The Failure of Emmet Labs

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I prepared this talk to give at FailCon at the 2011 Web 2.0 Expo in SF. It tells the story of my last startup, Emmet Labs, which failed in the classic sense. Lessons here for every entrepreneur. I hope it gives you some insight.

Transcript of The Failure of Emmet Labs

clevergirl_fail

startups+

ux

4evr

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

CLEVERGIRL_FAIL, WEB 2.0 EDITION 03/2011 JANICE@LUXR.CO

Janice Fraserwww.luxr.co

@clevergirl@luxrco#LeanUX

BLOG IT!

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

CLEVERGIRL_FAIL, WEB 2.0 EDITION 03/2011 JANICE@LUXR.CO

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

CLEVERGIRL_FAIL, WEB 2.0 EDITION 03/2011 JANICE@LUXR.CO

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

CLEVERGIRL_FAIL, WEB 2.0 EDITION 03/2011 JANICE@LUXR.CO

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

CLEVERGIRL_FAIL, WEB 2.0 EDITION 03/2011 JANICE@LUXR.CO

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

CLEVERGIRL_FAIL, WEB 2.0 EDITION 03/2011 JANICE@LUXR.CO

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

CLEVERGIRL_FAIL, WEB 2.0 EDITION 03/2011 JANICE@LUXR.CO

“this reduced the number and speed of our iterations.”

Mistake #1

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

CLEVERGIRL_FAIL, WEB 2.0 EDITION 03/2011 JANICE@LUXR.CO

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

CLEVERGIRL_FAIL, WEB 2.0 EDITION 03/2011 JANICE@LUXR.CO

UX Cycles

THINK

MAKE

CHECK

PROTOTYPESWIREFRAMESVALUE PROPLANDING PAGEHYPOTHESESCOMPSDEPLOYED CODE

A/B TESTINGSITE ANALYTICS

USABILITY TESTINGFUNNEL

SIGN-UPS

GENERATIVE RESEARCHIDEATION

MENTAL MODELSBEHAVIOR MODELS

TEST RESULTSCOMPETITIVE ANALYSIS

Reduce cycle time, not build time

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

CLEVERGIRL_FAIL, WEB 2.0 EDITION 03/2011 JANICE@LUXR.CO

Same thing, Lean Startup version

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

CLEVERGIRL_FAIL, WEB 2.0 EDITION 03/2011 JANICE@LUXR.CO

2007 08 09

MEASURE!

IDEA 4/07

BUILD

LAUNCH 1/09

BUILD BUILD

LEARN!we had

working code way back here!

21-month cycle time!

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

CLEVERGIRL_FAIL, WEB 2.0 EDITION 03/2011 JANICE@LUXR.CO

The LEAN principle:

reduce INVENTORY, RISK, and WASTE

Make a design decision

Discover that it wasn’t right

Like this...Nobody clicked.

21 MONTHS

21 HOURS

) )

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

CLEVERGIRL_FAIL, WEB 2.0 EDITION 03/2011 JANICE@LUXR.CO

How do you do good user experience work in a lean environment?

PROVE IMPROVE

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

CLEVERGIRL_FAIL, WEB 2.0 EDITION 03/2011 JANICE@LUXR.CO

“This product needed to attract and support contributors first; we focused instead on demonstrating the consumer appeal.”

Mistake #2

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

CLEVERGIRL_FAIL, WEB 2.0 EDITION 03/2011 JANICE@LUXR.CO

USERS

NEEDS

USES

FEATURES

USER STORIES THEMED RELEASES

1. BLAH2. BLAH3. BLAH

BOB CAN...

