Presentation from the UX Strategy Summit 2014

1. LEAN UX
Really Fast Prototyping and
Testing (to get to MVP)
Julie Booth - @uxsuccess

2. What will you do this afternoon?
1. You will be forming some hypothesis around problems you
think exist for potential users in a simulated context.
2. You’ll be creating and testing a very rough prototype of a
self improvement mobile app.
3. You will design it incorrectly, you will find you are working
on the wrong problems.
4. You will practice giving stakeholders information that helps
them decide whether to pivot or persevere.
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3. What will you learn this afternoon?
1. Experiment based knowledge acquisition drives decision
making
2. It’s about value / not just about alternatives
3. Anyone can proto-type an app idea with simple tools
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4. Schedule
• Intro where I will talk a bit: What is
Lean UX? What is MVP?
- Break in to teams and form roles
- Receive your app concept
• Experiment One: (Customer /
Problem)
• Hypothesis Forming
• Experiment Two: (Solution /
Outcome)
• Riskiest Assumption
• Prototype
• Pivot or Persevere?
BREAK
• Experiment Three: (Solution /
Outcome)
• Riskiest Assumption
• Prototype
• Get out of the building
• Pivot or Persevere?
• Team Presentations
• Wrap up
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5. First Things First (10 minutes)
• We are going to build and test some personal-improvement app
concepts.
BUT first…..
• Lets get some definitions out of the way
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6. What is UX? (hint: It’s NOT UI)
ISO 9241-210[1] defines user experience as "a person's perceptions and
responses that result from the use or anticipated use of a product, system or
service".
According to the ISO definition, user experience includes all the users'
emotions, beliefs, preferences, perceptions, physical and psychological
responses, behaviors and accomplishments that occur before, during and
after use.
The ISO also list three factors that influence user experience: system, user
and the context of use.
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7. What is “Lean UX”?
• “Lean UX” describes
methods and their
practical application
in the dynamic
environment of a
Startup situation…..
• Lean UX unites
product development
and business,
through constant
measurement and
“learning loops” http://www.cooper.com/journal/2011/03/more_better_faster_ux_design
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8. Also…..
http://luxr.co/10_principles_of_lean_user_experience 8

