# Designing for One

DevFeed: [Designing for One](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/designing-for-one-9447.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://joncphillips.com/designing-for-one/>)

Author: Jon C. Phillips

Published: 2026-07-05T23:45:00Z

Content type: opinion

Language: en

Sources: [Jon C. Phillips](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/jon-c-phillips.md>)

Topics: [designing for one](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/designing-for-one.md>), [Product Management](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/product-management.md>), [Software](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/software.md>), [Open Source](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/open-source.md>)

Tags: [articles](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/articles.md>), [audience-building](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/audience-building.md>), [building](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/building.md>), [code](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/code.md>), [design](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/design.md>), [designing-for-one](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/designing-for-one.md>), [digital-products](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/digital-products.md>), [music](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/music.md>), [open-source](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/open-source.md>), [photography](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/photography.md>), [product-engineering](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/product-engineering.md>), [product-management](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/product-management.md>), [side-projects](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/side-projects.md>), [software](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/software.md>), [web-development](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/web-development.md>), [workflow](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/workflow.md>)

## AI overview

"Designing for One" explores the appeal and hidden costs of building software for a single user: yourself. The article argues that this approach creates fast feedback, clear priorities, and highly opinionated products, while shortcuts around labels, instructions, and empty states become liabilities when other people start using the product.

## Source excerpt

No audience to picture and no personas on the whiteboard. There's no imagined user whose confusion you have to design around. It's just you with the problem in front of you. You have the freedom to solve it exactly the way your own brain wants it solved.