PEOPLE

PRODUCT

(INSERT BUSINESS THINKING HERE)

THIS WEEK

(CREATE SKETCHES, WIREFRAMES & PIXELS)

WHYWHAT

HOW

Lean UX Framework

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

CLEVERGIRL_FAIL, WEB 2.0 EDITION 03/2011 JANICE@LUXR.CO

USERS

NEEDS

USES

FEATURES

USER STORIES THEMED RELEASES

(CREATE SKETCHES, WIREFRAMES & PIXELS)

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

CLEVERGIRL_FAIL, WEB 2.0 EDITION 03/2011 JANICE@LUXR.CO

USERS

NEEDS

USES

FEATURESUSER STORIES

THEMED RELEASES

(SKETCHES, WIREFRAMES

& PIXELS)

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

CLEVERGIRL_FAIL, WEB 2.0 EDITION 03/2011 JANICE@LUXR.CO

USERSNEEDS

USESFEATURES

USER STORIES

THEMED RELEASES (SKETCHES, WIREFRAMES & PIXELS)

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

CLEVERGIRL_FAIL, WEB 2.0 EDITION 03/2011 JANICE@LUXR.CO

We focused on revenue to the detriment of the product.

Mistake #3

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

CLEVERGIRL_FAIL, WEB 2.0 EDITION 03/2011 JANICE@LUXR.CO

2007 08 09

IDEA 4/07

BUILD

LAUNCH 1/09

BUILD BUILD

White Label

AdvertisingFreemium

TOTALLY DISTRACTED!

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

CLEVERGIRL_FAIL, WEB 2.0 EDITION 03/2011 JANICE@LUXR.CO

Launch early & often

Fail

Better

)

)

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

CLEVERGIRL_FAIL, WEB 2.0 EDITION 03/2011 JANICE@LUXR.CO

1. Design + product management + development = 1 product team

2. Externalize

3. Research with users is the best source of information

4. Focus on solving the right problem

5. Generate many options and decide quickly which to pursue

6. Recognize hypotheses & validate them

7. Rapid cycles: think/make/check

Instead, I should have been building a capability.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

CLEVERGIRL_FAIL, WEB 2.0 EDITION 03/2011 JANICE@LUXR.CO

I should have brought in an interim CEO.

Mistake #4

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

CLEVERGIRL_FAIL, WEB 2.0 EDITION 03/2011 JANICE@LUXR.CO

2007 08 09

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

CLEVERGIRL_FAIL, WEB 2.0 EDITION 03/2011 JANICE@LUXR.CO

2007 08 09

TED conference & the first inkling of

emmet

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

CLEVERGIRL_FAIL, WEB 2.0 EDITION 03/2011 JANICE@LUXR.CO

2007 08 09

TED conference & the first inkling of

emmet

Hire dev firm.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

CLEVERGIRL_FAIL, WEB 2.0 EDITION 03/2011 JANICE@LUXR.CO

2007 08 09

TED conference & the first inkling of

emmet

pass out at ballpark while pitching vc. 10 days bedrest.

Hire dev firm.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

CLEVERGIRL_FAIL, WEB 2.0 EDITION 03/2011 JANICE@LUXR.CO

2007 08 09mystery illness

TED conference & the first inkling of

emmet

pass out at ballpark while pitching vc. 10 days bedrest.

Hire dev firm.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

CLEVERGIRL_FAIL, WEB 2.0 EDITION 03/2011 JANICE@LUXR.CO

2007 08 09ER

mystery illness

TED conference & the first inkling of

emmet

pass out at ballpark while pitching vc. 10 days bedrest.

Hire dev firm.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

CLEVERGIRL_FAIL, WEB 2.0 EDITION 03/2011 JANICE@LUXR.CO

2007 08 09ER

mystery illness

TED conference & the first inkling of

emmet

pass out at ballpark while pitching vc. 10 days bedrest.

Hire dev firm.

1st angel funding

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

CLEVERGIRL_FAIL, WEB 2.0 EDITION 03/2011 JANICE@LUXR.CO

2007 08 09ER

successful treatment

mystery illness

TED conference & the first inkling of

emmet

pass out at ballpark while pitching vc. 10 days bedrest.

Hire dev firm.

1st angel funding

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

CLEVERGIRL_FAIL, WEB 2.0 EDITION 03/2011 JANICE@LUXR.CO

2007 08 09ER

successful treatment

Dad Dies

mystery illness

TED conference & the first inkling of

emmet

pass out at ballpark while pitching vc. 10 days bedrest.

Hire dev firm.

1st angel funding

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

CLEVERGIRL_FAIL, WEB 2.0 EDITION 03/2011 JANICE@LUXR.CO

2007 08 09ER

successful treatment

Dad Dies

mystery illness

TED conference & the first inkling of

emmet

pass out at ballpark while pitching vc. 10 days bedrest.

