Better Narrative Better Product

7/21/2019 Better Narrative Better Product

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BETTER NARRATIVEBETTER PRODUCT

Alex Cowan


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ABOUT ME

Entrepreneur (5x)Intrapreneur (1x)


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www.alexandercowan.com

ABOUT ME


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2015 COWAN+Paul Holloway via Wikimedia Commons

ALEX COWAN

alexandercowan.com

@cowanSF

AGILE: BLOCKBUSTER EVENT OF 2001


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THE AFTERPARTY

ALEX COWAN

alexandercowan.com

@cowanSF


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THE MANIFESTO WAS SIMPLE

INDIVIDUALSINTERACTIONS

PROCESSESTOOLS

WORKINGSOFTWARE COMPREHENSIVEDOCUMENTATION

CUSTOMERCOLLABORATION

CONTRACTNEGOTIATION

RESPONDING TOCHANGE

FOLLOWINGA PLAN ALEX COWAN

alexandercowan.com

@cowanSF


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THE COMMERCE TEAM THE DEVELOPMENT TEAM1. Connecting with customer needs2. Managing uncertainty3. Describing for implementation

1. Implementation strategy2. Managing changes in need3. Distributing actionable inputs

THE FIELD TEAM1. Delivering on customer issues consistent with overall company direction

WHATS HARD

ALEX COWAN

alexandercowan.com

@cowanSF


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3: SMALL BATCHES2: NARRATIVECOLLABORATION

1: THE USER STORY

AGILE: THE GOOD STUFF

ALEX COWAN

alexandercowan.com

@cowanSF


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1Write Fully Narrated Stories


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STORIES: INPUT FOR BUILDING STUFF

PRODUCT &

PROMOTION

USER STORIES

& PROTOTYPES

Is the problemrelevant? Is theproposition bettervs alternatives?

SCALE

?


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THE IMPORTANCE OF FORM & NOTATION


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STORIES

Epic Stories

Stories

Test Cases

As a [persona],

I want to [do something]so that I can [derive a benefit]

Who is this user?

What makes them tick?

Whos an example of such a person?

Why do they want to do this?

What's the benefit/reward?

How will we know of itsworking?

bit.ly/youagile

(THE WHOLE) AGILE USER STORY

ALEX COWAN

alexandercowan.com

@cowanSF


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CHILD STORIES

A) As an HR manager, I want to match an open positions required skills with quiz topics so I can create a

quiz relevant for candidate screening.

B) As an HR manager, I want to send a draft quiz to the the functional manager so I make sure Ive coveredthe right topics on the screening quiz.

C) As a functional manager, I want to send feedback on the screening quiz to the HR manager so I make sureIm getting the best possible screening on candidates.

D) As an HR manager, I need to purchase an upgraded service tier so I can add additional topics to my quiz.

E) As an HR manager, I want to add custom questions to the quiz so we cover additional topics that areimportant to the functional manager.

EPIC STORYAs the HR manager, I want to create a screening quiz so that I can understand whether I want to sendpossible recruits to the functional manager.

EXAMPLE: AGILE USER STORIES


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EPIC

As the HR manager, I

want to create a

screening quiz so that I

can understand whether

I want to send possiblerecruits to the functional

manager.

WALKING THROUGH AN EPIC

bit.ly/dostory


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TRIGGER

How does the

problem scenarioinitiate?

ACTION

How is the action

executed? Howeasy is it?

REWARD

How is the persona

gratified?

SKETCHING YOUR NARRATIVE

source: adapted from Nir Eyals Hook Framework

bit.ly/dostory


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2Clarify Motivation vs. Usability


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STORIES: INPUT FOR BUILDING STUFF

PRODUCT &

PROMOTION

USER STORIES

& PROTOTYPES


SCALE

?


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ACTIONABLE OBSERVATION

PRODUCT &

PROMOTION

USER STORIES

& PROTOTYPES

CUSTOMER

DISCOVERY &

EXPERIMENTS

SHOW

ME

?


How did the customer/user react?

SCALE

?


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WHAT ARE WE TESTING?

source: adapted from BJ Foggs Behavioral Model

Ability (Usability)

Motivation

Action Line

Inaction : (

Action : )


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WHAT ARE WE TESTING?

source: adapted from BJ Foggs Behavioral Model

Usability Testing

Proposition Testing

(ala Lean Startup,

MVPs)

DONT RUIN YOUR

RESULTS BY TRYING

TO TEST BOTH AT THE

SAME TIME

Ability (Usability)

Motivation

Action Line

Inaction : (

Action : )


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3Test Usability Appropriately & Often


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Exploratory Assessment Validation

It looks like thisapproach willfundamentally work.

