No. 07 Dogfooding

The team uses its own product, every day, like a real customer.

So they hit the annoying stuff first & fix it before you ever have to.

Use your own app for a week. Write down every “ugh.”

In 1988, Microsoft manager Paul Maritz emailed a colleague: “Eating our own Dogfood.” Translation: use our own product.

Earlier claimants: actor Lorne Greene said in Alpo ads he fed it to his own dogs. Plus, a Kal Kan boss supposedly ate a can at shareholder meetings. Nobody has the receipts.

• Warren Harrison, “Eating Your Own Dog Food,” IEEE Software (2006)
• Wikipedia, “Eating your own dog food” (Maritz email, 1988)

Save this for the next time an app asks you to rate it. Again.