User Centred Design and the Fender Telecaster

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UCD User Centred Design By Mathew Devey

description

A look at how the designer of the worlds most popular guitar employed a User Centred Design methodology to gain a competitive advantage over the market leader.

Transcript of User Centred Design and the Fender Telecaster

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UCDUser Centred Design

By Mathew Devey

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• Putting the user at the heart of the design process

• Combining user research and design methodologies to make informed decisions

• An iterative process that requires users to have input (directly and indirectly) early on and throughout the design process

What is UCD?

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• Making informed decisions that reduce the business risks associated with high levels of assumption

• Leads to products users will actively want, use and recommend.

• Has been shown reduced development costs and time

Benefits of UCD

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• Highly formal, drawn out research processes that blow project timelines out

• “I want it to do this”, “I always think of it like...” are phrases that should never be used in a UCD project. The user doesn’t care what you want!

• Restricted to interfaces or technologies

• A new idea

UCD Is Not…

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UCD Design Process

Concept

Use research to develop a concept Initial design, prototype

evaluation and iteration

An iteration that learns from usability testing will result in a product we know users will use.

Research

Finds out what the business and user's needs actually are

Post-launchUsers needs and behaviour change over time so we need to keep track of it

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3, 4 & 5

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ImplementationOnce the design has been validated this is when recoding may be required

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UCD Case Study

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The Fender Telecaster

• One of the most successful examples of industrial design

• Unchanged, yet still a market leader, 60 years later

• Iterated / evolved into the most popular guitar ever!

• A true David and Goliath battle

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The Fender Telecaster

Then (1952)

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The Fender Telecaster

Now

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Designed in 1952 by

Clarence Leonidas "Leo" Fender

Leo…

• Didn’t play the guitar

• Owned a radio repair shop

• Studied accounting

• Wasn’t cool!

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Played By

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Competing Against

Gibson Guitar Corporation

• Experienced Instrument Manufacturers (since 1894)

• Established Market Leaders

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The Fender Telecaster

“Leo got it right the first time”

– Keith Richards

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The UCD Advantage

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The Design Process

Problem statement

• Design a guitar that can be heard in busy / noisy venues

Proposed solution

• A solid body (rather than traditional hollow body) guitar with electronic pickups

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The Design Process

Current state of the market

Traditional hollow body ‘Spanish’ style guitars

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The Design Process

A new idea? Yes and no…

• Electronic pickups had recently been invented fed back at high volumes (on hollow body guitars)

• Solid body designs had briefly been considered (by a couple of manufacturers) but being such a strange concept (at the time) were quickly dismissed; based on the assumption consumers wouldn’t like/want them

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The Design Process

Rickenbacker’s “Frying Pan”

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The Design Process

Les Paul’s “The Log”

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1. Research

Leo spoke to customers and discovered…

• Most professional musician don’t earn a lot of money!

Many wanted a ‘work horse’ instrument that’s reliable, tough enough to survive touring and easy to maintain and repair

Not the expensive, ornate, hand crafted instruments offered by Gibson

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1. Research

Leo involved users in the design process

• He drew two lines on a piece of paper (representing the ‘bridge’ and ‘nut’ that all guitars must have) and asked musicians to sketch different designs.

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2. Concept

Initial prototype

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2. Concept

Very different from

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2. Concept

Key Features

• Simple design that’s easy/cheap to mass produceBand sawn body rather than hand carved

• One piece, replaceable, bolt on neckEasier to build, service and replace than a traditional glued on neck

• Easy to setup / adjustCan be done by the musicians themselves

• Indestructible. Built like a tank!Roadworthy

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3, 4, 5. Evaluate and Iterate

Leo tested his prototype with users

• By inviting local hillbilliesmusicians over to play prototypes

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3, 4, 5. Evaluate and Iterate

Then incorporated their feedback into his design

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6. Implementation

Finally releasing his product into the market (once the necessary QA was conducted)

And changing the sound of popular music forever!

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7. Post LaunchLeo canvased feedback from his customers

They told him…

• The square edges of the guitar dug into their ribs and forearm (by the end of a long gig)

• They wanted a wider tonal palette

• They wanted more control over micro adjustments

• They wanted a whammy bar!

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7. Post Launch

Leo incorporated this feedback and designed the most popular guitar ever!

• By designing ingenious solutions

• And copying the solutions others came up with*

…innovation and plagiarism collaboration* One musician cut contours into the body of his telecaster (to make it more comfortable). Leo incorporating these exact contours into this new guitar.

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Subsequent iteration… The Stratocaster

The most popular guitar ever!

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Designed by

A non musicianWho didn’t have a lot in common with his customers!

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Used by

The worlds most successful musicians

…and me!

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Conclusion

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Lessons

User input is important

Although Leo conceived the initial idea…

• The success of both the telecaster and Stratocaster was due to the involvement of real users at every step of the process. They essentially co-designed the instruments (so it’s no surprise they appealed to other musicians too)!

• Leo’s ability to canvas user feedback, facilitate (and listen) was just as important as his ability to ideate.

• Without speaking to users Leo would never have known there was a gap in the market for affordable ‘work horse’ guitars

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LessonsAssumptions are risky

Although Gibson were the market leader…

• They assumed their customers were only interested in what they currently bought. In reality many musicians wanted something different but there was no viable alternative

• They assumed what had previously made them successful would continue to do so

• They placed too much confidence in their collective experience and failed to engage their customers (to fully understand the nuances of their needs and expectations)

• They were too close to the problem!