Keynote by Cheryl Platz for Day 1 of Design Matters 2017. To book Cheryl for your next event, visit ideaplatz.com Most designers are experts at improving upon existing experiences - but how does your process translate to a brand new product? How do you make the case for input modalities no one's ever used in your context before? Cheryl shares some of the design processes and techniques she used to help get the Echo Look from a blue-sky idea to a tangible, validated experience in the hands of customers worldwide. You'll leave with a clearer picture of how your own skills translate to new product work - and what to expect when you're breaking new NUI (natural user interface) ground on your projects.

1. TO
World
Stage
from
Blank
Page
Cheryl Platz
@muppetaphrodite
SeniorDesigner, Microsoft
Owner and Founder,Ideaplatz

2. I’m Cheryl. Nice to meet you.
I’m a designer specializing in taming
extreme complexity, natural user
interfaces, and storytelling for design.
CURRENT:
Design Lead for Azure Portal and
Marketplaces at Microsoft
FORMER:
Amazon, Electronic Arts, Griptonite
Games, Disney, MAYA Design,
Carnegie Mellon University

3. [insert really great product
design here]
TO

4. Past projects…
Windows Automotive

5. Past projects…
Alexa Notifications

6. Past projects…

7. CHERYL PLATZ FROM BLANK PAGE TO WORLD STAGE @MUPPETAPHRODITE
What is the Echo Look?
Takes photos that emphasize the customer by obscuring
the background
Provides a view from any angle
Documents your looks over time
Gives fashion advice via Style Check
AN ALEXA-ENABLED HOME FASHION PHOTOGRAPHY
DEVICE WITH COMPANION APP.

8. From moonshot to manufacturing

9. CHERYL PLATZ FROM BLANK PAGE TO WORLD STAGE @MUPPETAPHRODITE
Natural user interfaces typically use one of a variety of analog input mechanisms
to more closely mimic or interpret common human behaviors.
Voice Touch GazeGesture

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So how do you break
new NUI ground?
IT’S DANGEROUS TO GO ALONE, TAKE THIS ADVICE

11. Seek the truth.
1

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Your scientists were so
preoccupied with whether or not
they could that they didn't stop
to think if they should.
“
”

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Make time for
ethnographic research.
BEFORE YOU BUILD YOUR PRODUCT,
FIGURE OUT IF YOU SHOULD.

14. CHERYL PLATZ FROM BLANK PAGE TO WORLD STAGE @MUPPETAPHRODITE
Echo Look
first round research:
- Four states, three weeks
- Variety of dwellings
- 60% women
- Dozens of participants
Technique:
- In-home closet walkthroughs
- Contextual inquiry on daily
fashion decisions
- One product team member at
every session

15. CHERYL PLATZ FROM BLANK PAGE TO WORLD STAGE @MUPPETAPHRODITE
Goal: Challenge our
core hypothesis.
DO CUSTOMERS NEED HELP MANAGING THEIR WARDROBES?
ARE THERE DAILY PAIN POINTS WE CAN HELP ADDRESS?

16. Perception…

17. …and reality

18. CHERYL PLATZ FROM BLANK PAGE TO WORLD STAGE @MUPPETAPHRODITE
Mind the
(narrative) gap...
DON’T LET FICTION OBSCURE YOUR CUSTOMERS’ TRUTH.
STAY CONNECTED TO THE RESEARCH.

19. … for woe awaits teams that
never asked if they should.

20. Spot the icebergs.
2

21. CHERYL PLATZ FROM BLANK PAGE TO WORLD STAGE @MUPPETAPHRODITE
Icebergs are the deep problems that
can sink your project before it sails.
ON THE ECHO LOOK, WE IDENTIFIED SEVERAL KEY ICEBERGS
EARLY ON, STARTING TO PLOT A COURSE AROUND THEM.

22. CHERYL PLATZ FROM BLANK PAGE TO WORLD STAGE @MUPPETAPHRODITE
You can’t avoid
an iceberg that
you can’t see.

23. CHERYL PLATZ FROM BLANK PAGE TO WORLD STAGE @MUPPETAPHRODITE
Our early deliverables highlighted the
problems, rather than abstracting them.
INSPIRE CONFIDENCE – AND CONVERSATION – WITH YOUR
FUTURE ALLIES. BE FEARLESS ABOUT FACING PROBLEMS.

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Privacy TechnologyInstallation

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A Year In Selfies
Training our machine learning
algorithm by enlisting employees to
take daily photos.
But ALSO embracing the iceberg of
daily engagement: what effect would
it have on my own life? How would
that translate to customers?

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A year of milestones, moods, kiosk troubleshooting... and SCARVES.

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Proof of life, 2
years in.
Early background removal showing
we could de-emphasize the
background successfully.
Also, my Star Trek hair. Long story.

29. CHERYL PLATZ FROM BLANK PAGE TO WORLD STAGE @MUPPETAPHRODITE
Our job is to shine light on
problems, not hide them.
Solutions don’t come
overnight. It’s OK not to have
the answers.
Let your early work start the
right conversations.

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Inspire allies with your stories
ALL THE WORLD’S A STAGE, AND YOU’LL NEED PLAYERS.
3

31. CHERYL PLATZ FROM BLANK PAGE TO WORLD STAGE @MUPPETAPHRODITE
Creating new product takes a village.
Don’t assume they share your vision.
NATURAL USER INTERFACES RELY ON CONTEXT. BRING YOUR
STAKEHOLDERS INTO YOUR CUSTOMER’S WORLD.