Hire dev firm.

1st angel funding

Scheduled close of

2nd angel money

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

CLEVERGIRL_FAIL, WEB 2.0 EDITION 03/2011 JANICE@LUXR.CO

2007 08 09ER

successful treatment

Dad Dies

Brother kills

himself

mystery illness

TED conference & the first inkling of

emmet

pass out at ballpark while pitching vc. 10 days bedrest.

Hire dev firm.

1st angel funding

Scheduled close of

2nd angel money

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

CLEVERGIRL_FAIL, WEB 2.0 EDITION 03/2011 JANICE@LUXR.CO

2007 08 09ER

successful treatment

Dad Dies

Brother kills

himself

mystery illness

TED conference & the first inkling of

emmet

pass out at ballpark while pitching vc. 10 days bedrest.

Hire dev firm.

1st angel funding

Scheduled close of

2nd angel money

actual close

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

CLEVERGIRL_FAIL, WEB 2.0 EDITION 03/2011 JANICE@LUXR.CO

2007 08 09

globalfinancialmeltdown

ERsuccessful treatment

Dad Dies

Brother kills

himself

mystery illness

TED conference & the first inkling of

emmet

pass out at ballpark while pitching vc. 10 days bedrest.

Hire dev firm.

1st angel funding

Scheduled close of

2nd angel money

actual close

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

CLEVERGIRL_FAIL, WEB 2.0 EDITION 03/2011 JANICE@LUXR.CO

2007 08 09

globalfinancialmeltdown

ERsuccessful treatment

Dad Dies

Brother kills

himself

mystery illness

TED conference & the first inkling of

emmet

pass out at ballpark while pitching vc. 10 days bedrest.

Hire dev firm.

1st angel funding

Scheduled close of

2nd angel money

series A meetings

actual close

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

CLEVERGIRL_FAIL, WEB 2.0 EDITION 03/2011 JANICE@LUXR.CO

2007 08 09

globalfinancialmeltdown

nobody knows how the recession is going to play out. This is the

peak of fear, uncertainty, and doubt

ERsuccessful treatment

Dad Dies

Brother kills

himself

mystery illness

TED conference & the first inkling of

emmet

pass out at ballpark while pitching vc. 10 days bedrest.

Hire dev firm.

1st angel funding

Scheduled close of

2nd angel money

series A meetings

actual close

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

CLEVERGIRL_FAIL, WEB 2.0 EDITION 03/2011 JANICE@LUXR.CO

2007 08 09

globalfinancialmeltdown

nobody knows how the recession is going to play out. This is the

peak of fear, uncertainty, and doubt

ERsuccessful treatment

Dad Dies

Brother kills

himself

mystery illness

TED conference & the first inkling of

emmet

pass out at ballpark while pitching vc. 10 days bedrest.

Hire dev firm.

1st angel funding

Scheduled close of

2nd angel money

series A meetings

actual close

Funding window closed

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

CLEVERGIRL_FAIL, WEB 2.0 EDITION 03/2011 JANICE@LUXR.CO

2007 08 09

globalfinancialmeltdown

nobody knows how the recession is going to play out. This is the

peak of fear, uncertainty, and doubt

ERsuccessful treatment

Dad Dies

Brother kills

himself

mystery illness

TED conference & the first inkling of

emmet

pass out at ballpark while pitching vc. 10 days bedrest.

Hire dev firm.

1st angel funding

Scheduled close of

2nd angel money

series A meetings

actual close

Public launch of the site

Funding window closed

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

CLEVERGIRL_FAIL, WEB 2.0 EDITION 03/2011 JANICE@LUXR.CO

Now I’m helping other entrepreneurs...

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

CLEVERGIRL_FAIL, WEB 2.0 EDITION 03/2011 JANICE@LUXR.CO

So when are you going to launch?

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

CLEVERGIRL_FAIL, WEB 2.0 EDITION 03/2011 JANICE@LUXR.CO

Janice Fraserwww.luxr.co

@clevergirl@luxrco#LeanUX

Thank You!

Tuesday, March 29, 2011