This document, 'The Hacker's Guide to UX' by Danny Bluestone, outlines the principles, tactics, and lean approach to user experience (UX) design. It emphasizes the importance of understanding user needs, applying a systematic design process, and integrating brand strategy into UX. The guide also provides insights on leveraging technology and methods for effective user research and prototyping.

1. The hackers guide to UX
v0101
Danny Bluestone - September 2015

2. • About
• The world we live in
• The lean approach
• What is UX
• Overarching principles
• Tactics
TODAY…

3. The hackers guide to UX
Danny Bluestone - September 2015
Hello. We are

6. The world we live in
1

7. Google sets AI standards Apple sets UI standards
THE WORLD WE LIVE IN

8. Amazon sets
shopping standards
Facebook sets
social standards
THE WORLD WE LIVE IN

9. WEARABLES
http://smartiplex.com/2014/09/09/technology-life/
Would you be interested
in wearing a sensor
device assuming it was
from a brand?

10. FRAMING UX

11. The lean approach
1

12. http://seriesf.com/post/117010627556/eric-ries-takes-page-from-tim-ferriss-begins
The Lean startup
method is not about
cost, its about speed
Eric Ries, The Lean Startup

13. https://www.thoughtworks.com/insights/blog/how-business-leaders-create-lean-enterprise

14. https://www.thoughtworks.com/insights/blog/how-business-leaders-create-lean-enterprise

15. https://www.thoughtworks.com/insights/blog/how-business-leaders-create-lean-enterprise

16. PROBLEM
Ethnography to research
customer problems and
find opportunities. What
will be the triggers and
motivations?
LEAN CANVAS
SOLUTION
Start with task tables and
move into prototypes.
Bake in ‘shareability’ and
distribution in from outset
Consideration:
Alternatives and mental
models
KEY METRICS
Put customer satisfaction
at the core and think
about the KPIs you will use
UVP
Make sure your UVP is
clear within your
messaging and brand
strategy. Can you build
in superior connection
tools?
Consideration:
Education curve, brand
awareness as well as
retention.
CHANNELS
Which channels will you
use and why, think about
availability, consistency
and seamlessness
UNFAIR ADVANTAGE
Your brand’s infrastructure,
personalisation and your
psychological ‘hook model’
CUSTOMER SEGMENTS
List your personas
and verify them with
real people. Use
your personas to
inform your designs.
CYBER-DUCK LTD
Consideration:
Early adopters,
different generations,
rewards
COST STRUCTURE
From a UX perspective, plan the importance of ongoing design,
usability reviews, CRO, quality assurance and organic marketing.
Is there a way to crowd source features and content? Can you
create a tribe of early adopters within your CRM?
REVENUE STREAMS
How can you build in co-efficient revenue models to minimise
advertising costs? Think about how you can increase user
retention and ‘bake’ in reward models as well as upselling and
partnerships.
Through a UX lens

17. What is UX
2

18. The overall experience of a person using a product
such as a website or computer application, especially
in terms of how easy or pleasing it is to use.
According to Wikipedia

19. UX IS NOT UI
Strategy
User centred design
Ethnography
Use case analysis
Stakeholder interviews
Feature audits
User interviews
Usability plans
Data analysis
Persona driven design
Task analysis
Information architecture
Prototyping
Wireframing
Usability studies
Graphics
Iconography
Interface design
Visual design
Strategy
User centred design
Ethnography
Use case analysis
Stakeholder interviews
Feature audits
User interviews
Usability plans
Data analysis
Persona driven design
Task analysis
Information architecture
Prototyping
Wireframing
Usability studies
Graphics
Iconography
Interface design
Visual design
HOW UX HAS BEEN VIEWED (“THE WHAT”) HOW UX NEEDS TO BE VIEWED (“THE WHY”)

20. Overarching principles
3

21. CORE MODEL
http://alistapart.com/article/the-core-model-designing-inside-out-for-better-results

22. TECHNOLOGY
• IoT - The Internet of Things is a precursor of fashion technology.
• Innovation - Miniaturisation of sensors (e.g. GPS, NFC, accelerometer),
temperature, pressure, magnetometer, microphone and even chemical sensors.
• Limitations - Batteries, healthcare approval, regulations, different demographics.

23. DESIGN A SYSTEM ‘NOT A DESTINATION’
When designing a product, think about the ‘entire system’, not just a ‘destination’ (e.g.
app).

24. BRAND STRATEGY
• Essence - The brand essence and values need to tie into the manifestation of the
UX (e.g. Amazon smile, customer is always put first).
• Names - Descriptive names are loved by search engines whereas distinctive
names are favoured by trademark lawyers.
• Visual aspect - “What is beautiful is usable”, invest in your art direction.
• Originality- Make sure your visual language, photography, videos and icons are
authentic and unique.

25. http://www.thevisibilityproject.com/2014/12/31/this-music-video-brings-maya-angelous-final-project-to-life/
I’ve learned that people
will forget what you said,
people will forget what you did,
but people will never forget
how you made them feel.
Maya Angelou, Artist and activist

26. Tactics
4

27. SYSTEM MAPPING TOOL To create system, sitemaps and app maps
http://quirktools.com/smaps

28. SKETCH A visual design tool
http://bohemiancoding.com/sketch/

29. MARVEL APP Quickly produce interactive prototypes with no coding
https://marvelapp.com

30. UX RESEARCH Conduct online usability testing with verify app
http://verifyapp.com/tour

31. Take aways
5

32. CONCLUSION
• Use comics to create user scenarios while working on the lean canvass
• Get sketching as soon as you can, start with the most ridiculous ideas
• Start branding and growth strategy from the outset and ‘bake it in’ to the UX
• Prototype early and do field research
• Your pitches will need to show what the ‘experience’ is about

33. Thank you
We help brands run UX workshops and hackathons, get in touch for more info:
@danny_bluestone
@cyberduck_uk
www.slideshare.net/mesibot