"Understanding the user experience isn't new. However, because it's linked to innovation and innovation is now an important corporate objective, its value has increased. Now organizations realize they have to study how users currently experience their products and service. From this, they derive insights into how to make improvements and those improvements go into the design the teams aspire to achieve."
Jared Spool
Innovation is the New Black, UIE.com
"Explicitly define the one-point vision for your app. What does your app stand for? What's it really all about? Before you start designing or coding anything you need to know the purpose of your product — the vision. Think big. Why does it exist? What makes it different than other similar products? This vision will guide your decisions and keep you on a consistent path. Whenever there's a sticking point, ask, 'Are we staying true to the vision?' "
37signals
Getting Real