hooked on a feeling

Stephen P. Anderson @stephenanderson #ISA15t

Awesome artwork by

CappO

We make things that are:

usable

attractive

responsive

reliable

user tested

aligned with business goals

delivered on time

etc.


usable

attractive

responsive

reliable

user tested


delivered on time

etc.

And yet...

I feel like there’s something missing.


usable

attractive

responsive

reliable

user tested


delivered on time

etc.

And yet...

I feel like there’s something missing.

Something intangible…

WHAT MIGHT BE

MISSING?ACT I:

EXHIBIT #1: Movie Animations

If an animator does their job right, animations not only move the story along but visually display a character’s personality. These Big Hero 6 test animations of the characters performing what is superficially the same action show just how much depth Disney’s animators brought to each of them.

Commentary from The Mary Sue:

“

depth

If an animator does their job right, animations not only move the story along but visually display a character’s personality. These Big Hero 6 test animations of the characters performing what is superficially the same action show just how much depth Disney’s animators brought to each of them.

“

?What kind of depth do we bring to our experiences?

EXHIBIT #2: Board Game Design

http://www.leagueofgamemakers.com/the-themes-they-are-a-changing/



The key was to go down a level deeper. At work, we were doing a branding exercise for a product, and we listed off the adjectives we wanted to describe the product. I realized that a similar exercise would work here…

I mulled over all the feedback on the mechanics: what type of experience were they creating on their own? What adjectives did players use to talk about the mechanics? Players described the game as simple and elegant. It was calming and relaxing to play. They were surprised and delighted by the richness of the decisions. They said it flowed smoothly, that they could play it over and over again.”

— R A N D Y H O Y T , G A M E D E S I G N E R / P U B L I S H E R


“



The key was to go down a level deeper. At work, we were doing a branding exercise for a product, and we listed off the adjectives we wanted to describe the product. I realized that a similar exercise would work here…

I mulled over all the feedback on the mechanics: what type of experience were they creating on their own? What adjectives did players use to talk about the mechanics? Players described the game as simple and elegant. It was calming and relaxing to play. They were surprised and delighted by the richness of the decisions. They said it flowed smoothly, that they could play it over and over again.”

— R A N D Y H O Y T , G A M E D E S I G N E R / P U B L I S H E R

“

This image captured perfectly the feeling that the playing the game produced, and I knew a theme and narrative woven around this could work to produce a great experience.




?How often do we really let design principles drive every product decision?

?How often do we really let design principles drive every product decision?

adding features

pushing back on customer requestsprioritizing the backlog

how we design a familiar feature

eliminating features

EXHIBIT #3: “The Carousel”

“…a time machine. It goes backwards, forwards. Takes us to a place where we ache to go again.”

?How often do we focus on the soul of a thing?

Don’t take these similarities too literally.

Big Hero 6 Character Studies

“Let’s focus on better UI animations”

“In what nuanced ways do we evoke

aesthetic reactions?”



Board Game Design


“Let’s create a narrative, entertainment-like,

emotional experience!”



“Is there a cohesive set of emotions that

anchor all of our product decisions?”



Board Game Design

“The Carousel”Clip


“Let’s create a narrative, entertainment-like,

emotional experience!”

“Let’s figure out how to sell our stuff, like

Don Draper!”



“Is there a cohesive set of emotions that

anchor all of our product decisions?”

“Focus on the experience, not the

features”

deeper

depth

experience

soul

theme

narrative

nuance

richness

emotion

detail

craftsmanship

deeper

depth

experience

soul

theme

narrative

nuance

richness

emotion

detail

How do we craft an experience?craftsmanship

IS CRAFTING

EXPERIENCE?THINGS THAT MAKE US

A GREAT

WHAT ARE SOME GOOD EXAMPLES OF WELL-CRAFTED EXPERIENCES…

FEEL?

ACT II:

WHO

Medium???

It’s 2012…

“a publishing platform…”

It’s 2012…

you can write and publish online articles

other people can comment on your articles

you can share articles

bookmark articles

It’s 2012…“a publishing platform…”




bookmark articles


?




bookmark articles


! no customization options

! no custom domains

! royalty-free access to all content

?




bookmark articles

! no customization options

! no custom domains

! royalty-free access to all content

“a publishing platform…”

?

It’s 2012……a new place on the Internet where people share ideas

and stories that are longer than 140 characters and not

just for friends. It’s designed for little stories that make

your day better and manifestos that change the world.

It’s used by everyone from professional journalists to

amateur cooks. It’s simple, beautiful, collaborative,

and it helps you find the right audience for whatever

you have to say.”

“

“Everything changed for me over the weekend when I took the time to write a blog post on Medium.”

“As someone who writes a lot of stuff and has used a lot of different writing software, I'm telling you that I was blown away by the quality

of the product as a writing tool.”

“The entire process is a breeze. And once published, the article looks pretty good too in terms of typography and appearance.”

“Intuitive enough to seem psychic.”

“Because it is such a pleasure to work with, Medium has become something of a fetish object for writers.”

“It does not take a user experience designer to publish a professional story.”

“A joy to use!”

