This document discusses agile product development and design processes for startups. It outlines a methodology using scrum, minimum viable products (MVPs), and frequent user testing. A design sprint process is proposed involving analysis, sketching, prototyping, and fixing iterations. Close collaboration between designers and developers is emphasized to iteratively design, develop, and test the MVP within budget and timeline constraints. The goal is to rapidly iterate the product to address user needs and collect strategic data to guide further development.

1. Agile and Design:
creating and implementing
products (in Italy) is possible
by Manuel Spezzani and Ilaria Mauric
!
Be!er So"ware
Firenze, October 13, 2014

2. Ilaria Mauric
Partner and Head of Design
GNV&Partners
@ilariamauric

3.
it.linkedin.com/in/ilariamauric/
Manuel Spezzani
Technical lead
Iconsulting
@manuelspezzani

4.
it.linkedin.com/in/manuelspezzani/it
illustration

5. by

6. Mabel

7. Morri

8. Can we make
a product?

9. Can we make
a saleable
and sustainable
product?

10. The product lifecycle
represents the amount of revenue
a product generates over time,
from its inception
to the point where it is discontinued
development introduction
growth
maturity
decline
Source: h!p://smallbusiness.chron.com/difference-between-product-lifecycle-project-lifecycle-20432.html

11. The product lifecycle
represents the amount of revenue
a product generates over time,
from its inception
to the point where it is discontinued
development
introduction
The project lifecycle
measures the work that goes into a project
from beginning to end
growth
maturity
decline
initiation
planning
execution
closure
initiation
planning
execution
closure
initiation
planning
execution
closure
initiation
planning
execution
closure
initiation
planning
execution
closure
Source: h!p://smallbusiness.chron.com/difference-between-product-lifecycle-project-lifecycle-20432.html

12. represents the amount of revenue
a product generates over time,
from its inception
to the point where it is discontinued
development
introduction
measures the work that goes into a project
from beginning to end
growth
maturity
decline
initiation
planning
execution
closure
initiation
planning
execution
closure
initiation
planning
execution
closure
initiation
planning
execution
closure
initiation
planning
execution
closure
The product lifecycle The project lifecycle

13. Projects,
not products.

14. Product.
For a complex
domain.

15. Company Internal
: Team
=
Venture
Capitalist : Startup

16. Commitment
development introduction
growth
maturity
decline
initiation
planning
execution
closure
initiation
planning
execution
closure
initiation
planning
execution
closure
initiation
planning
execution
closure
initiation
planning
execution
closure
Shipping the first Minimum Viable Product (MVP)

17. growth
maturity
decline
initiation
planning
execution
closure
initiation
planning
execution
closure
initiation
planning
execution
closure
Commitment
Shipping the first Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
If MVP will succeed, our VC (= the Company)
will provide extra budget for phase 2
development introduction
initiation
planning
execution
closure
initiation
planning
execution
closure

18. Commitment
Shipping the first Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
• self-organized team
• limited budget
• deadline and clear goals

19. Some rough numbers
Time min max
First dev spike October - November 2013 month(s) - 1
Project timeframe November 2013 - October 2014 month(s) - 12
Total month(s) - 13
Team pre-tax
Manager 1, no full-time = 1 month € 5.000 7.000
Developers 2 full-time x 10 month + 1 full-time x 3 months € 70.000 80.000
Communication 1 full-time x 4 months € 12.000 14.000
Total (range) € 87.000 101.000
Extras VAT excluded
Development tools € 3.500 4.500
Dev consultancy € 5.000 7.000
Product UX Design € 15.000 18.000
Brand/Copy/Website € 6.000 8.000
Totals (range € 29.500 37.500
Total (range) € 117.500 138.500

20. Kick-off

21. Methodology
Scrum
• welcome changing requirements
• deliver working soware frequently
• business people and developers must
work together daily
• working soware is the primary
measure of progress
Source: h!p://agilemanifesto.org/principles.html

22. Dev toolbox
!
… for sharing roadmap and project progress
• Post-it (sprint planning)
• Trello (roadmap)
• YouTrack (issue tracker)
• Automatic release notes email
!
… for app releases
• Jenkins / NuGet / MsBuild (continuous integration)
• NUnit / Mocha / Selenium (automatic tests)
• Wix / WebDeploy / custom code (packaging and auto-update)
!
… for auditing and monitoring app status and crashes
• log4net / NBug
• GrayLog2 / Google Analytics

23. Dev principles
!
1. Product and Users
2.Automate everything
3.Users Feedback,
even if they are
not Customers

24. Design

26. designer
dev

27. sbasksai gash
jbasjvabs
manvs bamsv
amsvamsvam bvamsv
amsvmasv
basgakusga …

28. that being said,
we have this
timeframe
and this budget.
what can you do
for us?

