Get Out Of The Monkey House

When you design yourself into a corner, you can get yourself out!

Transcript

1. A  Fresh  Outlook  Helps  Everything  
   GET OUT OF THE MONKEY HOUSE
   

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2. Mika Ariela Epstein (aka Ipstenu)
   DreamHost WordPress Guru
   WordPress.org ….
   •   forum  rep  for  2012  and  2013  
   •   Plugin  Review  Team  volunteer  
   •   core  contributor  
    
   WHO AM I?
    
    
   

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3. The Monkey House?
   “I  have  this  refrain  about  the  monkey  house  at  the  zoo.  
   When  you  Hirst  enter  into  the  monkey  house  at  the  zoo,  you  
   think,  ‘Oh  my  god  this  place  stinks!’  And  then  after  you’re  
   there  for  20  minutes  you  think,  ‘it’s  not  so  bad’  and  after  
   you’re  there  for  an  hour  it  doesn’t  smell  at  all.  And  anyone  
   entering  the  monkey  house  freshly  thinks,  ‘this  stinks!’
   You’ve  been  living  in  the  monkey  house.”  
    
   -­‐-­‐  Tim  Gunn  -­‐  Project  Runway  
    
   

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4. WHAT IS DESIGN?
   

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5. NOT “JUST” A PRETTY FACE
   •  The  Plan  
   •  The  Look  
   •  The  Feel  
   •  The  Goal  
   

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6. Who Do You Design For?
   

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7. •  Where  do  I  log  in?  
   •  Where  do  I  comment?  
   •  Where  can  I  download?  
   •  Where  is  ANYTHING?  
   •  I  don’t  know  where  to  go!  
   If You Don’t Know…
   Users  Will  Complain   “Oh  dear.”  
   

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8. … Annoying Things Happen
   •  You’re  wasting  time  answering  ‘obvious’  questions  
   •  People  are  commenting  in  the  ‘wrong’  place  
   •  Your  visits  are  dropping  
   

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9. It’s The Monkey House
   

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10. I’m Designing For…
    Someone  Else   Me,  Myself,  and  I  
    

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11. WHO AND WHAT YOU DESIGN FOR
    

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12. DESIGN SHOULD BE …
    •  Intuitive  
    •  Logical  
    •  Memorable  
    •  Relatable  
    

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13. Intuition
    

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14. OH, DEAR…
    New  visitors  should  Hind  
    ‘things’  easily  
     
    Similar  sites  should  
    operate  similarly  
     
    Users  will  create  their  own  
    paths  
    

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15. Logical
    

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16. MAKE IT WORK
     
    Form  Follows  Function  
     
     
    Interfaces  should  be  predictable  
     
     
    Be  Consistent  
    

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17. Memorable
    

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18. WOW THE JUDGES
     
    “I  remember  where  FOO  is!”  
     
     
    “This  looks  familiar…”  
     
     
    “I  love  the  look!”  
    

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19. Relatable
    

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20. FIND BALANCE
     
    “Oh,  this  is  like…”  
     
     
    Familiarity  breeds  usability  
     
     
    Comparisons  are  okay  
    

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21. WHAT ELSE CAN I DO?
    People  love  my  site!  
    

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22. •  Log  out  and  visit  your  site  
    •  Pretend  you’re  new  
    •  Get  someone  new  to  test  
    •  Be  hard  on  yourself  
    Go Visit The Monkey House
    

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23. Sometimes Wrong is Right
    

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24. You’re The Designer, She is the model
    •  Who  are  you  designing  
    for?  
    •  Who  should  like  it?  
    •  Who  should  love  it?  
    

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25. •  Stand  behind  your  work  
    •  Don’t  make  excuses  
    •  Be  proud  (even  if  you  
    make  mistakes)  
    •  Be  bold  
    •  Listen  to  advice  (even  if  
    you  don’t  take  it)  
    Like Your Site
    

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26. Be Aware Of Change
    •  Returning  visitors  get  lost  
    •  Visitors  lose  interest  
    •  They  leave  
    

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27. Be Unique
    

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28. Any  Questions?  
    Auf Wiedersehen
    

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