Eating our Own Dog Food: Using UX Methods to Build a UX Business Lou Rosenfeld, Rosenfeld Media CanUX: Banff, Alberta, Canada November 26, 2007 www.rosenfeldmedia.com

Brief bio Co-author, Information Architecture for the World Wide Web Blog: www.louisrosenfeld.com Co-founder, IA Institute and UXnet Publisher and founder, Rosenfeld Media (books for UX practitioners): www.rosenfeldmedia.com My forthcoming book: Search Analytics for Your Site: Conversations with your customers

Co-author, Information Architecture for the World Wide Web

Blog: www.louisrosenfeld.com

Co-founder, IA Institute and UXnet

Publisher and founder, Rosenfeld Media (books for UX practitioners): www.rosenfeldmedia.com

My forthcoming book: Search Analytics for Your Site: Conversations with your customers

The Rodney Dangerfield Era of UX is over Design thinking is ascendant, and UX practitioners are upwardly mobile What happens when actually we get our hands on the keys to the car?

Design challenges in publishing Designing books Can book design be improved upon? Acquiring books Which books should we publish? Developing books How can we ensure quality content?

Designing books Can book design be improved upon?

Acquiring books Which books should we publish?

Developing books How can we ensure quality content?

Design challenge #1: Designing books How is it usually done? How would you do it differently? “… book covers do sell books, just like packaging sells other products…” --Dan Poynter

How is it usually done?

How would you do it differently?

Question: What makes a good UX book good? Show’n’tell sessions and blog discussions What UX books do you (dis)like? What about them do you (dis)like? Blog entries, summaries, and comments: http://tinyurl.com/2rjg7u http://tinyurl.com/2jvrd9 http://tinyurl.com/32ty7r

Show’n’tell sessions and blog discussions

What UX books do you (dis)like?

What about them do you (dis)like?

Blog entries, summaries, and comments:

http://tinyurl.com/2rjg7u

http://tinyurl.com/2jvrd9

http://tinyurl.com/32ty7r

Anecdotal answers Short enough to read on a plane trip Short chapters Small, portable profile: 6” x 9” Wide margins for annotation Color interiors and good illustrations Support readability and reference: print and PDF

Short enough to read on a plane trip

Short chapters

Small, portable profile: 6” x 9”

Wide margins for annotation

Color interiors and good illustrations

Support readability and reference: print and PDF

…and that favorite UX book?

Interiors

Covers Ehh… Better

Book testing: print and PDF Goals: validate design, uncover missed opportunities Task analysis Foundation (e.g., What is this book about?) Navigation (e.g., re-finding) Extension (e.g., grabbing a diagram) Post-test questionnaire Ratings (e.g. author credibility, price) Open-ended comments/feedback

Goals: validate design, uncover missed opportunities

Task analysis

Foundation (e.g., What is this book about?)

Navigation (e.g., re-finding)

Extension (e.g., grabbing a diagram)

Post-test questionnaire

Ratings (e.g. author credibility, price)

Open-ended comments/feedback

What we’re learning from testing The value of new concepts FAQ for book Closer integration with web-based content New twists on old concepts Table of contents critically important Value of front matter, covers Not missing the obvious Author bio establishes credibility Improving quality where critical (e.g,. Images)

The value of new concepts

FAQ for book

Closer integration with web-based content

New twists on old concepts

Table of contents critically important

Value of front matter, covers

Not missing the obvious

Author bio establishes credibility

Improving quality where critical (e.g,. Images)

Design challenge #1: Designing books How would you do it?

How would you do it?

Design challenge #2: Acquiring books How is it usually done? How would you do it differently?

How is it usually done?

How would you do it differently?