The implementationis sound and readyfor tuning.

Ready forprime time.

USABILITY TEST SUITES: A PROGRESSION


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Objectives & Methods

Product Version

Subjects

Research Composition

Pre-Session Checklist

Session Design

bit.ly/cdhandbook bit.ly/vdt-usability

A USABILITY TEST DESIGN FOR ANYONE


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Objectives & MethodsExplain to your collaborators which test type and why.

Product Version

Subjects


Pre-Session Checklist

Session Design




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Product Version

SubjectsHave a screener. (But any subject is better than none.)

Research CompositionPre-Session Checklist

Session Design




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Product Version

Subjects


Pre-Session ChecklistImportant! Breakage is expensive here.

Session Design




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Product Version

Subjects


Pre-Session ChecklistSession Design

Objectives. Notes. Output.




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Research ObjectiveTime: Est.v. Actual

Notes

How are we doing on this user story:

As an independent trucker, I want to find

loads at my destination so that I dont have

to drive home empty.

n/a

MODERATOR GUIDEI know that you often use load boards to find jobs.

On this application, you can find load postings at your destination?

Can you show me where youd go to find them?

OUTPUT

An assessment of the users relationship to the available affordances

and their appropriateness to the current user narratives and tasks.

EXAMPLE TEST PLAN ITEM: ELOAD


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EXAMPLE PROTOTYPE: ELOAD


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Your software paintsvirtual walls. Tell the

subject youd like to see

the wall yellow andobserve what they do.

(If you want to test motivation,

start with interviews, then

MVPs, experiments.)

IF USABILITY TESTING, MOTIVATION SUPPLIED


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70% of users didntget the drag and drop

in this version

This change in theannotation was

enough so they got it

LITTLE TESTS, LITTLE CHANGES, BIG RESULTS


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4Always Link to Value (Motivation)Its OK to be Uncertain, to Experiment


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STORIES

Epic Stories

Stories

Test Cases

As a [persona],


Why do they want to do this?

What's the benefit/reward?

How will we know of it's

working?

bit.ly/youagile


ALEX COWAN

alexandercowan.com

@cowanSF


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ACTIONABLE OBSERVATION

PRODUCT &

PROMOTION

USER STORIES

& PROTOTYPES

CUSTOMER

DISCOVERY &

EXPERIMENTS

SHOW

ME

?



SCALE

?


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SOURCES OF VALUE

PRODUCT &

PROMOTION

USER STORIES

& PROTOTYPES

CUSTOMER

DISCOVERY &

EXPERIMENTS

VALUE

PROPOSITIONS &

ASSUMPTIONS

SHOW

ME

?

WHAT

IF?


Was the implementedstory relevant to theproposition?


SCALE

?


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Do I have real evidence from my buyer thatthis is compelling?

01 IDEA!

What are the key assumptions required tomake this business work?

02 HYPOTHESIS

How do I definitely prove or disprove theassumptions with a minimum of time andeffort?

03 EXPERIMENTAL DESIG N

04 EXPE RIM ENTATION

Am I reacting or am I focused onvalidating my pivotal assumptions?

Pivot or persevere?

EVIDENCE-BASED INNOVATION VIA LEAN STARTUP

bit.ly/leanin6

ALEX COWAN

alexandercowan.com

@cowanSF


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If we [do something]for [persona], they will[respond in a certain way]

Example (Enable Quiz):If we [allow HR managers to append notes to test results], theywill [use the feature as their primary vehicle to send interviewnotes to the functional manager & the functional manager willfind the notes useful].

DEFINING ACTIONABLE ASSUMPTIONS

ALEX COWAN

alexandercowan.com

@cowanSF


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Component Notes

What assumption will this test? How?

If we [allow HR managers to append notes to test results], they will [use the feature as their

primary vehicle to send interview notes to the functional manager & the functional manager will

find the notes useful].

What is/are the pivotal metric(s)?

What is the threshold for true (validated) vs. false (invalidated)?

1) [candidates with notes] / [candidates submitted] @ 25%

2) portion of functional managers mentioning the notes unprompted in discovery interviews via

question How do you get information about candidates? What do you look at? @ 50%

What will we do next if the result is true? False?

True: Roll out the feature across the user base.

