From there, Paul Buchheit iterated his way to 100 people who loved the product.

“The whole thing was just iterating, step by step trying to build something that made people happy.”

The team decided that they needed to have 100 happy users before launching Gmail to the world.

To achieve this, Paul embedded a quick questionnaire in the interface that asked users:

“Are you happy? Yes or No”

Paul would then seek out all of the “No” responders and ask them directly:“ What will it take to make you a happy user?”

He worked on those requests one by one until he hit 100 happy users.

It isn't about being right out of the gate...it's about getting it right over time.

Paul Buchheit didn't wait for a perfect product; instead, they launched a basic version of Gmail quickly and focused on gathering user feedback.

Building a successful product involves a continuous cycle of learning from users and iterating toward a solution that truly meets their needs.