Lead architect actively sought strong voices that would put him 'through the wringer'

Sony needed strong criticism during its initial meetings with developers about PlayStation 4 hardware, the console’s lead architect Mark Cerny has said.
Cerny spoke to more than 30 teams worldwide during his preliminary discussions with developers about Sony’s next console. Speaking to Develop, he said that the first barrier to overcome was breaking through the niceties in a platform holder-developer conversation.

“The big issue for me was that you are coming forward from SCE and you are asking them about the things that never would have been asked before in the history of the company,” said Cerny.
“The first response you get when you ask for feedback is very nice and developers say what they think you want to hear to foster the relationship. [SCEA dev relations chief] Adam Boyes calls that ‘tea and crumpets’. But it if it’s tea and crumpets it doesn’t actually help.
“So I found that the groups I would tend to go visit the most were the groups where I would have a group of people on the other side of the table with very strong opinions. They would say what was right, what was wrong, and what needed doing. I was actively seeking out the groups who would put me through the wringer the most over the design.”

http://www.develop-online.net/news/4...pre-production