New media users continued… Getting user input: Channel 4

Building your company's website without getting user feedback is like buying a bathing suit without getting a second opinion: the results could be ugly. As the head of Channel4.com - and former business manager of the Online Services Group at Microsoft UK - Richard Davidson-Houston stresses the importance of getting to know your website's users: 'Focusing on customers online isn't to do with competitive advantage, as it might be in some classic business. It's actually a prerequisite for survival - it's mandatory.'