the ux driven startup (or the vision driven startup) - updated october 2011

Alexa Andrzejewski

Founder & CEO, Foodspotting

Follow @ladylexy and @foodspotting

The Vision-Driven StartupHow & why you should share your ideas

Woke up one morning with a great idea...

I help companies imagine great products!

The only problem is...*I can’t actually build things*

I needed to find a Cofounder. Team. Investors. Users.

Where to start?

How did I do it?I shared my idea with everyone

who would listen!

By sharing this vision,I found an awesome cofounder...

And when I did find a cofounder, we could hit the ground running.

Behind each of our greatest successes was a

shared vision.

“What if you could see the nearest places Anthony Bourdain has

eaten wherever you go?”

“We’re looking for a Tristan”

“It will be likePandora for Food”

If I can picture something, it will happen.

If I don’t bother,it won’t.

Sharing your vision is the most important

thing a founder can do.

A shared vision can help you avoid common mistakes startups make

Mistake 1:Building something people don’t

really want or need

Sharing your vision helps you:

Validate your ideas

Mistake 2:Thinking too small

Sharing your vision helps you:

Impress investors

Mistake 3:Moving too slowly

Sharing your vision helps you:Make decisions and

align your team

So how can you share your vision effectively?

What headlines do we want to see in 2011?

There are many ways you can share your vision!

Your shared vision should:1. Capture the imagination

2. Be easy to share3. Get people excited

Simple, unexpected, credible:“Put a man on the moon and return him safely by the end of the decade.”(From the book “Ideas That Stick”)

“A star to sail your ship by.”-Jesse James Garrett

You have an idea.What next?

Expanding your vision

Communicating your vision

What is your name?What is your quest?

And what is Foodspotting?

Validating your vision

Visualize your ideas.Share them with everyone who

will listen. Refine & repeat!

bit.ly/uxvisionP.S. We’re hiring UX-MindedRails & iPhone Developers!

Alexa Andrzejewski

Founder & CEO, Foodspotting

Follow @ladylexy and @foodspotting