Urekalabs - Manifesto
slideshow for pictures

When we sat down and started envisioning on how and what we want/hope the company’s ’soul’ to be, we were very much influenced with this group of people and this bunch as well who authored this to name a few. So we came up with our own manifesto (any similarities to these brilliant people and their works are purely unintentional… everyone needs role models right?…)
We also believe that our manifesto is not set in stone. It is a dynamic document that is built on the collective agreement (sometimes emotions) of the UrekaLabs family (read: it changes and grows when all of us feel it’s right).

UrekaLabs Manifesto

Guidance to live by in the UrekaLabs family.

On Designing and Creating

1. Scratch your Own Itch
Build solutions/software that solves your own problem. Then you start caring about the solution.

2. Find a Villain. Be the Hero.
Sometimes the best way to know what your app should be is to know what it shouldn’t be. Figure out your app’s enemy (the key problem you’re trying to resolve, the vision.) and you’ll shine a light on where you need to go. Scream out the Vision! Always remember the Villain.

3. We don’t have “Users” or “Accounts”. We Interact with “People”.
We design solutions that make real people’s lives easier. We don’t see them as users or accounts or customers. We see them as people. They’re your spouse, parents, friends, that dude in the train. They’re real PEOPLE like you and me.

4. Our solution works for people who don’t even know how to program the VCR
Make it easy for them. (We know the metaphor is old and antiquated, but it still works… Dude!)

5. Less is King!
Build Less: Less CODE, Less FEATURES, Less OPTIONS/PREFERENCES, less people/corporate structure, less MEETINGS and abstractions.

6. Just say NO!
“[Innovation] comes from saying no to 1,000 things to make sure we don’t get on the wrong track or try to do too much. We’re always thinking about new markets we could enter, but it’s only by saying no that you can concentrate on the things that are really important.” - Steve Jobs, CEO, Apple

7. Businesses are not People.
Businesses/Corporations do not use the web. People in the businesses do. We design solutions that work for the person on the other end.

8. Usefulness over Usability.
“Usability is always secondary. It’s never the most important thing about an experience. I will accept poor usability if I get what I need, if the total experience is great. I will reject perfect usability if I am not rewarded with a useful, engaging experience.” - Donald Norman, author “The design of Everyday Things”

9. Simplicity over Coolness.
We love “cool” as much as the next person, but we also realize that part of our job is to make people’s lives easier, not harder. But if it works, Coolness rule!

10. Eight Seconds and 5-Clicks rule.
Remember the eight-second rule. People have eight seconds worth of patience while waiting for your app to load. (We will push for 5 seconds or less) People will also loose interest if it takes them more than 5-clicks to get what they want. (Our solution have a “5 clicks or less” mantra)

11. Tell a story. Make it short.
We don’t speak techie jargons when explaining things. We tell a story. The shorter the better.

12. Trends are Frogs.
Trends are like frogs in a science lab. You need to dissect it and see what makes it tick. Trends are temporary. Don’t just do something because everyone else is doing it – do something because it makes sense.

On Hiring and Staffing

13. Be a Cow. Find the Cow. Hire the Cow. Not the Milker.
“If you were a dairy farmer, would you employ twice as many milkers as you had cows?” - David Ogilvy

14. Occam’s Razor.
One should not increase, beyond what is necessary, the number of entities required to explain anything.

15. Constraints force creativity
“Run on limited resources and you’ll be forced to reckon with constraints earlier and more intensely. And that’s a good thing. Constraints drive innovation.” – 37Signals on “Getting Real”
Be agile, be nimble, be anti-mass!

On Operations and other Stuff

16. Fix Time and Budget, Flex Scope
“Scope down. It’s better to make half a product than a half-assed product.” - 37Signals on “Getting Real”

17. Do It Only at the Bridge.
It’s a problem only when it’s a problem. Don’t waste time on problems that you don’t have yet (scalability issues etc.). Cross the bridge only when you get there.

18. Embrace Change, Expect Failure, Demand Success
Business Plans and Business Models changes. It’s always a process of iterations. Fail Fast, Fail Often to Find Success