top three modern product trends

#1 design as an investment #2 product decisions should be based on evidence #3 empowering small teams

@jeremyjohnson

Director of User Experience, Dallas Office

jeremy.johnson@projekt202.com

WORKED FOR

“Uncover user needs, Design great solutions,

and build to launch.”

USER EXPERIENCE?

User-centered design can be characterized as a multi-stage problem solving process that not only requires designers to analyze and foresee how users are likely to use a product, but also to test the validity of their assumptions with regard to user behavior in real world tests with actual users. Such testing is necessary as it is often very difficult for the designers of a product to understand intuitively what a first-time user of their design experiences, and what each user's learning curve may look like.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User-centered_design

User-Centered Design

The Elements of User ExperienceA basic duality: The Web was originally conceived as a hypertextual information space;but the development of increasingly sophisticated front- and back-end technologies hasfostered its use as a remote software interface. This dual nature has led to much confusion,as user experience practitioners have attempted to adapt their terminology to cases beyondthe scope of its original application. The goal of this document is to define some of theseterms within their appropriate contexts, and to clarify the underlying relationships amongthese various elements.

Jesse James Garrettjjg@jjg.net

Visual Design: graphic treatment of interfaceelements (the "look" in "look-and-feel")

Information Architecture: structural designof the information space to facilitateintuitive access to content

Interaction Design: development ofapplication flows to facilitate user tasks,defining how the user interacts withsite functionality

Navigation Design: design of interfaceelements to facilitate the user's movementthrough the information architectureInformation Design: in the Tuftean sense:designing the presentation of informationto facilitate understanding

Functional Specifications: "feature set":detailed descriptions of functionality the sitemust include in order to meet user needs

User Needs: externally derived goalsfor the site; identified through user research,ethno/techno/psychographics, etc.Site Objectives: business, creative, or otherinternally derived goals for the site

Content Requirements: definition ofcontent elements required in the sitein order to meet user needs

Interface Design: as in traditional HCI:design of interface elements to facilitateuser interaction with functionalityInformation Design: in the Tuftean sense:designing the presentation of informationto facilitate understanding

Web as software interface Web as hypertext system

Visual Design: visual treatment of text,graphic page elements and navigationalcomponents

Concrete

Abstract

time

Conception

Completion

FunctionalSpecifications

ContentRequirements

InteractionDesign

InformationArchitecture

Visual Design

Information DesignInterface Design Navigation Design

Site ObjectivesUser Needs

User Needs: externally derived goalsfor the site; identified through user research,ethno/techno/psychographics, etc.Site Objectives: business, creative, or otherinternally derived goals for the site

This picture is incomplete: The model outlined here does not account for secondary considerations (such as those arising during technical or content development)that may influence decisions during user experience development. Also, this model does not describe a development process, nor does it define roles within auser experience development team. Rather, it seeks to define the key considerations that go into the development of user experience on the Web today.

task-oriented information-oriented

30 March 2000

© 2000 Jesse James Garrett http://www.jjg.net/ia/

15 YEARSDesign Research

User Experience

Visual Design

Interaction Design

Design Thinking

User Validation

Usability

http://www.brownwebdesign.com/blog/dont-be-in-a-rush-to-be-a-specialist

http://www.inuse.se/blogg/ux-mognaden-i-sverige-2014-och-hur-du-tar-dig-till-nasta-niva-inuseful/

Companies that invest in Design perform better than those that don’t.

Trend #1

VALUE

http://blogs.hbr.org/2014/04/design-can-drive-exceptional-returns-for-shareholders/

https://twitter.com/DesignUXUI/statuses/563738777596608513

“At Nike, a large and well-resourced design function reports directly to CEO, Mark Parker, who early in his

tenure was a designer himself.”

“Using human-centered design methods, inspiration for the company’s signature products is drawn directly from its cadre of famous and not-so-

famous practicing athletes, with whom the designers directly interact to devise authentic

performance innovations and style updates.”

http://blogs.hbr.org/2014/04/design-can-drive-exceptional-returns-for-shareholders/

"The datacenter has not yet had it’s ‘iPhone moment’, but it will soon. The user interface on the iPhone transformed how we interact with mobile devices. As a company, we’re going to

make that happen in the datacenter."https://mesosphere.com/2014/12/03/mesosphere-acquires-h1-studios/

Sunday. Monday.

