Post on 21-Apr-2017
The Essentials ofGreat Product Design
Matt Baxter • @mbxtr • September 10, 2016
Matt BaxterLEAD PRODUCT DESIGNER
We create products that save Americans money on the cost of prescriptions.
In the pharmacy savings card business since 1993.
Data Science
Technology
Product Design
😒
Product design?
Product Designis a mindset — not just a role or title
🤔
UXTechnology Business
“Rather than being measured on the output of their design work,
the product designer is measured on the success of their product.”
http://www.svpg.com/the-product-designer-role
Product Designis focused the problem-solution fit
Your product isa set of features
an answer to a problem
Product Designis asking the questions
everyone is afraid to ask
What are we trying to solve?
The Problem
For whom are we doing this?
Target Audience
How will solving this problem help our business?
Business Value
PriorityWhy are we doing this now?
How are we doing this?
Strategy
How will we measure success?
Goals
Product DefinitionThe Problem
Business Value
Strategy
Target Audience
Priority
Goals
DiscoveryFiguring out
what to build.
DeliveryBuilding it.
DiscoveryFiguring out
what to build.
DeliveryBuilding it.
The EssentialsRapid Prototyping
Product Testing
Collaboration
Rapid Prototyping
Building just
enough to learn
LOW or HIGH
Make it tangible
Start “Done”Able to test
Without Prototyping
With Prototyping
Start “Done”Able to test
Learning
Effort
Prototyping answers questionsthat meetings can’t
Learn to experiment and avoid the
sunk-cost fallacy
“The sprint is a five-day process for answering critical business questions through … prototyping”
http://www.gv.com/sprint/
Prototyping
Prototyping isn’t just pixels and code
iMessage
Product Testing
Your product is an answer to someone’s problem
Just asking isn’t enough
Q? A!
👤
👤
Find out why
😃 🤔😒😩😕😏
Analytics & data reveal patterns
Listen & Observe
Directly interacting with users leads to
empathy
“It’s the closest thing we’ve found to a silver bullet when it comes to reliably improving the designs teams produce… The number of hours each team member is exposed directly to real users…”
— Jared Spoolhttps://articles.uie.com/user_exposure_hours/
Testing doesn’t have to be expensive and complicated
🔬💰
“Elaborate usability tests are a waste of resources. The best results come from testing no more than 5 users…”
— Jakob Neilsonhttps://www.nngroup.com/articles/why-you-only-need-to-test-with-5-users/
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/why-you-only-need-to-test-with-5-users/
“The cost-benefit analysis of user testing provides the optimal ratio around 3 or 5 users”
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/why-you-only-need-to-test-with-5-users/
“The cost-benefit analysis of user testing provides the optimal ratio around 3 or 5 users”
5 users = 80%
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/why-you-only-need-to-test-with-5-users/
“The cost-benefit analysis of user testing provides the optimal ratio around 3 or 5 users”
1 users = 30%
30 - 60 minutes1 computer
👤 ⏰💻3 - 5 users
Testing Sessions
Reminder: We’re testing the product,
not the participant
— Don NormanThe Design of Everyday Things
“I have studied people making errors… invariably people feel guilty and either try to hide the error or blame themselves for ‘stupidity’ or ‘clumsiness.’”
ProductUser
Testing
everyoneShare with
Collaboration
Designers should…
Designers should…
CODE!
Designers should…
CODE!
Designers should…
never design in isolation
open communication
Collaboration is
open communication
humility & empathy
Collaboration is
+
Every rolehas something to contribute
to product design
“I think the biggest misconception is this belief that… they have the best design team in the world… Everybody there is thinking about UX and design, not just the designers. And that's what makes everything about the product so much better.”
— Mark Kawano, ex-Apple UX Evangelist
www.fastcodesign.com/3030923/4-myths-about-apple-design-from-an-ex-apple-designer
Too many cooks in the kitchen?
😧
Tensionis still a good thing
“Each group, then, is trying to do the right thing, but they're pulling in different directions. If any one of those groups 'wins,' we lose.”— Ed Catmull, Co-Founder of Pixar
Creativity Inc
We start with open brainstorming sessions
Frame the problem
💡
Generate & Distill
Share
early and often
Lower the barrier to participation
To recap the essentials of product design…
Rapid Prototyping
Don’t waste time discussing ideas, get them to a testable state as soon as possible.
Product Testing
Find out whether your product is actually solving the problems of real customers.
Collaboration
Everyone should be involved in product design.