UseCase.org | Finding design resources for new product concepts

What is the process you use for finding references and inspiration for great product and design ideas? What are some of your favorite sites?

Transcript

1. Question of the week What is the process you use for finding references and inspiration for great product and design ideas? What are some of your favorite sites? Submitted by: Anonymous Product Manager at Keaton Row Perspectives from Jay Melone Sarah Judd Welch THE PRODUCT COMMUNITY Mona Patel Sean Echevarria Vivek Bedi Eric D Kroll
2. Read more best practices on Usecase.org Sarah is the CEO / Head of Community Design of Loyal. She leads strategy for client projects, manages business operations, and thinks about the future of community as a business function. SARAH JUDD WELCH Sarah’s Perspective It's really difficult to find inspiration for specific designs, functions and features in the moment, so I find that it's best to bookmark and categorize interesting things along the way so that I can look them up when in need.
3. Mona is the CEO & Founder of Motivate Design, a UX-led agency based in New York City. She recently released an Amazon Bestseller, Reframe: Shift the way you work, innovate and think. MONA PATEL Mona’s Perspective The first place I look to for reference and inspiration is at my company, Motivate Design. I'm lucky to be surrounded by smart, creative, and collaborative individuals every day. My favorite sites include: Designspiration; Dribbble for UX: Behance for identity design. Read more best practices on Usecase.org
4. Jay runs a digital design agency called New Haircut. His applied background is in product design and UX, along with a host of previous tech roles. JAY MELONE Jay’s Perspective Context is really important when thinking about the experience you're designing for. Is this consumer or enterprise? Who is the customer/user? What process are they completing? If it's a social activity, you might be looking at Facebook and Twitter, or more direct collaboration within products like InVision or JustinMind. If you're evaluating purchasing behavior, you could look at Amazon and Jet, or directly at the processors behind them such as Stripe and Square. We also do lots of searches within Pinterest. You often don't have the interaction dimension there but can glean plenty re: art direction, mood, flow. Read more best practices on Usecase.org
5. Sean is the Co-Founder and Organizer of The UX Lab, one of the largest user experience Meetups in NYC. He is a Modern Guild mentor and is often found drinking coffee or beer with hopeful entrepreneurs offering advice and feedback on their products/services. He is currently the Marketing Manager at Motivate Design, a UX-led innovation agency that is changing the way companies communicate with their customers. SEAN ECHEVARRIA Sean’s Perspective Inspiration can come from anywhere at anytime, and sometimes you can't force it. However, as part of a weekly routine I make a habit of checking in on what's being created and what's being acquired. From a creation standpoint there are a bunch of new products constantly making themselves available on outlets such as ProductHunt and BetaList. Both are constant sources of inspiration and show very unique ways of adding functionality through clever features/products never thought of before. Because I'm an avid user of both, I have a relatively good pulse on the startup community, but also use other sites to draw design inspiration for any projects we might be working on internally. There are obvious ones that curate the best portfolios for you such as Behance and Dribble, but lesser known ones like One Page Love can provide great ideas on how to make your landing pages more engaging and user-friendly. The reason why I care about what's being acquired is because nowadays technology makes it so easy to launch an idea but in order to validate it and prove its a sustainable business you have to be at a level where you're either turning down offers or accepting acquisition terms. This also gives you a better idea of what the trends are and what other companies are investing in so you can stay a competitor in your space. For this I get daily updates from Owler, which I've found to be very useful and succinct. Read more best practices on Usecase.org
6. Passionate leader with extensive experience leading global adoption and expansion across the areas of technology, product management, sales, marketing, and operations. Drove transformational and organizational evolution with keen focus on clients, innovation, operational efficiency, and fostering an engaging team culture. VIVEK BEDI Vivek’s Perspective I primarily love reading blogs. I think while theoretical pieces are great the best ideas come from blogs of product managers, UX designers, and inspirational leaders. Some of my favorites are Ken Norton (http://www.kennorton.com/), http://www.mindtheproduct.co m/, Ted Talks, and http://streetsmartproductmanager.com/. Read more best practices on Usecase.org
7. Catalyst - helping businesses, ideas, & people reach their potential. ERIC D KROLL Eric’s Perspective Most inspiration comes from every day life, walking around and observing. I know others who get inspiration during a run or even in the bathroom! It's hard to just sit down and attempt to have inspiration; it usually just flows from being relaxed, open minded, and however you get creative juices flowing. It helps if you've already thought about some particular needs or criteria (from the client or internally discussed). Favorite sites don't have much relevance here for me. Read more best practices on Usecase.org
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