Slides from "Design & the Mobile Startup", a 45 minute presentation on how great design happens in the chaos of startup culture. presented by Ron Goldin (CEO/Principal designer, Studio Akko), featured at IXDA 2013, Toronto. Visit studioakko.com for details.

1. Coming Up Next...
Design & the Mobile Startup
Ron Goldin, Studio Akko @akko
@ixdconf #IxD13

2. Design & the Mobile Startup:
Toronto Edition
#mobiledsgn #ixd13
CONFIDENTIAL
© 2012 Studio Akko LLC

3. Ron Goldin

4. Startups: no process
Corporations: too much process

9. Painting a Vision
Teams & Process
Getting Feedback

10. Painting a Vision

11. Defining the problem
CONFIDENTIAL
Painting a Vision
© 2012 Studio Akko LLC

12. “Aspire for wedding cake,
start with cupcakes.”
Alexa Andrzejewski

13. timeline

14. Problem solved:
Remembering and sharing
what you ate
(Foodspotters)

15. Problem solved:
easily find the food you crave
(Foodseekers)

16. timeline

17. Problem solved:
1. Filters
2. Community
3. Speed

19. Problem solved:
make it easier to privately
connect with groups of
friends at events

21. Problem solved:
get only the best
recommendations from
people I trust

22. evolution

23. Problem solved:
help sellers on-site and
on-the-go to run their
businesses
(mobile)

24. timeline

25. Problem solved:
let friends know where you
are & what you’re up to
(2009)

26. Problem solved:
feel like a local when you’re
out of your element
(2013)

27. Communicating the solution
CONFIDENTIAL
Painting a Vision
© 2012 Studio Akko LLC

28. Knowing your audience:
Users & Investors

29. Method 1:
Communicate with your
imagination.

30. “See What I Mean”
Kevin Cheng
@k

31. LOGO LOGO LOGO
Alexa Mike Ron
@twitter @twitter @akko
Email (?) Email (?) ron@studioakko.com

32. LOGO LOGO LOGO
Alexa Mike Ron
@twitter @twitter @akko
Email (?) Email (?) ron@studioakko.com

33. Method 2:
Communicate with code.

34. Rome wasn’t built in a day.
But you’re not building Rome.

35. Bar exams.

36. The MVP
CONFIDENTIAL
Painting a Vision
© 2012 Studio Akko LLC

37. Minimum Viable Product
NOT
Maximum Voluminous Product

38. “Build half a product, not a
half-ass product.”
Jason Fried, 37signals

39. “We may not be right but
we’re not confused.”
Mike Krieger, Instagram

40. “Solve a problem you know
well.”
Steve Martocci, GroupMe

41. Fail Early. Fail oen.

42. Roles & Process

43. Designers at startups
CONFIDENTIAL
Roles & Process
© 2012 Studio Akko LLC

44. IXD
DEV VXD
(Choose 2.)

45. Visual Design doesn’t
have to mean style.

46. Designers as leaders.

47. Brand & Identity
CONFIDENTIAL
Roles & Process
© 2012 Studio Akko LLC

49. The experience is the identity.

56. Bridging the Discipline Gap
CONFIDENTIAL
Roles & Process
© 2012 Studio Akko LLC

57. Trust is more important
than process.

58. “You can’t have one process
that covers the world.”
Leland Rechis, Etsy

59. Startups live and breathe
the product.

60. Developers at startups
are user-centered, too.

61. Getting
Feedback

62. Non-Traditional Research
CONFIDENTIAL
Getting Feedback
© 2012 Studio Akko LLC

63. e first 24 hours.

64. e first 18 months.

66. A Real, Grown Up
Startup.

67. Community Managers
CONFIDENTIAL
Getting Feedback
© 2012 Studio Akko LLC

68. Advocacy & Evangelism
Editorial & Outreach
Product Requirements
Support & Help

69. @jayzombie
Instagram
CONFIDENTIAL
© 2012 Studio Akko LLC

70. Superusers
CONFIDENTIAL
Getting Feedback
© 2012 Studio Akko LLC

71. The squeaky wheel
gets the grease.

73. Mobile & Usability
CONFIDENTIAL
Getting Feedback
© 2012 Studio Akko LLC

74. “There’s a beauty in
exploring an interface.”
Bart Stein, Stamped

75. Performance as usability.

76. Where you launch matters.

77. Considering scale.

78. Late adopters are a tough crowd.

79. Keeping up with change.

80. Ron Goldin
ron@studioakko.com
@akko
Additional videos at studioakko.com