ROI

http://www.humanfactors.com/coolstuff/roi.asp

http://www.sapcampaigns.de/us/UX_Calculator/

Productivity | Training | Data Quality | Solution Accuracy

ROI

GETTING IN THE GAME

http://experience.sap.com/designservices/

http://experience.sap.com/designservices/approach

http://techcrunch.com/2014/10/02/adaptive-path-acquired-by-capital-one/

https://www.capitalonelabs.com/#/news

http://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/blog/morning_call/2014/11/apple-cofounder-applauds-capital-ones-new.html

http://www.ibm.com/design/?lnk=msdDS-daib-usen

http://www.ibm.com/design/?lnk=msdDS-daib-usen

“IBM Design emerges as the new standard-setter for user experience. Hundreds of designers and interface

developers start to transform the development process through deeper understanding of the people who use

IBM products and how they use them.”

http://www.ibm.com/smarterplanet/us/en/innovation_explanations/article/phil_gilbert.html

IBM Design Thinking

After the TV

Source: @kpcb @johnmaeda @heif #DesignInTechhttp://kpcb.com/design

Before the TV After the PC and Laptop

In the age of Mobile ...

Tech is no longer for Tech-ies, because Mobile is for Everybody (Right) Now

The smartphone revolution brought design’s value into the foreground. We want to do in our palm, while walking, what we used to do on a big screen while sitting down at a desk. The interaction design challenges presented by that shift are huge.

21

Source: @kpcb @johnmaeda #DesignInTechText

22

8AM 4PMonce in

the morningonce in

the evening

User Experience matters so much, because we are Experiencing so much.

A pain point can become a “pain plane” on mobile. That’s a lot of ouch.

150 unlocks = checking your phone every 5.6 minutes

one interaction, one “ouch” just two ouch points

The mobile paradigm should be thought of as “the always with you and in your face” paradigm. For that reason, a bad design will not just hurt once, but the hundreds of times you might use the bad design in a single day. That’s a lot of unnecessary “ouches.”

http://www.kpcb.com/internet-trends

Design is a cost.

To leverage design successfully in tech, don’t spray design on at the end.

B E G I N N I N G M I D D L E E N D

D E S I G N AT T H E V E R Y E N D( o r “ C O S M E T I C S U R G E R Y ” )

D E S I G N A S “ B A K E D - I N ”

$

$ $ $ $

DES I GN

Start with design, rather than just end with it. an investment.

Source: @kpcb @johnmaeda @wsj #DesignInTechhttp://blogs.wsj.com/accelerators/2014/02/21/john-maeda-three-principles-for-using-design-successfully/

13

Product decisions should be based on evidence.

(and design research is here to help you)

Trend #2

I know what to do!

We need to build X with Y features based on my years of experience here at the company!

Will you design this for me?

Sure, I’ll use this verbatim!

Will you design this for me?

*&!@*(^

Will you build this for me?

Sure, I’ll use this verbatim!

Will you design this for me?

Sure, I’ll use this verbatim!

http://www.mindtheproduct.com/

http://www.mindtheproduct.com/2014/11/leisa-reichelt-changing-organisations-to-improve-products/

“…highlights the importance of reducing the distance between the people designing the product and making decisions about them and the people who use them, through increased research and team participation in that research.”

DATA

Creating a steady stream of data.

Qualitative Quantitative

Qualitative Quantitative

Analytics

A/B Testing

Clickstream

404 Testing

Surveys “Voice of Customer”

NPS

Experian

Contextual Inquiries

Personas

Journey Maps

Workflow Diagrams

Affinity Diagramming

Validation Testing

Usability Testing

Qualitative Quantitative

Analytics

A/B Testing

Clickstream

404 Testing

Surveys “Voice of Customer”

NPS

Experian

Contextual Inquiries

Personas

Journey Maps

Workflow Diagrams

Affinity Diagramming

Validation Testing

Usability Testing

Quantitative

Analytics

A/B Testing

Clickstream

404 Testing

Surveys “Voice of Customer”

NPS

Experian

Insights & Opportunities

Data Analysis

Revealing RealityObserve to understand

Contextual InquiriesStakeholder Interviews

We observe your users in their “habitats,” whether that’s an office, a home, or a shopping mall. We have a proven methodology that uncovers what drives your users, so we can create innovation that fits their lives.

“I read a user manual once”

“I’ve watched some videos”

“I’ve sat with actual users”

“I read the Marketing Research”

“I once had that job” “I’ve had users in the lab”

http://www.nngroup.com/articles/ux-without-user-research/

User experience cannot exist without users. Creating user interfaces involves intricate and complex decisions. User research is a tool that can help you achieve your goals.

Even the most well thought out designs are assumptions until they are tested by real users. Different types of research can answer different types of questions. Know the tools and apply them accordingly. Leaving the user out is not an option.

