I cannot begin to express how much this made me think. In preparation for my own launch coming up, I'm looking at it and wondering why I've spent so much time of Minimum Viable Product when the personality just won't cut it. The guys at Hipmunk posted something to this affect a while ago, but it didn't have the weight of this.
But how does one launch a product with a personality? As a developer, not a designer, I'm at a loss...
I think it has to develop. You can't slap it on like it's a feature, because authenticity is one of the most important components of personality/voice.
I basically try to avoid squashing the personality. Just by not thinking like a PHB, or a corporate manager, I seem to avoid being bland. And I try to have fun as I'm developing something.
Also, its better to be personal than impersonal (contrary to what I was taught about writing essays).
Was it something I wrote, I presume? I'd love to know what and how to improve it. I'm working on an e-book about Making Something People Love based on a class I've been teaching that hits a lot of what was in this post.
But how does one launch a product with a personality? As a developer, not a designer, I'm at a loss...