9. Hypothesis
• "Everything you do—every action you take in product development,
in marketing, every conversation you have—is an experiment. If you
can conceptualize your work not as building features, not as
launching campaigns, but as running experiments, you can get
radically more done with less effort."
— Eric Ries, Author of The Lean Startup
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10. What is “MVP”
• the minimum viable product is that version of a new product which
allows a team to collect the maximum amount of validated learning
about customers with the least effort – Eric Ries
• http://www.startuplessonslearned.com/2009/08/minimum-viable-product-
guide.htmlt.
• http://techcrunch.com/2011/10/19/dropbox-minimal-viable-product/
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11. Break in to Teams (5 minutes)
• 3-6 people per team
• 1 person must have an iPhone or Android
• Assign a Group Leader
• You have 2 minutes. Go!
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12. Get your App Concept
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13. A good hypothesis is…
 Simple and clear
 Written as a statement
 Establishes
• Participants (who)
• Variables (what’s involved)
• Prediction of an outcome (evidence)
 Testable
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14. UX Stack
Users
Needs
Uses
Features
UI, IA, IxD
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15. Experiment 1 Customer/Problem (15 minutes)
What assumptions about your customer do you have that, if you are
incorrect, your product will fail?
Write down 3
(State each assumption as a hypothesis)
I believe [target customer] will [do this action / use this solution] for [this reason].
I believe busy parents will pay for their kids to use the project center for the
upcoming science fair because they have no time or energy to help their kid
come up with an award-winning entry.
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16. Experiment 1 Customer/Problem
What is the smallest thing you can do to prove the
need is there?
How will you know you’ve succeeded?
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17. Experiment 2 Solution / Outcome (60 minutes)
What features will yield positive outcomes for the customer and the
business?
Write down 5
(State each assumption as a hypothesis)
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18. Mini Break
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19. Plan an experiment
• Choose one of your hypothesis
• Design the test (the thing you build)
• Make sure you have a defined indicator of result
For Example : We believe people like [customer type] will [express this
need/ take this action / exhibit this behavior].
The smallest thing we can make to prove our belief is [experiment].
We will know we are successful when [quantitative measurable
outcome] or [qualitative observable outcome].
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20. THINK : 20 minutes
Draw out how you think each screen should
look like when the user performs the task
- one page per screen
Don’t spend too much time on details
Don’t worry about technology, just draw like
the wind.
Hint: Make some rectangles to start. You
might want to do a quick user flow, make
some BOXES and ARROWS
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21. MAKE: Load your drawings into POP
• Use the “POP” app you have
already installed.
1. Take a picture of your paper
prototype
2. Link the hotspots
3. Test it out using “Play” (don’t
upload)
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22. CHECK! (15 minutes)
• Find some users to test out your
tasks
• Give them the phone
• Ask them what they think they can do with this app.
• What can you do with this app?
• What would you do with it?
• Ask them to perform the task you designed for.
• Don’t tell them how to do it
• Their questions are some of the best data you can collect.
• Write down where users encountered problems
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23. BREAAAAAAAK
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24. Experiment 3 (30 minutes)
Prototype, Validate…. Rinse and Repeat
Diagram of the iterative design and
critique process. Warfel, Todd Zaki.
2009. Prototyping: A Practitioner’s
Guide. New York: Rosenfeld Media.
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25. What did you learn? (30 min)
• Do you need to start over with your idea, based on testing? That is OK.
• If the features are not resonating with your users, it may be a cue to start over.
• Once you have a paper prototype that is “sound”, you will have the basic
foundation for a project.
• Take your newly-created prototype and use as a foundation for your app
• Keep testing prototypes at various points of fidelity – paper prototype,
wireframe, pre-production, post-production
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26. Mini Break
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27. Report outs!!
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28. Some Resources
• Book: Lean UX: Applying Lean Principles to Improve User Experience Jeff Gothelf
(Author), Josh Seiden (Editor)
• Book: UX for Lean Startups: Faster, Smarter User Experience Research and Design
by Laura Klein
• The 10 Principles of Successful Lean Product Teams - luxr.co article
• https://experiments.javelin.com/
• http://www.startuplessonslearned.com/2009/08/minimum-viable-product-guide.
htmlt.
• http://techcrunch.com/2011/10/19/dropbox-minimal-viable-product/
• Lean UX: Getting Out Of The Deliverables Business - Jeff Gothelf @ Smashing UX
• http://www.pinterest.com/jbbooth/lean-ux/
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29. Thank you for a really fun time 
jb@juliebooth.com
503.312.8685
@uxsuccess
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30. Back up
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31. • Moved to Portland 6
months ago
• Lives in SE
• Works downtown
• Single
• 35 years old
• Makes 80K
• Works at a software
startup
• Goes out to lunch every
day at the food carts
• Uses an iPhone and
FaceTime to keep in
touch with friends
• Needs to meet new
people who share his
interest in fusion soul
food and reggae music
Taste Buds
Trevor
Why are we creating this App?
So Trevor can meet fun and interesting people who share his interest and want to eat lunch at the food carts.
When are we done?
When Trevor can get connected to a random person who is going to have lunch at the carts, recognize them by appearance, and confirm a time and cart
to meet at.
What does success look like for our user?
Trevor is meeting a bunch of cool people who like cart food and music. He looks forward to getting pinged by his phone to tell him who he is meeting for
lunch today!
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32. • Celebrated her 50th
birthday last summer
• Lives in SW Portland
• Married
• Makes 90K
• Works for an insurance
company getting claims
information
• Uses a smart phone to
calendar and set
reminders
• Seeing a naturopath for
menopause symptoms
• On the go all day long
• Overwhelmed
• Needs to feel like she is
keeping up with her diet,
exercise, acupuncture and
nutritional supplement
regime
Doctor’s Orders
Doris
Why are we creating this App?
Doris needs to be reminded to take her supplements before she eats her meals three times a day, and she needs a record that she’s been taking them to
report back to her doctor when she sees her next month.
When are we done?
When Doris can get a notification that it’s time to take her supplements (which ones and how much) see that she’s taken all of her supplements for the day.
What does success look like for our user?
Doris is taking all of her supplements at the appropriate times during the day and can see how she’s done with taking them over time.
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33. • 48 years old
• Lives in Woodstock in
transitional sober
housing
• Divorced
• Employed Part time –
Work Release Program
(also has to check in
with Parole Officer
weekly)
• Uses his iPhone to listen to
music and watch YouTube
video.
• Recently released from
prison
• Working a 12 step
program of recovery
• Needs some help
refocusing to positive
behavior when he feels
overwhelmed and
agitated.
Pause When Agitated
Peter
Why are we creating this App?
Peter needs a distraction when he is agitated so that he can take a pause and gain control over his impulses.
When are we done?
When Peter can use his phone while he is at the height of anxiety to quickly see a calming distraction that reminds him to pause, breathe, and call his
sponsor (or other alternative behavior)
What does success look like for our user?
Peter uses his phone to calm down instead of getting into trouble again.
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34. • 32 years old
• Lives in Hillsboro
• Married
• Makes 125K
• Software developer for
a large corporation
• Uses a smart phone listen
to music while she works.
• Uses time management
software on her laptop to
remind her to take a
break.
• Just bought a portable
stepper for her cube so
she can do more exercise.
• Needs to be reminded to
stop working and get on
the stepper for a few
minutes every hour
Burst! Training
Brinda
Why are we creating this App?
Brinda needs help to take a break every hour and get in her 8 minutes of 1 minute burst stepping a day.
When are we done?
When Brinda can get an alert while she is listening to music on her phone that prompts her to stop work, gives her time to get on the stepper, motivates
her to go as fast as she can for 60 sec, and then lets her know when she is done.
What does success look like for our user?
Brinda starts using her stepper
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35. • 25 years old
• Lives in North Portland
– shares an apartment
with roommates
• In a relationship
• Makes 40K a year plus
tips
• Works in the hospitality
industry on the late
night shift.
• Uses her iPhone for
everything
• Has blackout shades in the
bedroom so she can sleep
during the day.
• Needs to be shocked out
of sleep or she won’t get
up.
• Suffers insomnia worrying
about getting up on time.
Scary Mommy Alarm
Scarlett
Why are we creating this App?
Scarlett can’t get out of bed to get to her night job. She’s been using the iPhone alarm but it is not powerful enough to rouse her, or she hits SNOOZE over
and over again and falls back asleep.
When are we done?
When Scarlett can be woken from her phone by her mother’s voice screaming to “get out of bed now” combined with flashing light. She can’t snooze. She
can’t or turn off the alarm until she is up and has done something physical or cognitive.
What does success look like for our user?
Scarlett can set her alarm knowing it will wake her, so she can get some sleep!
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