29. uhm…

30. As to methods
there may be a million
and then some,
but principles are few.
!
The man who grasps principles
can successfully select
his own methods.
The man who tries methods,
ignoring principles,
is sure to have trouble.
Ralph Waldo Emerson, american philosopher, author and essayst, 1803 - 1882

31. Commitment
Shipping the first Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
development
initiation
planning
execution
closure
Design principles
1. Verify assumptions
2. Foster understanding, feedbacks
and learning
3. Welcome changing requirements
4. MVP designed to collect
strategic data to simplify
decisions on further steps

32. Commitment
Shipping the first Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
development
initiation
planning
execution
closure
Design sprint
1. Analysis and
user interviews/tests
2. Sketch and
user interviews/tests
3. Demo on Invision
4. Prototype and
user interviews/tests
5. Fix and fine tuning

33. Commitment
Shipping the first Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
Design sprint
1. Analysis and
user interviews/tests
2. Sketch and
user interviews/tests
3. Demo on Invision
4. Prototype and
user interviews/tests
5. Fix and fine tuning
development
initiation
planning
execution
closure

34. assumptions product real world
Fonte: h!ps://medium.com/the-year-of-the-looking-glass/junior-designers-vs-senior-designers-#e483d3b51e

35. assumptions product real world

36. Junior design process
Source: h!ps://medium.com/the-year-of-the-looking-glass/junior-designers-vs-senior-designers-#e483d3b51e

37. Junior design process
Assumptions
designers developers managers users
Source: h!ps://medium.com/the-year-of-the-looking-glass/junior-designers-vs-senior-designers-#e483d3b51e

38. uhm…

39. How many people to interview? Interaction Design course by Cooper, 2012

40. Lightweight research tips - Interaction Design course by Cooper, 2012

41. The Storygraph, , by Raffaele Boiano, 2013

42. Why you only need to test 5 users - Jakob Nielsen, Nielsen Norman Group, March 19, 2000

43. Commitment
Shipping the first Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
development
initiation
planning
execution
closure
Design roadmap
• 5 iterations of variable duration
(2 / 4 weeks)
• User tests along the whole
process (constraint)
• UX, UI and Visual Design
• Frontend consultancy

44. Design toolbox
… for communicating
• Invision
• Trello
• Mail, Skype, Hangout
• Live meetings for instant feedbacks
• Calendar
!
… for defining the project
• Project canvas
!
… for discovering
and verifying
• User tests with paper prototypes made
during the sessions
• Quicktime for audio recording
• Silverback for video recording and
screencasts
… for interface and visual
designing
• Paper, pencil, rubber, scanner
• Omnigraffle
• Photoshop
• Invision
• Acrobat
• Low / medium / high - fi prototypes
!
… for guiding and describing
choices
• Journey Maps
• (Lean) Personas and interviews recaps
• “Feature thermometer” based on Personas

45. Commitment
Shipping the first Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
development
initiation
planning
execution
closure
Design sprint
1. Analysis and
user interviews/tests
2. Sketch and user interviews/tests
3. Demo on Invision
4. Prototype and
user interviews/tests
5. Fix and fine tuning

46. prototype
user
real
interviews
and low-fi
tests
learning
paper
prototypes
user tests
learning
invision
prototype
user tests
learning
MVP
project canvas

48. Senior design process
Source: h!ps://medium.com/the-year-of-the-looking-glass/junior-designers-vs-senior-designers-#e483d3b51e

49. users
managers
developers
designers
stakeholders
etc. etc.

51. user card
main insights
from user
interviews

52. ≠
user card personas card

53. journey map
before
journey map
a#er

54. Design + Dev

55. Commitment
Shipping the first Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
development
initiation
planning
execution
closure
During each iteration
• bug checks
highest priority (the product is already
in use by internal colleagues)
• at the end of each design sprint,
internal meeting for sharing
outcomes and take the pulse
of the situation
• very rapid fixes on the prototype
close and during user interviews
and tests

56. Commitment
Shipping the first Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
development
initiation
planning
execution
closure
If the design deliverable
is implementable
• user stories, estimate, priority
most complex / undefined first
• contingent tech spike
to discover complex / undefined
user stories
• implementation

57. Commitment
Shipping the first Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
development
initiation
planning
execution
closure
If the design deliverable
is not implementable
• internal short discussion
(+contingent extra tech spike)
to identify complexities
and issues as soon as possible
• devs + designers small talk
to identify low impact
solutions

58. development introduction
growth
maturity
decline
initiation
planning
execution
closure
initiation
planning
execution
closure
initiation
planning
execution
closure
initiation
planning
execution
closure
initiation
planning
execution
closure
Where we are at
• 2 products (suite)
• acquisition of the first Customers
• first webinar; first smacks
• we iterate
• proposal of our suite to VC’s loyal Customers; more smacks
• AdWords America and India
e we are pushing ahead….

59. Wrap-up

60. don’t stop at
“the tool is meant to do this”.
!
during each iteration, it is mandatory
to raise up our head and think:
“given this timeframe and
this budget, what is the
most valuable activity
i can do next?”
and to act accordingly.

61. you don’t need
to move to the
silicon valley to work
on a startup using
agile dev methoDoLogies
and lean design
processes!

62. questions?
Thank you!
Be!er Soware • Firenze, October 13, 2014 @manuelspezzani,

63. @ilariamauric