1. Crafting Software Products
Sarah Allen
Blazing Cloud
@ultrasaurus

2. “ Artisans were the
dominant producers of consumer products
”
prior to the Industrial Revolution
WIKIPEDIA

3. What is a Software Product?

4. Software Products

5. Software Products

6. Software Products

9. “ What is simplest thing
that could possibly work?
”
WARD CUNNINGHAM / KENT BECK

12. Learn: what do we know?
(numbers are good)
Hypothesis: what do we believe?
(numbers are good)
Test: how can we check reality?
Analyze: does the data support our
hypothesis?

13. Blazing Cloud Toolbox

15. Case Study
Optality

16. The Company
Optality helps you discover patterns
that affect your fitness goals
by analyzing data from apps & devices you already use.

17. The Challenge
Optality had developed an MVP,
which could deliver “insights” via weekly email.
Blazing Cloud to create a mobile app.

18. Key Questions
Target Audience?
Key Features for the Mobile App?

19. Test First
RED
GREEN
refactor

20. Test Driven Development is a
design activity

21. Instance OR Class Method?
it "executes code" do it "executes code" do
called = false called = false
Perf.new.execute do Perf.execute do
called = true called = true
end end
called.should be_true called.should be_true
end end

22. Test First Product Definition

23. Reflective OR Goal-Oriented?
Text
• One
• Two
• Three

24. Methodology

25. Landing Page Test
Google or Facebook Ad Web Page with Sign Up Form

26. Measuring Results
Ad Impressions Page Visitors Sign Ups

27. Success Criteria
÷ =
Ad Spend Sign Ups Cost Per User

28. Success Criteria
Less than $10/user = Success

29. Run the Test

30. Reflective OR Goal-Oriented?
Text
• One
• Two
• Three

31. Exploratory Test
53 Signups
of 198 Visitors*
27% conversion
Not Repeatable
*excluding the “social media marketing team”
(everyone on the project)

32. Repeatable Test

33. Repeatable Test
8 Signups
of 165 Visitors*
4.85% conversion
$31.25

34. Repeatable Test
8 Signups
of 165 Visitors*
4.85% conversion
$31.25

35. Impact of Image vs. Text Message
Results from Multi-variate Test
Visual Website Optimizer

36. Design the App

37. Divergent Approaches
Lead with Insights
• Feed paradigm
• Dive into Data

38. Divergent Approaches
Lead With Data
• Aggregated Graphs
• Dive into Insights

39. Test with People

40. Live Interviews

41. What do you think
this product does?

42. What makes you think that?

43. What questions/concerns
do you have about the
product?

44. What words would you use
to describe
the “feel” of this page?

45. Run the Test
again

46. Landing Page Test
41% conversion rate
$1.23 user acquisition cost

47. Landing Page Test
41% conversion rate
$1.23 user acquisition cost

48. Refactor
create the app!

50. Not Done Yet!
Sign up at:
motifmvp.com

51. Summary
1. Reality Check before we write code
2. Talk to Customers
3. Validate Assumptions before we feel ready
4. Document Why not what

52. @ultrasaurus
Sarah Allen
Blazing Cloud
http://blazingcloud.net
http://ultrasaurus.com