UX - U = X

http://blogs.wsj.com/accelerators/2014/02/19/braden-kowitz-why-you-should-listen-to-the-customer/

“Investing in user research is just about the only way to consistently generate a rich stream of data about customer needs and behaviors. As a designer, I can’t live without it. And as data about customers flows through your team, it informs product managers, engineers, and just about everyone else. It forms the foundation of intuitive designs, indispensable products, and successful companies. So what are you waiting for? Go listen to your customers!”

- Ventures

http://www.gv.com/sprint/

“Meeting ever-increasing consumer expectations requires senior executives to place design at the center of business strategy.”

“What a user-centered approach enables companies to do is to take insights into the consumer decision journey and the marketplace and convert them into products and services customers actually want… In the new competitive marketplace, designing “usable” is just table stakes. Customers now expect products and services to be not only usable but also useful and desirable.”

http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/marketing_sales/what_every_executive_needs_to_know_about_design

“Users should be a part of the design process from the very beginning to help validate concepts and refine final direction. Your team needs to be open to experimenting and taking risks and then quickly learning and iterating…”

http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/marketing_sales/what_every_executive_needs_to_know_about_design

“A success indicator for an entrepreneur is not about how hard you work, it's about how well you know your customers”

- Ben Horowitz

http://designmind.frogdesign.com/blog/sxsw-lean-startup-for-big-brands.html

SXSW: Lean Startup for Big Brands

“…In actuality, there is never a guarantee that customers are going to get excited when a new product is brought to market. In our work, we employ a number of tools to eliminate that

uncertainty as much as possible, often through consumer research or validation testing…”

“…while a startup has nowhere to go but up, known companies risk brand erosion with the release of a

substandard product to the market. We encourage clients to distill innovations to the most valuable, tangible, and

deliverable attributes for initial launch but not to compromise on the intended experience…

…Overtime, the company can add features and functionality, but the overall experience begins and

remains excellent.”http://designmind.frogdesign.com/blog/sxsw-lean-startup-for-big-brands.html

“I can launch this app in three

months”

“This solution will launch in 18 months”vs.

Opportunities Matrix Personas Scenario Design

Journey Maps Contextual Inquiries KANO Study

A/B Testing Concept Validation Prototyping

Matrix

Concept

“The company, for example, did a study of 8,292 people in eight cities, examining morning routines.”

“With this data in hand, Ikea came up with a freestanding mirror that has a rack on the back for hanging clothes and

jewelry. The Knapper…”

“Even surveying 8,292 people doesn’t always get you the right answer. The problem is that people lie. Ydholm puts it more delicately. “Sometimes we are not aware about how we

behave,” he says, “and therefore we can say things that maybe are not the reality. Or it could be that we consciously or

unconsciously express something because we want to stand out as a better person. That’s very human to do it like that.””

http://fortune.com/ikea-world-domination/

I have some ideas… But I need to validate them with our users so that I can make an

informed decision.

Small, autonomous product teams can really get your

organization moving.

Trend #3

AGILE

“Agile methods like Scrum and XP both rely on a close and collaborative relationship and continual interaction with the customer – the people who are paying for the software and who are going to use the system.”

http://swreflections.blogspot.com/2012/02/agiles-customer-problem.html

http://scaledagileframework.com/ux

http://scaledagileframework.com/ux

http://scaledagileframework.com/ux

“…a small, centralized UX design team who provides the basic design standards and

preliminary mock-ups for each UI, but the teams have team-based UX implementation experts for

the implementation.”

“…methodologies like Scrum — have no mechanism for determining if they’re building the right feature and whether that implementation is designed well and/or

worth improving.”

http://www.jeffgothelf.com/blog/agile-doesnt-have-a-brain/

MVP

“MVP should be a polished slice of your experience, that meets the basic

needs of your customers.

By launching you’ll learn what they do with your product - and use that

learning to prioritize enhancements going forward”

TEAMS

Co-Located, autonomous, metrics driven

A throwback to their days with Jeff Bezos at Amazon, projects are assigned to "two pizza teams," groups of engineers small enough for them to be fed on two large pies. "We want the team to be flat and allow everyone to communicate with each other," Rajaraman says.

http://www.fastcompany.com/1811934/walmartlabs-brings-two-pizza-team-startup-culture-walmart-empire

Designers Developers

Product Owner (mini-CEO)

Project Manager

# of developers

# of UX designers

# of developers

# of UX designers

# of developers

# of UX designers

https://twitter.com/jjg/status/565613568314572801

Devs rather write good code.

Devs like Designers after they get their first taste.

Shipping Software Based on Priority to achieve metrics

To the Right Customers To Meet their Goals.

