Startup Design

Delivered at Seedcamp Week '14 Product Day.

Transcript

1. STARTUP DESIGN Seedcamp — February ‘14
2. STOP LOOKING
   FOR ANSWERS
3. DESIGN == DECISIONS
4. GEARÓID
5. GAH — ROAD
6. 1. DESIGN CULTURE 2. DOING IT
7. 1. DESIGN CULTURE
8. “Most people make the mistake of thinking design is what it looks like... That’s not what we think design is. It’s not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.” — Steve Jobs
9. “Our product is our brand” — Thomas Watson, Jr
10. • If it’s “how it works” then design is not just the designer’s job • Build team capability and interest in design from the start
11. • Fact: Design is fractal • What are your touch-points? • What is your attitude? • And your team’s?
13. • Design is not fluffy. It can be your biggest competitive advantage.
14. • Competitive advantage through design culture • Fact: You can’t clone culture
15. 2. APPROACHING
    DESIGN
16. DESIGN != MAGIC Do some research
17. • Design needs good inputs to have good outputs.
 • Research should be the first step of your design process.
18. • Talk to potential users.
 • Determine their needs, the strengths of those needs and how they are currently attempting to address them.
19. By doing X we expect to Y to change GOT AN HYPOTHESIS?
20. • Looking for change based on action • Target experiments based on goals • Common agreement around both
21. • Stops “ my idea” issues • Sets up an agreed reference point • Makes design work measurable
22. Do it as a team, accept what it is SKETCH TOGETHER
24. • Design is everyone’s responsibility • Kill “over the wall” thinking
25. KILL IT DEAD
26. • Sketch together, do it often and do it early, understand what it’s for • Pair up: designers, engineers, sales, marketing, you
27. But build it better BUILD LESS S**T
28. • We all agreed on MVP... right? • MVP != poorly designed • Poorly designed == no learnings
29. • You need to say “no” more often • 5 Ferraris or 150,000 Fiat Pandas?
30. • How many touch-points? • How well designed are they? • Are they fit for purpose? Is the tone right? Are they converting?
31. DESIGN != MAGIC You have to test, close the loop
33. • Great designers love data and love feedback — makes our job easier • So test everything
34. • Fact: Design is foremost about effectiveness, not prettiness... • Don’t test looks. Do test functionality, implementation • Did we falsify our hypothesis?
35. • Qualitative: Interviews, card sorting, guided user testing • Quantitative: Click tests, A/B tests, heat maps, usage stats, funnels
36. GIVING CRITIQUE Honest, kind, and based on fact
37. • 99% of what you’ll do will be wrong • If you’re going to be wrong that much, giving critique is important
38. • Critique, not feedback. • Make it about the hypothesis. Experiments are about finding truth, not about being right
39. • Be honest and direct • Stop saying “I think…” • Start using numbers, but give everyone access to them • Sample set of 1 == crap
40. • Nobody feels comfortable • You don’t have to give an opinion • You do have to ask questions
41. 1. DESIGN CULTURE
42. 2. DOING IT
43. QUESTIONS? go@gearoidorourke.com @gearoidorourke