Getting Real is the business, design, programming, and marketing philosophies of 37signals — a developer of web-based software used by over 1 million people and businesses in 70 countries.

Who's this book for?

Anyone working on a web app — including entrepreneurs, designers, programmers, executives, or marketers — will find value, fresh perspectives, and inspiration in this practical book.

Why is the book relevant?

37signals used the unconventional Getting Real process to launch five successful web-based applications (Basecamp, Campfire, Backpack, Writeboard, Ta-da List), and Ruby on Rails, an open-source web application framework, in just two years with no funding, no debt, and only 7 people.

I found the people insisting on extensive requirements documents before starting any design were really 'blockers' just trying to slow the process down (and usually people with nothing to contribute on design or innovative thinking).

All our best work was done with a few concepts in our heads about improving a site, doing a quick prototype (static), changing the design a bit and then building a live prototype with real data. After kicking the tires on this prototype, we usually had a real project in motion and good result.

—Mark Gallagher, corporate intranet developer (from Signal vs. Noise)

At under 200 pages it's quick reading too. Makes a great airplane book. Best of all, it's completely free to read online!