Research what to

build…

Learn from

Shipping…

“Center of Excellence”

UX Leadership Research

Enterprise Design Language

METRICS

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-01-10/how-ihops-new-menu-design-gets-customers-to-spend-more

http://www.slideshare.net/jysimon/product-tankparis-jysimon16may2013

Sign-up Abandonment

Getting First Task

Repeat Usage

Duration in App

Conversion

Traffic

“fail fast” is actually better framed as “experiment fast.” The most effective innovators succeed through experimentation.

http://www.uxbooth.com/articles/fail-fast-fail-often-an-interview-with-victor-lombardi/

- Victor Lombardi

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freeman_Dyson

Freeman Dyson

Freeman John Dyson FRS is an English American theoretical physicist and

mathematician, famous for his work in quantum electrodynamics, solid-state physics,

astronomy and nuclear engineering.

“Say something about failure in experiments or businesses or anything else.

What's the value of failure?”

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/6.02/dyson.html?pg=7&topic=

1998

“You can't possibly get a good technology going without an

enormous number of failures. It's a universal rule. If you look at

bicycles, there were thousands of weird models built and tried before

they found the one that really worked. You could never design a

bicycle theoretically. Even now, after we've been building them for 100

years, it's very difficult to understand just why a bicycle works - it's even

difficult to formulate it as a mathematical problem. But just by trial and error, we found out how to

do it, and the error was essential. The same is true of airplanes.”

“So you're saying just go ahead and try stuff and you'll sort out the right way.”

“That's what nature did. And it's almost always true in technology. That's why computers never

really took off until they built them small.”

“Why is small good?”

“Because it's cheaper and faster, and you can make many more. Speed is the most important

thing - to be able to try something out on a small scale quickly.”

“Fail fast.”

“Yes. These big projects are guaranteed to fail because you never have time to fix everything.”

1998

“fail fast” is actually better framed as “experiment fast.” The most effective innovators succeed through experimentation.

http://www.uxbooth.com/articles/fail-fast-fail-often-an-interview-with-victor-lombardi/

- Victor Lombardi

Design is an investment, and has proven success

Product decisions should be based on evidence

Small teams should work together to improve metrics

How to start…

1. Determine a product-market fit by seeking signals from communities of users.

2. Identify behavioral insights by conducting ethnographic research.

3. Sketch a product strategy by synthesizing complex research data into simple insights.

4. Polish the product details using visual representations to simplify complex ideas.

““Before we deal with world domination, let’s back up.” I help people walk back up the ladder to get to: Who’s the user? What problem are you solving for the user? Does your proposed solution actually solve that problem—

and how can you answer that? Then, how can you answer that faster?”

http://how.co/the-right-questions-to-ask-before-you-build-software/

People + Technology

Insights & Opportunities

Data Analysis

Revealing RealityObserve to understand

Contextual InquiriesStakeholder Interviews

We observe your users in their “habitats,” whether that’s an office, a home, or a shopping mall. We have a proven methodology that uncovers what drives your users, so we can create innovation that fits their lives.

GenerateNew Concepts

User-ValidatedConcept

Validate Concepts with Users

We put insights into action, developing concepts for innovation based on what we understand about your audience. We create a grounded vision for the product and design principles to guide it through the process of being designed and built.

Focused InnovationBring the solution into focus

1

Building & EvolvingDesign & develop user-centered software

Launch

Analytics &Digital Marketing

Development Testing

IterativeReleases

User Stories

Our cross-functional team of designers and developers works together to iteratively design, build, test, and validate features that scale and evolve to meet tomorrow's challenges.

Design

http://poetpainter.com/

Functional (Useful)

Reliable

Usable

Convenient

Pleasurable

Meaning

http://poetpainter.com/

Functional (Useful)

Reliable

Usable

Convenient

Pleasurable

Meaning

http://poetpainter.com/

Functional (Useful)

Reliable

Usable

Convenient

Pleasurable

Meaning

Experience Driven

Technology Driven

KEY TAKEAWAYS

“The software design and development

process has changed for the better”

“Getting everything right the first time, is hard.”

“UX is a robust methodology, while

relatively new, is tested with success”

“You don’t really know your

customers as well as you think you do…”

“User Experience has a large number of

methods to help create empathy and data for

products teams”

“Empathy and understanding of users is key in product success”

“If you’re launching twelve months from now, and are not involving your

customer, that’s a big gamble…”

“Software is always evolving, and a mix of qualitative research, market research, and

analytics are needed to improve and prioritize.”

“Talking with one user* is better than talking

with no users.”

“A well-made product is not enough. A successful product must meet the needs and aspirations of its users” IDC Report Building Experience-Driven software: Insights for Modern Application Development