The document discusses 3 key product development trends for 2013: mobile, data, and social. For mobile, it emphasizes designing mobile-first and creating "snackable" content optimized for on-the-go consumption. For data, it discusses going beyond analytics to make data actionable and using open platforms/APIs. For social, it notes social has become a foundation enabling new types of sites and content creation. The implications section notes each trend's pitfalls, such as monetization challenges with mobile and emphasizing quality over quantity with user-generated content.

1. Max Engel
3 Product Development
Trends to Watch
January 2013
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2. Topics Covered
- About Me
- Introduction
- Discussion of Key Trends
- Implications
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3. About Me
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4. About Me
A Bit About Myself
Max Engel, Product MacGyver
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5. About Me
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6. About Me
Brickd.com 8BitKid.com MaxEngel.com
(Lego) (nerdy things) (work and personal)
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7. Introduction
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8. Introduction
Where We Are
What is Driving the Evolution of Online Storytelling
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9. Introduction
Online Narratives Have
Changed
• Stories are being told in different ways
• Content is more readily available
• News is being commoditized
Circa iPhone app
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10. Introduction
A “Story” is Now Much
More
• The story only begins when the publish
button is pressed
• The line between content creator and
contributor is being blurred
• Users want to participate and be
engaged
Forbes’ new article page
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11. Introduction
Product Trends of 2013
3 Key Driver of Innovation
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12. Introduction
3 Trends are Shaping Product
Development
Mobile Data Social
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13. Discussion of Key Trends
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14. Discussion of Key Trends
Mobile
How smartphones are reshaping how we build
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15. Discussion of Key Trends
The Needs of Mobile Users
are Different
• Value in designing “mobile-first”
• Users enjoy “snackable” content
• Content needs to be optimized for on-
the-go consumption
Pocket iPhone App
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16. Discussion of Key Trends
Responsive Design
• One site across all screen sizes
• Often HTML5 sites leveraging CSS3 to
perform media queries to make content
adapt to the screen it is on
• Ensures parity across platforms and a
consistent experience
Sasquatch Music Festival Site
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17. Discussion of Key Trends
Native App vs. Web App
• Native apps help drive engagement via
push notifications and can leverage
device API’s for speed and functionality
• HTML5 web apps help fight
fragmentation
• It is important to choose the right
technology based on the problem being
solved
Grooveshark HTML5 app
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18. Discussion of Key Trends
Data
Information is abundant and freely flowing
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19. Discussion of Key Trends
Going Beyond Analytics
• Now the challenge is not getting
the data, but instead figuring out
how to make it actionable
• Real-time testing means content
can be optimized on-the-fly to
drive core KPI’s
• User intent can be better
understood
USA Today Uses Real-time Headline A/B Testing
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20. Discussion of Key Trends
Open Platforms and API’s
• Data can become a commodity
that innovative experiences are
built on top of
• Structured data projects like
Facebook’s Open Graph give
semantic meaning to online
engagement
SoundCloud Developer Hub
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21. Discussion of Key Trends
Personalization
Pandora EchoNest Spotify
(recommendatio (recommendatio (music-driven
n as a product) n as a service) content
recommendation)
Recommendations can be custom-tailored based on data
analysis
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22. Discussion of Key Trends
Social
Moving from feature to foundation
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23. Discussion of Key Trends
Building on Social
• While social used to be a feature
bolted onto sites, it is now
enabling sites that couldn’t have
existed before
• Users need to be a part of the
content creation process
• Curation helps the best user-
generated content filter up
Rap Genius
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24. Discussion of Key Trends
Distribution
• Content no longer lives in a silo, and
users may not interact with your
content or brand inside of your walls
• Social media referrals means that every
page needs to be a landing page
• The lines between writers, contributors,
and readers will continue to blur
Soundtracking’s
Twitter Cards
implementation
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25. Implications
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26. Implications
While these 3 trends are going to
catalyze product innovation in the
coming year, it is also important to
recognize their pitfalls
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27. Implications
Mobile is amazing, but…
• Monetization is still immature
• Users still love big experiences on big screens
• Certain interactions are better suited for unique designs
So maybe I should…
• Be mobile first, web second
• Create content that bridges platforms seamlessly
• Consider when a responsive design might lead to bad user
experience
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28. Implications
Data lets me do great things, except
it…
• Doesn’t lead to serendipity
• Emphasizes quantitative analysis of qualitative evaluations
So it might be better to…
• Be data-informed, instead of data-driven
• Remember that A/B testing can’t create new ideas
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29. Implications
Users demand social products, and
yet…
• Authority still matters
• They often create a low social signal-to-noise ratio
So it might be better to…
• Not discount the importance of curation
• Never forget the power of an editor
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30. Implications
Conclusion:
trends are great, but being trendy isn’t
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31. Thanks!
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32. My info:
email:
max@maxengel.com
twitter: @8bitkid
web: maxengel.com
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