How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time… I know a bit wrong, but hear me out. So you have an idea, but it’s big, it’s huge, it’s as complex as Facebook. How are you going to build it…. simple. One bite at a time.
Start with creating and laying out some of the pages (think wireframes). Focus on getting a proof of concept up in stages.
Grab a blank piece of paper and do the following:
Draw a line down the middle of the paper (vertically or horizontally)
Now on one side write down every feature you can think that you want.
e.g. Wall, Photo Gallery, etc.
Now on the opposite site, write down (no more than 3) features that you HAVE to have in order for someone to understand it.
For example, Facebook would need the following:
- Account/Login
- Profile Pages
- Search Profiles
With this Shell: You should be able to signup someone, create a profile page (remember KISS) and search for other people.
Now granted there are some small features that should be added like adding/removing friends, but you shouldn’t need a page for that. Just list out all of your friends on your profile and be able to click to remove them.
Okay, now look at your paper and see if you can build it or get just the shell built with little or no work. You could even do it without any computer development time just by building it in paint. (Yeah I went there).
Want more?
Simply flip the paper over and now write down each step (remember no more than 3) for each of the features. You now can prioritize your features once your done and create a simple plan of attack. You can even add a time frame to each level like a 2 week Sprint where you focus on getting each new revision done and out the door.
Good Luck!