The reality of today's collaborative development environment means that anyone with an idea and some programming skill can find what tools they need online, collaborate with other designers anywhere in the world, and produce a beta version of their application faster than ever before. If you don't get it right the first time, someone will notice what you did wrong, and improve on it faster than you can say "Web 2.0".
In software, like in life, you don't get a second chance to make a first impression. So don't rush to market.
Design, Test, Simplify.
Re-design, Re-test, Simplify.
Repeat.
When a new user can download your beta, install it and use it in the first 5 minutes, you've got a winner. If that user has to search your inadequate help file, or, even worse, print out your user manual, you've lost a customer to the next RTC program that did it simpler than you did.
