Fun UI: Lessons LearnedFun UI: Lessons LearnedFromFrom Building a ConsumerBuilding a Consumer--Oriented Media ProductOriented Media Product

Neil MixPandora Media, Inc.

Lesson #1:

Verbosity sucks.

(see presentation title)

What is Pandora?

• Internet radio based on the Music Genome Project

• Personalized stations

• 15+ million registered listeners

• pandora.com

Who am I?

• Senior Software Engineer

• Builder of Pandora music player

• Web and iPhone

Not a designer.

About Pandora

• “If you don’t agree that this is the coolest application you’ve seen in a long while, re-read this post over and over until you agree, because you are wrong.” - TechCrunch

• “Slick, Flash player allows easy controls and quick access to music.” - ExtremeTech

Topics

• Design

• Execution

• Customers

Design

Welcome to Savage Beast

Credit: Benjamin Earwicker

Problem

• Kiosk business not working

• Great technology

• Searching for a problem

Which direction?

• Other media types

• Other music products

Decision:

Internet Radio

Why?

• Leverage passion inherent in your culture

• Don’t be a feature

Setting the stage

The Plan

You + Music + ASAP = Goodness

Note:

ASAP

Traditional music site:

Traditional music site:

Traditional music site:

“Listen Now”means

music starts

Count the decisions:

Ask yourself:

What am I supposedto do when I

get here?

You + Music + ASAP = Task Oriented

Task Oriented = Quantifiable

The Funnel

objectivity

Quantifiable resultstell you if yourdesign works

Usability tests

Digression: driving

• High self rating

• No outcome control

Driving -> design

• High self rating

• No outcome control

Surprises from usability tests

• Music selection

• Thumbs feedback

music selection

Music selection

thumbs feedback

Thumbs feedback

Objectivity is crucial togauging the effectiveness

of your design

Simplicity

Simplicity.

Pandora then:

Pandora now:

Would you believe…

94 screens!

You cannot remove features.

You cannot remove features.

Ever.

Simplicity getsone chance

In other words:Day 1 is the simplest

your product will ever be.*

*First time visitor view:

looks simple

!=

simple

Example: what if…

• Someone misspells?

• Two artists have the same name?

• An artist and a song have the same name?

Answer:

• Collect “missed search” data

• Refine

Managing tradeoffs

Expert critique

• Player is too small

• Feature X not discoverable

Discoverable

Sometimes youwin by losing

Knowing key features

Quality of musicdetermines

listening hours.

listening hours = success

The most important feature:

music (duh!)

Process

• Weekly playlist meetings

• Playlist changes

• Data collection

• Trend and release correlations

• Objectivity

Objectivity requires data.

Lots of data.

Know which leverseffect usage the most.

Always ask:

How will I measurethe effectiveness

ofthis feature?

/Design

Execution

Technology

Technology: Flash

Why: Ubiquity

Pain point: Media

X-browser bug count:

Zero.

Technology: AJAX

Reason: Advertising

Pain point: Cost structure

Problem

• radio = bandwidth

• bandwidth = $$

• banner ads = failing business model

Solution: better ads

Demonstrating:

Technology as atool to solve

business problems

Life as a developer

CEO

CTO

Design

Engineering

Surprise:

I hold a lot of influence.

Why?

All specsare incomplete.

Guess who fillsin the cracks?

But…

• Not a designer…

• How does that work?

Digression: My Story

Musician

Technology Geek

UI Designer*

Technology Geek

*About Being a UI Designer…

Good Things I Did As A UI Designer

1) umm…

2) well…

3) see, uh…

How I Became a UI Designer

• Step 1: Read a book about UI design

• Step 2: Expert!

I am the inmaterunning the asylum.

But…

• Not a designer…

• How does that work?

Shared passion

CEOPassionate

aboutuser

experience

CTO

Design

Engineering

But…

• Not a designer…

• How does that work?

Shared passion

and objectivity

User experienceis a cultural value

Keeping the site running

Emergency!

• “I use Norton…”

• “I hear dogs barking…”

• “I love bookmarks…”

Notable quote:

“Boy, our traffic is a faucet that jams listeners through every

conceivable path in our code.”

If it can happen,it will happen.

/Execution

Customers

Customer appreciation

The most important cultural value:

A desire to keep your customers happy.

User experience meansthe entire experience

Tactics

• Customers talk to engineers

• Founder tours the country

• Real people answer emails…quickly!

Answerevery

question.

I remember this song Iheard once ten years ago…

What’s the JavaScriptcommand you used to…

I’m starting my own companyand I was wondering…

Don’t fret over grammar.

Does it really help?

Yes.

Word of mouth is thecheapest, most effective

marketing ever

Happy customers mean

• Lower costs

• Faster growth

• Valuable branding

• Powerful allies

User experiencebecomes your branding

/Customers

New Frontiers

Remember that stuffabout simplicity?

And now…

iPhone

Reflection on values…

• Younger: innovation

• Older: simplicity

For iPhone…

Simplicity = “borrowing”

Comfort in borrowing

• Fewer decisions to make

• Less risk

• If you have a good role model

Not every designrequires innovation.

Not every designrequires innovation.

Most designsrequire no innovation.

rich UI != usability

rich UI = tool

can be user friendly*

*use with care

usability = doing the expected

/Presentation

Audience ResponseAudience Response

Questions?