[rndmize]

I think this is mostly bull, frankly. No matter how easy things get, most startups are meant to solve some kind of problem and they employ technical means to do so. You're never going to get rid of the need for a technical guy, no matter how things change.

The second most useful person is probably going to be a hustler/salesman/guy who knows people, who can get the product attention, or investment, or customers, or all three.

The designer comes in a pretty far third. Good design just isn't critical at early stages for most. And if you really want it, it can probably be contracted, in a way the first two roles never can. Finally, if talking to investors, guy #1 can show you a product or demo; guy #2 can show traction or social proof; what can the designer show?

[dictum]

>And if you really want it, it can probably be contracted, in a way the first two roles never can.

HN (rightly) bashes "idea guys", but there is really only one thing in a startup that cannot be contracted: what the startup is trying to do or achieve.

Design for a startup can be contracted in the same way software engineering can be contracted. That is to say: you will get reasonably good results if you find a good contractor who is a good fit for the project, but it will not be the same as having an employee fully dedicated to create a great product, analyze the market's reaction to the product as it is developed and marketed and adjust the design/the technology to the market's needs and expectations.

If you can contract a designer (and not hire one), you can contract a developer too. Results will be mixed.

[seanmcdirmid]

This is right: outsourcing design is just like outsourcing development; do it if its not at the core contempancy of your startup. Game startups almost always have design talent in founder roles for this reason. A lot of novel app companies have at the very least design-gineers in founding roles, if not full time designers.