Choosing proposals Metaphors help set useful boundaries Weft: “horizontal” UX methods Warp: UX “verticals” … and then they break … which is ok

Metaphors help set useful boundaries

Weft: “horizontal” UX methods

Warp: UX “verticals”

… and then they break

… which is ok

Adding rigor to book acquisition Qualitative methods Agile proposal development process (between author + publisher) Peer review of proposals (by editorial board) Reconsidering venues for input (e.g. social networks) Quantitative method: UX Zeitgeist

Qualitative methods

Agile proposal development process (between author + publisher)

Peer review of proposals (by editorial board)

Reconsidering venues for input (e.g. social networks)

Quantitative method: UX Zeitgeist

Good help is there if you ask for it Editorial Board Liz Danzico Andrew Dillon Steve Krug Mike Kuniavsky Ginny Redish Marc Rettig Nathan Shedroff Rashmi Sinha Karen Whitehouse

Another source of input: social networks (e.g., LinkedIn Answers)

Quantitative topic evaluation: UXZeitgeist.com

UXZ Person

UXZ Book

UXZ Book Index

UXZ Topic Index

Design challenge #2: Acquiring books How would you do it?

How would you do it?

Design challenge #3: Developing books How is it usually done? How would you do it differently?

How is it usually done?

How would you do it differently?

The obvious Author Publisher Editorial board Editorial team The not-so-obvious Industry/subject matter experts Industry influencers Conference planners Software and service vendors Potential readers Books as dialogues: engaging with stakeholders

The obvious

Author

Publisher

Editorial board

Editorial team

The not-so-obvious

Industry/subject matter experts

Industry influencers

Conference planners

Software and service vendors

Potential readers

Book sites: grounds for engagement

Further engagement: mapping the market Ubiquitous, viral discount codes Surveys UX Zeitgeist Bookmarks Individual PDF versions of books Generates map of UX community

Ubiquitous, viral discount codes

Surveys

UX Zeitgeist

Bookmarks

Individual PDF versions of books

Generates map of UX community

Design challenge #3: Developing books How would you do it?

How would you do it?

Lesson: Build platforms for engagement Businesses that produce creative assets should be designed as platforms Make your platform as open as possible With platforms, opportunities originate with iteration more than innovation

Businesses that produce creative assets should be designed as platforms

Make your platform as open as possible

With platforms, opportunities originate with iteration more than innovation

Another lesson: Sweat the soft stuff It’s easy to get carried away by the technical aspects of platforms It’s too easy to ignore the human aspects of platforms (e.g., project managers, art directors) And it’s way too easy to ignore the traditional aspects of an industry (e.g., book publishing is and always will be damned hard)

It’s easy to get carried away by the technical aspects of platforms

It’s too easy to ignore the human aspects of platforms (e.g., project managers, art directors)

And it’s way too easy to ignore the traditional aspects of an industry (e.g., book publishing is and always will be damned hard)

One last lesson: cobblers and their kids Get used to looking like a hypocrite Don’t let that stop you And remember to eat your own dog food

Get used to looking like a hypocrite

Don’t let that stop you

And remember to eat your own dog food

Image credits Rodney Dangerfield: etwist.blogspot.com/2007_02_01_archive.html Dice: www.joystiq.com/media/2006/02/rollingreddice.jpg Weave: www.classicistranieri.com Onion: k53.pbase.com/u25/franziskalang/upload/15197600.Onion.jpg

Rodney Dangerfield: etwist.blogspot.com/2007_02_01_archive.html

Dice: www.joystiq.com/media/2006/02/rollingreddice.jpg

Weave: www.classicistranieri.com

Onion: k53.pbase.com/u25/franziskalang/upload/15197600.Onion.jpg

More information This presentation is available at: www.slideshare.net/lrosenfeld Louis Rosenfeld, Publisher Rosenfeld Media, LLC 705 Carroll Street, #2L Brooklyn, NY 11215 USA +1.718.306.9396 voice +1.734.661.1655 fax [email_address] www.rosenfeldmedia.com

This presentation is available at: www.slideshare.net/lrosenfeld

Louis Rosenfeld, Publisher

Rosenfeld Media, LLC

705 Carroll Street, #2L

Brooklyn, NY 11215 USA

+1.718.306.9396 voice

+1.734.661.1655 fax

[email_address]

www.rosenfeldmedia.com