Sometimes a blank canvas is not a good thing. Twitter invented something entirely defined by its constraints.
The process of negotiating, defining and developing an "prototype" between a client and a freelance developer is hard, for both sides. Often, neither are skilled at managing the process.
Once you limit some aspect of the project, you can adjust the other aspects around the limitation and everything becomes simpler. It's a lot easier to scope a project when the scope needs to fit in a $3500 budget. Simplifying negotiations and decision making could be a big win. Choosing a developer by looking at a portfolio is a lot easier when the scope budgets are the same.
I wonder if this idea could usefully be applied to something outside of software. How about a $3500 (or whatever) custom kitchen.
For me, I use a one-hour skype session to talk every potential client "down off the ceiling". We discuss their idea, and then work together to define a scope I can do for $5,000 in 4 weeks (this is the service I offer at http://builtFromIdeas.com )
Could you go into more detail about how you deal with the initial stages? What if the client wants more, eg. "without this feature it doesn't make sense", etc. Thanks in advance.
The process of negotiating, defining and developing an "prototype" between a client and a freelance developer is hard, for both sides. Often, neither are skilled at managing the process.
Once you limit some aspect of the project, you can adjust the other aspects around the limitation and everything becomes simpler. It's a lot easier to scope a project when the scope needs to fit in a $3500 budget. Simplifying negotiations and decision making could be a big win. Choosing a developer by looking at a portfolio is a lot easier when the scope budgets are the same.
I wonder if this idea could usefully be applied to something outside of software. How about a $3500 (or whatever) custom kitchen.