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How to build the perfect product your users want but can't describe! This is a talk I gave at the 2013 FrontEnd Conf in Zurich, Switzerland!
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@johnjpeebles
How to Build the Perfect Product Your Users Want But Can’t
Describe
@johnjpeebles
Design
Permeates EverythingIs More than Design
Is Everyone’s Responsibility
@johnjpeebles
Building Great Products is
HARD
@johnjpeebles
2 Kinds of HardExercise is Hard
Playing the Violin is Hard
@johnjpeebles
Why Do Great Products Matter?
Can be extremely disruptive
Make lives better
@johnjpeebles
I don’t have all the answers.
I have made
plenty of mistakes!
@johnjpeebles
Building a Product is Solving a Problem
@johnjpeebles
Problem Solvers
• Earn more money• Are key to their team’s
success• Are the best developers
/designers / managers / etc.• Can be the difference
between success and failure
@johnjpeebles
This is Your Moment of
DemotivationProblem solvers are very, very,
rare.
@johnjpeebles
This is Your Moment of MotivationYou can do this!
@johnjpeebles
Building a product
should not be user driven
@johnjpeebles
“It's really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don't know what they want until you show it to them."— Steve Jobs
“If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses."–Henry Ford
@johnjpeebles
Building a product should
be:Workflow Driven
Job DrivenResults Driven
@johnjpeebles
The Core MechanicKnow, Define,
Solve
@johnjpeebles
Know• Develop your Personas• Observe the Job• Work the Job• Visualise the Job• Learn the entire process• Understand motivations and
incentives
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Define
Don’t “Solve a Solution”
Discover the Problem!
@johnjpeebles
Which do You Go to First?
Pharmacist or the Doctor?
@johnjpeebles
Techniques of Problem Discovery• Reject the Premise of the
Question• Use the 5 Whys?• Take nothing as “given”• Don’t listen to users, watch
users!
@johnjpeebles
Examples
• “Add all the currencies!”• “I need another report!”• “Can you add X to Y?”
@johnjpeebles
Workflow
is All that Matters
@johnjpeebles
WARNING
• This requires people skills!• Don’t belittle of condescend!• Approach with an attitude of
grace• Approach with an attitude of
humility “I’m sorry but I’d love to understand a little bit better…”
@johnjpeebles
“We didn’t TRY to make it awful…”
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Propose the Solution
• Run through your personas• Visualize the workflow• “Use” the “solution”
yourself• Get feedback
@johnjpeebles
SHOW Your Work
@johnjpeebles
#ProTip
Consistencyis Key
@johnjpeebles
#ProTip
Innovation Usually
Requires Destruction
@johnjpeebles
#ProTip
Develop Lateral Thinking Using
Analogies
@johnjpeebles
#ProTip
If you get stuck, start proposing
stupid solutions
@johnjpeebles
#ProTip
People are always better at critiquing than
creating.
@johnjpeebles
#ProTip
Practice Solving
Problems
@johnjpeebles
Solving a Problem is a Process
• Don’t lose sight of the goal• Don’t fixate on features!• Continue to Improve
@johnjpeebles
Please share this!
John PeeblesCEO of Administrate
www.GetAdministrate.com