False: Continue discovery on how HR and functional managers communicate on candidate

hiring

How much time, money will it take to set up? see bit.ly/exp-test

Roughly, what will it take for each individual test?

Subsequent tests?see bit.ly/exp-test

Roughly, how long will it take for each test to run and produce definitive,

actionable results?see bit.ly/exp-test

bit.ly/exp-test

EXAMPLE: ENABLE QUIZ ON FEATURE VALUE

bit.ly/leanin6

ALEX COWAN

alexandercowan.com

@cowanSF


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-1 Day

IS IT VALUABLE?

What motivates the user?How can you test thatwithout product?

30 Day

DOES IT STICK?

Post deploy, are usersengaged at expected levels?If not, why not?

90 Day

DID IT MATTER?

Is it delivering on the targetpropositions? If not, why not?

0 Day

DOES IT WORK?

What are the results ofphase-appropriateusability testing.

TESTING & CADENCE


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5Anchor Value to Problems(vs. Solutions)


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SOURCES OF VALUE

PRODUCT &

PROMOTION

USER STORIES

& PROTOTYPES

CUSTOMER

DISCOVERY &

EXPERIMENTS

VALUE

PROPOSITIONS &

ASSUMPTIONS

SHOW

ME

?

WHAT

IF?




SCALE

?


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ANCHORING TO PROBLEMS (NEEDS)

PRODUCT &

PROMOTION

WHAT?

PROBLEM

SCENARIOS &

ALTERNATIVES

USER STORIES

& PROTOTYPES

CUSTOMER

DISCOVERY &

EXPERIMENTS

VALUE

PROPOSITIONS &

ASSUMPTIONS

SHOW

ME

?

WHAT

IF?




SCALE

?


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The twin anti-poles of design failure

Doing preciselywhat the user asks

Assuming you know whatsbest and ignoring the user

!"#$%

DIAGNOSING USER PROBLEMS & PRODUCT VALUE


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ALEX COWAN

alexandercowan.com

@cowanSF

ANCHORING VALUE TO PROBLEMS (NEEDS)

XPROBLEM SCENARIO


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What job(s) are you doing forthe customer?

What existing need or behavior areyou fulfilling?


ALEX COWAN

alexandercowan.com

@cowanSF

XPROBLEM SCENARIO


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ALEX COWAN

alexandercowan.com

@cowanSF


?

X

ALTERNATIVE(S)

PROBLEM SCENARIO


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If they currently use a spreadsheet,watch them use it and get a copy of it.

If they currently put notes on the family

fridge, ask about it, photograph it.


?ALTERNATIVE(S)

PROBLEM SCENARIO X

ALEX COWAN

alexandercowan.com

@cowanSF


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!

?

X

ALEX COWAN

alexandercowan.com

@cowanSF

ALTERNATIVE(S)

PROBLEM SCENARIO

YOUR VALUE PROPOSITIONS


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Are they better enough than the alternative(s)? !

?


X

ALEX COWAN

alexandercowan.com

@cowanSF

ALTERNATIVE(S)

PROBLEM SCENARIO

YOUR VALUE PROPOSITIONS


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YOUR VALUEPROPOSITIONS!

ALTERNATIVE(S)?

PROBLEM SCENARIOProblem:Helen the HR Manager & Frank

the Functional manager find it difficult toconnect on the candidates she screens.Theyd like more time to exchange notesand figure out whats effective, but theyrebusy.

Alternative: They have occasionaldiscussions. When she can, Helen writes updescriptive emails when she has time.

Value Proposition: Franks already lookingat the candidates quiz scores in the Enable

Quiz system. If Helens notes appearedthere in a best practice format, this wouldimprove their joint effectiveness on hiring.

bit.ly/2persona


X


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6Anchor to Vivid Personas


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STORIES

Epic Stories

Stories

Test Cases

As a [persona],


Who is this user?

What makes them tick?

Whos an example of such a person?

bit.ly/youagile


ALEX COWAN

alexandercowan.com

@cowanSF


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KNOWING WHAT MAKES THE USER TICK

PRODUCT &

PROMOTION

Do we understandthis person? What

makes them tick?

WHO?

WHAT?

PERSONAS

PROBLEM

SCENARIOS &

ALTERNATIVES

USER STORIES

& PROTOTYPES

CUSTOMER

DISCOVERY &

EXPERIMENTS

VALUE

PROPOSITIONS &

ASSUMPTIONS

SHOW

ME

?

WHAT

IF?




