Add a feature? No! Make a New Product

1. Add a feature? No!
Make a new product.
A short story of getting unstuck by
designing a tiny app called Bounce to
simplify a big app called Notable.

2. Who are ?
Interaction design consultants for 13 years.
Self-funded.
(Building our own apps now too.)

3. Work with startups
200 of them by now.

5. Design for people
We believe design means crafting interactions that
exchange real value between people.

6. UX Design Details
Nobody designs an experience,
but people do have them.
⟶

7. Nobody designs an experience.
But people do have them.
UX Design Details⟶

10. After one year: Meh.
Core feature had a lot of different views.
Brittle JavaScript, especially in IE.
Lots of customers, incremental change?
Fixing details not exciting to big press.
No obvious immediate ROI.
Maybe upgrade some customers?
Notify customers by email?
Team uninspired.
We had a business, but the app was stuck.

12. Screenshot SEO
Code Copywriting

13. Screenshot SEO
Code Copywriting
Analytics
too?

14. Screenshot SEO
Code Copywriting
Analytics
too?

16. Put the fish on the table
Old Italian fisherman’s saying.

17. Real Issues
1. Old story, no rally cry
2. Code debt
3. Interaction details!

18. 1. Old story, no rally cry
Notable itself was old news in the media.
Only advertising to grow traffic.
Only current customers would care.
No obvious short term return on investment.

19. What if...
1. “New” app instead? Reach the press.
2. Shrink app to size of an elevator pitch.
3. Give it away for free.
4. Build awareness & sign ups.

20. Launched Bounce
A “tiny” version of Notable with no registration.
Launched Bounce
A “tiny” version of Notable with no registration.

21. Exposure
Simple story
17,000+ links to Bounce (eclipsing Notable)
103,095 Bounce screenshots
(70% of Notable’s total in 1/4 time)
5,250 tweets about BounceApp
Top 10 in search for “bounce” in first week,
now #3 on google

22. 2. Code debt
“Resist the urge to rip up your code and start over!
It’s seductive, but it won’t be a good return on your investment.”
- Anonymous bad advice

23. 2. Code debt
“Resist the urge to rip up your code and start over.
It’s seductive, but it won’t be a good return on your investment.”
- Anonymous bad advice
“Do no harm to current customers.”
- Our own bad advice

24. What if...
1. Fresh start? Apply what we’d learned.
2. Had no customers to worry about?

25. Wins with code
Mentally liberating fresh start.
Hard to do at first.
(Using both Prototype.js and JQuery)
Long-term win.
(Full shift to JQuery)

26. Wins with code
Mentally liberating fresh start.
Hard to do at first.
(Using both Prototype.js and JQuery)
Long-term win.
(Full shift to JQuery)
Added to Notable too!

27. 3. Interaction details!

28. What if...

29. “What is
interesting to
our user? What
is needed to
engage them?”
- Bill Scott, Netflix

30. Interesting
moments
grid

33. See your assumptions,
ask what if...

34. Make a new app instead.

35. Make a new app instead.
1. New story, awareness, sign ups!

36. Make a new app instead.
1. New story, awareness, sign ups!
2. Rock solid code, surprise win

37. Make a new app instead.
1. New story, awareness, sign ups!
2. Rock solid code, surprise win
3. Go deep, take care of details (UX)

38. Make a new app instead.
1. New story, awareness, sign ups!
2. Rock solid code, surprise win
3. Go deep, take care of details (UX)

39. Won’t work for you?

40. Won’t work for you?
What if...

41. Won’t work for you?
What if...
Challenge your team to advance their craft?

42. Won’t work for you?
What if...
Challenge your team to advance their craft?
Demo to do internal sales?

43. Won’t work for you?
What if...
Challenge your team to advance their craft?
Demo to do internal sales?
Prototype to get customer feedback?

44. Follow us on Twitter
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