand?