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PROJECT GOAL
Build and create the defacto software business for website development. Success
was to be measured by satisfied customers, revenue and being the best-of-class product. PROJECT BACKGROUND
During the early period of the Internet boom, design development tools for
building websites were scarce and limiting. Tools then, required designers
to learn HTML coding and programming. In 1995, We had an opportunity to develop
a website authoring tool for the ”technically challenged“—an
application that works and behaves like desktop publishing software. This
is a case study
about being a participant of a Silicon Valley start-up from its founding.
Founded in November 1995, NetObjects, Inc. was initially a privately held
company funded by IBM, Norwest Venture Capital, Venrock Associates and other
private investors. The company brought together a unique fusion of design,
technology and business expertise derived from the experience of its founders.
Fusion 1.0 PC and Mac releases were received by reviewers and customers with ”product-of-the-year“ accolades.
For a period of time between 1996 and 1997, NetObjects Fusion was the cross-platform
design and development tool of choice. STEP SUMMARY
Step 1–4: What products we wanted to create, what markets to go after and the
kind of company we wanted to be were decisions debated and crafted by the
group of founders. Our roles and responsibilities of leading and building
teams became clear when we had to create the investment pitch to the VCs.
Step 5: Many of the design development needs came out of running paper prototype
ideas with web developers at Studio Archetype. The learnings and insights were
gleamed from informal interviews.
Step 6–8: This was done by hiring interface designers, database engineers,
web developer experts and program managers on staff.
Step 9: This was a collaboration between the internal product engineering,
marketing and design teams. The founders functioned as mediators.
Step 10–12: Managed and lead by marketing and the design team, advertising,
collateral and packaging execution were all outsourced with advertising, PR
and design partner firms.
Steps for this project:
  
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