“It’s so damn beautiful. Medium has removed all the cruft that gets between the reader and the message…”

“Clean design, great concept, full of potential treasures to be read.”

“The best writing tool on the web.”

But here’s the thing: I feel as if the service looks so good that it invites only the best content that I—or anyone—can write before actually hitting publish.

Let’s put it another way: If I’m going to write a post on Medium, I don’t want to let Medium down. (“It’s not you, it’s me.”)

“Part of the reason I haven’t published to Medium is because I’m slightly intimidated. I know that is illogical and insane on the surface, but I feel intimidated and almost as if I have to rise to a higher standard on Medium.” —Christina Warren, senior tech analyst at Mashable

A different experience!

• you can write and publish online articles

• other people can comment on your articles

• you can share articles

• bookmark articles

The obvious “what to build”

features & functionality

• Designed more like a magazine.

• Designed a social system to create a built-in audience for new authors

• Launched with published authors (which set really high bar for content)

• Hired former Wired.com editor Evan Hansen as an editor for the site

• Bought he long-form journalism startup Matter

• Created what is arguably the best writing tool on the planet

• Promoted contextual comments

• Focused on typographic UI details that compete w/ centuries of print (vs other web platforms)

• Focused A LOT on quality content

• Offered pre-publishing feedback







The not so obvious “how to build” (& launch)

experience details


















experience details

Product


















experience details

Experiences

Product

“Still amazed by how much @SlackHQ reduced the number of unnecessary emails I could have on a normal workday. #slack”

“Added my entire cohort at @bitmakerlabs to @SlackHQ. Great way to get tons of valuable feedback considered too informal for email.”

“@SlackHQ is already the glue of our remote team. Can't believe we lived without it.”

“The UI in @SlackHQ is SO well considered. Full of helpful surprises.”

“I have to say, @SlackHQ + @appear_in is a game changer for easy video conferencing. By far the lowest friction solution I've seen.”

“Just discovered @slackHQ, which lets us see all our updates from trello, sourcetree and drive in one stream! We're in love :D and it's free!”

“Loving the @SlackHQ experience. Looks like it'll join #Evernote & #Wunderlist as another daily productivity app I can't live without”

“@SlackHQ this may be the best piece of software I found in years #inlove”

"With @SlackHQ, the world of business software is edging into consumer tech. And it's surprisingly good fun."

“Started using @SlackHQ for the first time in a while at work and it has been one of the happiest days I've had! Thanks!”

https://twitter.com/SlackHQ


https://twitter.com/hashtag/slack?src=hash

https://twitter.com/hashtag/slack?src=hash

https://twitter.com/bitmakerlabs

https://twitter.com/bitmakerlabs









https://twitter.com/appear_in

https://twitter.com/appear_in





https://twitter.com/hashtag/Evernote?src=hash

https://twitter.com/hashtag/Evernote?src=hash

https://twitter.com/hashtag/Wunderlist?src=hash

https://twitter.com/hashtag/Wunderlist?src=hash



https://twitter.com/hashtag/inlove?src=hash

https://twitter.com/hashtag/inlove?src=hash





• You can create a room

• add people

• share files

• chat as a group, or

• direct message one another



• Went after individuals and product teams (vs entire companies)

• Focused on a differentiated brand

• Hyper-focused on onboarding experience

• WOM marketing

• Laser focus on quality and responsiveness, taking longer than normal to iterate the preview version

• Positioned themselves against email and mailing lists (not the “chat room” category)

• TONS of integrations (more of a glue between existing services, than a competing service)

• Super-frictionless tool, available for nearly every platform!!

• Solid team

• You can create a room

• add people

• share files

• chat as a group, or

• direct message one another




experience details

WHAT’S REQUIRED

EXPERIENCE?A GREAT

ACT III:

TO CRAFT

TO CRAFT A GREAT EXPERIENCE…

ALIGN AROUND THE EXPERIENCE1


Meaningful

Pleasurable

Convenient

Usable

Reliable

Functional (Useful)

Focused on

Experiences(People, Activities, Context)

Focused on

Tasks(Products, Features)

© 2006 Stephen P. Anderson | poetpainter.com

SUBJECTIVE / QUALITATIVE

OBJECTIVE / QUANTIFIABLE

Has personal significance

Memorable experience worth sharing

Super easy to use, works like I think

Can be used without difficulty

Is available and accurate

Works as programmed

Prioritize Aesthetics (no, not Graphic Design) (visual, behaviors, sounds, psychology)

Design for FLOW (boredom vs anxiety)

Leverage Game Mechanics/Learning Theory (completeness)

Have a Personality

Create conversational and context aware interactions (“Adaptive Interfaces”; narrative IA structures)

Elicit Desire (Limited availability, limited access, curious and seductive experiences)Simplify, organize, and clarify

Display information visually

Reduce features and complexity

Use language for more natural

Add features that support desired ine browsing)

Have a believable story

Co-create value with customers

Connect people in community

Are part of a bigger system

Appeal to emotional, spiritual, and

Create a tolerance for faults at

Are tied to a person’s self-image, highly personal

Creating Pleasurable Interfaces: Getting fom Tasks to Experiencespresented by Stephen P. Anderson | Nov 8, 2006

“It is not enough that we build products that function, that are understandable and usable -we also need to build products that bring joy and excitement, pleasure and fun, and yes, beauty, to people’s lives.”