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33. CHERYL PLATZ FROM BLANK PAGE TO WORLD STAGE @MUPPETAPHRODITE
SCOTT MCCLOUD, UNDERSTANDING COMICS

34. Sharpies + printer paper + binders = VISION.

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36. CHERYL PLATZ FROM BLANK PAGE TO WORLD STAGE @MUPPETAPHRODITE
On UX Storyboarding…
FAST & CHEAP
They DO NOT need to be
Pixar-quality.
Lower fidelity invites
conversation.
TELL THE IMPORTANT STORIES
Illustrate contextual cliffs.
Highlight difficult scenarios:
onboarding, multi-user, noisy
rooms…

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Motivatingyour
stakeholders
Pull examples from media to motivate the team.
Star Trek, Minority Report, even Clueless – give your team an image to latch onto.
Let your research speak for you.
Videotape the proceedings, encode them, build highlight reels, and share them.
Create a vision video.
Show your prototype – or an illusion – as it improves a customer’s life.

39. CHERYL PLATZ FROM BLANK PAGE TO WORLD STAGE @MUPPETAPHRODITE
Solve old problems in NUI ways.
CHANGE THE GAME BY REDUCING
FRICTION FOR YOUR CUSTOMERS.4

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typically use one of a variety of analog input
mechanisms to more closely mimic or interpret common human behaviors.
Voice Touch GazeGesture

41. CHERYL PLATZ FROM BLANK PAGE TO WORLD STAGE @MUPPETAPHRODITE
“If customers can touch, why
would we bother enabling
speech?”
Voice isn’t a universal solution –
but in many circumstances it’s
more desirable than touch.
Voice Touch

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Make customers feel powerful.
Reduce wasted time learning
technology.
Get interface out of the way.
WHEREVUIWINS

43. CHERYL PLATZ FROM BLANK PAGE TO WORLD STAGE @MUPPETAPHRODITE
OLD PROBLEM, NUI SOLUTION
Voice UI allows customers
to document their look
without holding their
phone, making daily use
easier.

44. CHERYL PLATZ FROM BLANK PAGE TO WORLD STAGE @MUPPETAPHRODITE
Top Tips for Voice
Experiences
ROME WASN’T BUILT IN A DAY, BUT HERE’S SOME HINTS TO
HELP YOU START.

45. CHERYL PLATZ FROM BLANK PAGE TO WORLD STAGE @MUPPETAPHRODITE
When does voice input matter?
Find friction in everyday life.
Friction is your opportunity.
Hands full.
Device locked.
Vision impaired.
Phone too far away.
No screen nearby.
Frequent task.
Mobility impaired.

46. CHERYL PLATZ FROM BLANK PAGE TO WORLD STAGE @MUPPETAPHRODITE
In voice design, time is your
most precious resource.
Not clicks. Not pixels.

47. Test LONG before
you advance to
production.

48. CHERYL PLATZ FROM BLANK PAGE TO WORLD STAGE @MUPPETAPHRODITE
Reincorporation is the soul of VUI.
Use customer input in subsequent
turns as implicit confirmation.

49. Prepare for inevitable
stakeholder questions
by testing with AND
without NUI.

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Don’t force personality at the
cost of usability. Humans
naturally anthropomorphize.

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Alexa…
Xbox…
OK Google…

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Encourage acoustically
unique utterances to set
customers up for success.

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Embrace change, but stay the course
LET OPPORTUNITIES ENHANCE YOUR SOLUTION
WITHOUT LOSING SIGHT OF THE PROBLEM5

54. CHERYL PLATZ FROM BLANK PAGE TO WORLD STAGE @MUPPETAPHRODITE
Pivot #1:
The Echo hadn’t released when
we started.
WE ADAPTED TO EXPLORE AND ADOPT THIS NEW REALITY – AT
CONSIDERABLE COST OF EFFORT.

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Pivot #2: Fashion advice seemed out of scope.
It seemed too costly…until it wasn’t.

56. CHERYL PLATZ FROM BLANK PAGE TO WORLD STAGE @MUPPETAPHRODITE
Luck is the intersection of
preparation and opportunity.
IF YOU PASS UP THE OPPORTUNITIES, YOU’LL NEVER BE LUCKY.
JUST DON’T GET SO DISTRACTED BY THEM THAT YOU LOSE
SIGHT OF YOUR DESTINATION.

57. Aim for the stars…

58. CHERYL PLATZ FROM BLANK PAGE TO WORLD STAGE @MUPPETAPHRODITE
To break NUI ground…
1. Seek the truth
2. Find the icebergs
3. Inspire allies with your stories
4. Solve old problems in NUI ways
5. Embrace change, but stay the course

59. …and take your leap of faith.

60. CHERYL PLATZ FROM BLANK PAGE TO WORLD STAGE @MUPPETAPHRODITE
Just remember:
New product releases are a
marathon, not a sprint.
LISTEN TO INITIAL FEEDBACK BUT DON’T OVERCOMPENSATE
WHEN IT’S NEGATIVE. DISRUPTION IS DISRUPTIVE, AND IT TAKES
TIME TO STABILIZE.

61. THEN
NOW

62. May the voice be with you.
For more workshops and talks,
visit IDEAPLATZ.COM
@muppetaphrodite
Cheryl Platz
cheryl@cherylplatz.com