My presentation for the Toolbox Workshop on June 12, 2010. A basic introduction to my definition of interaction design and what tools I've used at startups.

1. Interaction
Design
Al Abut

2. First off…
Hello

3. Teamwork

4. Richard Marcinko

5. Early On

6. Kinda Crazy-Looking

8. Frogmen
8

9. Navy Seals

10. Brutal Training

11. Not so small and nimble

12. Seal Team Six

13. Demolition Man

14. Lesson #1
Never say
“that’s not my
job”.

15. Interaction Design
What is it?
15

16. What it isn’t
16

17. Not so glamorous
17

18. Architecture
18

19. Sibling Disciplines
It’s more like architecture or
industrial design.
Only looks like graphic
design.
19

20. Lesson #2
Design is how
things work.

21. Tools of the trade
User Testing
Rapid Prototyping
21

22. User Testing
22

23. How to do it
It’s almost absurdly simple.
Can be done quickly and on a
budget.
23

24. Why to do it
Focus groups are
criminally useless.
24

25. Qualitative Feedback
25

26. Tips & Tricks
Don’t ask leading questions.
Teach people the stapler trick.
Let them fumble around.
Give them bumper rails.
Record and review.
26

27. Bonus tip for lean startups
How to do customer
development at the same
time.
27

28. Lesson #3
Learn to gather and filter
user feedback.
28

29. Rapid
Prototyping
29

30. Generative vs Capture
30

31. Blueprints hold it together
31

32. How to design
Involve the whole team
Practice “Epicenter Design”
Not an innate skill
32

33. Simplicity vs Usability
33

34. Simple & Easy to Use
34

35. BMW’s iDrive
35

36. Menu-itis
36

37. Excel Hell
37

38. 38

39. Why is simplicity important?
Drunken Usability Testing
39

40. Lesson #4
 Make things as simple as you can.
 Simplicity aids collaboration.
40

41. Summary
Never say “that’s not my job”.
Design is how things work.
User testing = gold standard
Prototyping = collaboration

42. Bibliography
42

43. Dan Roam’s Back Of The Napkin
43

44. Bill Buxton’s Sketching User Experiences

45. Everybody drives everybody

46. Pragmatic Thinking and Learning

47. Thank you!
Any questions?
47