THIS IS THE “CHASM” THAT IS REALLY, REALLY HARD FOR ORGANIZATIONS TO CROSS

Experience Focus

Product Focus

Experience Focus

Product Focus

people, activities & context

tasks & features

Experience Focus

Product Focus


tasks & features

outcomes and experiences

output and functionality

Experience Focus

Product Focus


tasks & features

outcomes and experiences

output and functionality

perceptions, emotions, attention, memory…

interfaces, interactions, usability,

etc.

“do” needs

“be” needs

“do” needs

“be” needs

Autonomy-Independence

Competence-effectance

Relatedness-belongingness

Influence-popularity

Pleasure-stimulation

Security-control

Physical Thriving-bodily

Self-actualizing-meaning

Self-esteem-self-respect

Money-luxury

https://medium.com/the-job-to-be-done/replacing-the-user-story-with-the-job-story-af7cdee10c27

A teenage girl with a bleak outlook needs to feel more socially accepted when eating healthy food, because in her hood a social risk is more dangerous than a health risk

When a product team is not aligned…

“MIND-MELDING”

“MIND-MELDING”What it is…

How it feels…What values should constrain decisions…

What it’s like / not likeThe experience of using it…

Vision Statement.

Design Tenets

Prototype.

Anything needed to mind-meld across the entire team!

Future Press Release

Concept Models

(and so on)

ALIGN AROUND THE EXPERIENCE

2 OBSESS OVER THE DETAILS

1


With animations, you speed up, slow down, change they style…

“…until it feels right”


With board games, you endlessly playtest…




With presentations you rehearse and adjust things…




With film editing, you cut, recut, change the sequence…

http://www.westword.com/restaurants/meet-the-man-behind-the-music-at-more-than-1-400-chipotles-5121272

It's hard to put my finger on exactly what song makes it and what song doesn’t… We're trying to find emerging stars. Emerging artists have this certain feel to their music.”— C H R I S T O P H E R G O L U B

“


…REQUIRES AN INTIMACY WITH THE MATERIAL(S) OF YOUR CRAFT.

TO ITERATE…

http://www.westword.com/restaurants/meet-the-man-behind-the-music-at-more-than-1-400-chipotles-5121272

It is very difficult to approach Slack with beginner’s mind. But we have to, all of us, and we have to do it every day, over and over and polish every rough edge off until this product is as smooth as lacquered mahogany.

Each of you knows “really good”. Each of you is able to see when things are not done well. Certainly we all complain enough about other people’s software, and we all know how important first impressions are in our own judgements. That is exactly how others will evaluate us.

Look at it hard, and find the things that do not work. Be harsh, in the interest of being excellent.

— S T E W A R T B U T T E R F I E L D

“



FOCUS ON THE WHOLE

1

3


“The Whole is Other than the Sum of the Parts”

“An Experience is Other than the Sum of the Parts”

The pieces are the same…

…but the final experience here is just WRONG!

!=

The pieces are the same…

…but the final experience here is just WRONG!

Product

Experiences Product

Production. Direction. Balance. Orchestration. Choreography.

[Avengers] was very difficult to make it flow and cohere in terms of all the changing perspectives and characters, all these movie stars, all these beats to hit. It's a ridiculously complex puzzle. But once you’ve got the puzzle, and you’re just filling in the voices and coming up with the moments, that’s what’s fun”— J O S S W H E D O N

“

Surprise and delight are the high-fructose corn syrup of the experience economy”“



FOCUS ON THE WHOLE

FOCUS ON AWESOME USERS

1

3

4


We tend to focus on…


➡ making awesome products

➡ making an awesome service

➡ making an awesome company


➡ making awesome products

➡ making an awesome service

➡ making an awesome company

…but what if we focused on making awesome users?

Example of User Awesome:

I find the clean organization of Ulysses gets out of my way, and when I’m writing—it’s as smooth as silk. In a subtle way, I feel inspired by Ulysses and consequentially, I end up spending more time with my butt in the chair, actually writing because I’m enjoying myself.”

—Micah Moss, Screenwriter and Novelist

“



FOCUS ON THE WHOLE3

FOCUS ON AWESOME USERS4




FOCUS ON THE WHOLE3

FOCUS ON AWESOME USERS4


Look for needs (the why & when)

Align the entire team around the desired outcome

Let the desired experience to drive all product (+ business) decisions

Look for opportunities to create transformative experiences

…not just the parts

Keep iterating, until it feels just right

…not just a few playful moments

And if we succeed…

I’m convinced that it is feelings, and feelings alone, that account for the success of the Virgin brand and all its myriad forms.”— S I R R I C H A R D B R A N S O N

“

People will forget what you said,people will forget what you did,but they’ll never forget how you made them feel.”— M A Y A A N G E L O U

“

Thank you!

getmentalnotes.com

Design for Understanding

Stephen P. [email protected] | www.slideshare.net/stephenpa