When I rolled out the first beta version of PageFour over two months ago, I was convinced that the only changes I would need to make before releasing the full product would be a few minor bug fixes. I could not have been more wrong.

Like so many software designers before me, I made the fatal mistake of assuming I knew what was best. I assumed that because I had decided particular features were important, my potential market would feel the same; that because I felt something was acceptable in its current form, everyone else would agree; that because I worked in a certain way, so too would the thousands of writers out there who I was writing PageFour for.

In retrospect, I can see how my first beta release was more about testing the idea behind the product, than testing the product itself.

I’ll be honest - it threw me just a little at first. But I took it on the chin, went back to the drawing board, and made many of the major structural changes that were suggested. The end result was a first release that was far superior to the version I had planned.

An idea in isolation is just an idea - it needs refining before it can become anything substantial. Developing an idea into a product for use by other people cannot succeed without the input and knowledge of those people.

Version 1.2 of PageFour is due for release in four weeks. It contains many of the suggested enhancements from the previous beta run not yet incorporated; enhancements that mark a significant improvement in the product.

The beta version of 1.2 will be released next weekend. This time around, I can’t wait for the feedback.