Design @ Startups

A quick slide deck from a talk given at the July Rochester Tech Startups roundtable at the RIT Center for Student Innovation.

I discussed why design is important, the trinity of startup founder roles, and the red flags & challenges when recruiting design-oriented co-founders.

Transcript

1. DESIGN @ STARTUPS Nathan Henderson - @nathos Rochester Tech Startups - 7/25/2012
2. WHY DESIGN? • Design is how it works • If you’re building it, you’re designing it • Companies that design (and care about design), win…big. • DESIGN IS HOW IT WORKS
3. WHO ARE YOU? Engineering Design Business Your Startup
4. WHO ARE YOU? Design Engineering Business
5. WHO ARE YOU? Your Product or Service Equally important roles regardless of how many founders
6. RED FLAGS • “I just need someone to build it” • “I need someone who knows XYZ technology & uses XYZ so ware” • “Let’s get to MVP, we can worry about design later” • “It’s like a gami ed social Etsy bootstrap for cats!"
7. WE MAY BE HARD TO FIND • Many people, particularly in this area, have (or want) steady employment w/ bene ts • Some employed designers may have non- competes or “no moonlighting” clauses • You may be hard to take seriously. Set yourself apart with actions, a plan, and a willingness to listen.
8. ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A CO-FOUNDER? • Are you open to accepting input? Can your product/service change as it’s built? • Are you willing to share success? • Can you excite & entice others with your vision? Does it become a shared vision?