SCALE

?


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DESIGN THINKING: EMPATHY & PERSONAS

ALEX COWAN

alexandercowan.com

@cowanSFbit.ly/2persona


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DESIGN THINKING: EMPATHY & PERSONAS

ALEX COWAN

alexandercowan.com

@cowanSFbit.ly/2persona


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Women

Age 28-45

Has kids

Socialize with other moms

Online with Facebook

86% said theyd like to be moreorganized

70% said theyd use an applicationthat organizes them

PERSONA: BAD


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Bullet points are almost never vivid or

detailed

Stock photo- not real

This is a huge population- not exact

These responses are fake actionable- survey responses

like this are unreliable

PERSONA: BAD

Women

Age 28-45

Has kids

Socialize with other moms

Online with Facebook

86% said theyd like to be moreorganized

70% said theyd use an applicationthat organizes them


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Mary is a mom by choice. She had a successful career in

accounting, but welcomed the opportunity to be a stay at home

mom. She loves it. But its not like having kids purged hercreative, social instincts. She wants to connect, she wants to

learn, she wants to interact. Being a mom is a job and she wants

to do it well. That means corresponding with other moms on

child education and keeping track of what works. She posts to

Facebook at least twice a week and responds to other moms

items more often than that.She has a few blogs and publications she reads regularly

Mary the Mom

PERSONA: BETTER


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the use of a first name helps w/ vividness (a little)

these full sentences look like a good start towards

something vivid and detailed

this is a real photo of a relevant person taken with an

iPhone in the real world

PERSONA: BETTER

Mary is a mom by choice. She had a successful career in

accounting, but welcomed the opportunity to be a stay at home

mom. She loves it. But its not like having kids purged hercreative, social instincts. She wants to connect, she wants to

learn, she wants to interact. Being a mom is a job and she wants

to do it well. That means corresponding with other moms on

child education and keeping track of what works. She posts to

Facebook at least twice a week and responds to other moms

items more often than that.She has a few blogs and publications she reads regularly

Mary the Mom


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Day in the LifeWe look at a few photos for a given persona (not a full picture, just snippets)

You make some guesses about them

There are no right answers BUT

There is a right process: observe and infer

OBJECTIVE:Get a feel for whats real; start to create something vivid

A LITTLE GAME FOR BETTER PERSONA DISCOVERY


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Sally theSingle Mom

OUR CAST


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WAKE UP!


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WAKE UP!


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GEARING UP FOR THE DAY


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AT WORK


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AFTER WORK


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PRE-BED


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BED


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GEAR


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IF I HAD 3 EXTRA HOURS


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Powerful emotional drivers work against it

The more of a go-getter we are,the more these probably affect us

WHY DOESNT ALL THIS NATURALLY HAPPEN?


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WE BUILD MONUMENTS

Once we start to work on something, we

naturally attach to it. Yet, innovation

requires a lot of discard.

DISCARDIS HARD

WE MEASURE LOCALLY

We like to cross things off our list, even

when it may be short sighted.

MY TIME,MY WORK

EMPATHY IS HARD

For most of us, its not that natural.EMPATHY

WAITING IS HARD

Even if some observation and testing makes

sense, emotionally wed prefer to just roll the

dice and see what happens.

ROLL THEDICE!

WHY DOESNT ALL THIS NATURALLY HAPPEN?


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Item

Your stories have all three clauses

Usability and motivation are both linked to stories, but tested separately

Usability is testing feels easy, frequent, and effective

Every story is linked to a value proposition (small or large)

Every proposition is linked to a problem

Every story, proposition, and problem is linked to a vivid persona

YOULL KNOW ITS WORKING IF


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THE VENTURE DESIGN PROCESS

PRODUCT &

PROMOTION

Do we understandthis person? What

makes them tick?

WHO?

WHAT?

PERSONAS

PROBLEM

SCENARIOS &

ALTERNATIVES

PIVOT?

USER STORIES

& PROTOTYPES

CUSTOMER

DISCOVERY &

EXPERIMENTS

VALUE

PROPOSITIONS &

ASSUMPTIONS

SHOW

ME

?

WHAT

IF?


Did theimplementationdeliver onthe story?



SCALE

?


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bit.ly/vdesignCheck outVenture Design

@cowanSFTwitter

[email protected] in touch!

Use Customer DiscoveryHandbook

bit.ly/cdhandbook

bit.ly/ac2trueView this deck

FINI

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Better Narrative Better Product