The document discusses lessons learned from the design of SlideShare. It covers topics such as starting with a basic beta to get user feedback, engaging in conversations with users for research, monitoring key metrics with a "shadow app", focusing on technical simplicity, and ensuring the app loads quickly which was their single biggest win. The overall message is that SlideShare found success by keeping design fast, cheap and responsive to user needs from the beginning.

1. Fast, cheap and somewhat in control 10 Lessons from the design of SlideShare Rashmi Sinha

2. First www.slideshare.net www.themindcanvas.com

4. Designing SlideShare

5. 1. Documents are hard to share What would large-scaling sharing look like? Is office 2.0 just editing & collaboration? A social critique of PowerPoint

6. 2. A simple sharing website A space, not a utility For sharing and connecting Sharing and finding both user driven

7. First generation Social Networks (Friendster, LinkedIn…) 1) I am linked to -> -> to you --->You are linked to her -> ---> on… How it works People connect to each other Six degrees of separation “ Are you my friend” type of awkwardness

8. Second generation social network (networks with objects in between, e.g., Flickr, Yahoo answers) 1) I share my pics -> -> with you ---> -->You share your pics -> ---> with him How it works People share objects | watch others Connections through objects Social info streams: emergence of popular, interesting items

9. Viral sharing (passing on interesting stuff, e.g., YouTube videos) How it works Individual to individual to individual Popularity based navigation track “viral” items 1) I send video I like -> -> to you. You pass on --> --> to her, who sends on to her, who passes on…

10. 3. good content floats to the top Multiple models of popularity Users drive navigation

11. 4. Slides as MICROCONTENT URL for every slide Comment on individual slides

12. 5. What people share on SlideShare Ministers share sermons Teachers share lesson plans Friends share memories Entrepreneurs share business plans

13. 10 Lessons

14. 1. The beta is the market probe User research is hypothetical Get feedback to the real thing What is the risk of failure?

15. How developed should the Beta be? Get basic concept across and no more Leave room for flexibility

16. 2. You don’t need personas When you know your users by name They want to visit your offices They email you everyday

17. 3. Get into a conversation with users Answer emails personally Monitor blogs, subscribe to RSS Customer service as user research

18. 4. Get yourself a shadow app Keep a pulse on main metrics Experiments without A-B setup Simpler than logs, faster than usability testing Whole team responds to it

19. When feedback becomes a torrent Feedback form not enough. Too unstructured Issues need prioritization Diff users want diff features New team members need summary info Improvements beyond low hanging fruits

20. 5. Launch first, refine later UX folks can over analyze Look at examples, take a guess Put it out there. Respond. Refine.

21. 6. designer-developer role is crucial Easier communication Reduced design work

22. 7. Under invest in visual design Let users feel ownership of space Unpolished look is fine

23. 8. Pay attention to technical simplicity Balance user needs & technical simplicity Complexity > slower, riskier, harder to maintain

24. 9. Help users kick ass Everything else is secondary No step by step ROI calculations Have sound business model, but don’t sacrifice user good

25. 10. Single biggest win: make app faster

26. Finally www.slideshare.net/rashmi