From Muppets to Mastery:
Core UX Principles from Mr. Jim Henson

Russ Unger | @russu | GE Capital Americas
#UXMuppets | @russu
#UXMuppets | @russu
“

#UXMuppets | @russu

You wouldn’t decide to become
a puppeteer, I don’t think.
#UXMuppets | @russu

The 1950s
The 1960s

A

#UXMuppets | @russu
#UXMuppets | @russu

The 1970s
#UXMuppets | @russu

The 1980s
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The 1990s & Beyond
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The 1990s & Beyond
#UXMuppets | @russu

MuppetLean
MVK
#UXMuppets | @russu

Minimum

Viable

+ =

Kermit
#UXMuppets | @russu

Iterate, Iterate, Iterate, Iterate

1955

1965

1968

1978
#UXMuppets | @russu

Iterate, Iterate, Iterate, Iterate, Iterate

2005
#UXMuppets | @russu

Project Ecosystems
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Client?

Product Manager

Project Manager

Designer

Marketing

QA

Dev
#UXMuppets | @russu

Good Experiences Are Invisible
#UXMuppets | @russu

A Good Experience is Invisible
Give the audience enough to work with
and they’ll do the rest for you.
#UXMuppets | @russu

A Good Experience is Invisible
Give the audience enough to work with
and they’ll do the rest for you.
#UXMuppets | @russu
#UXMuppets | @russu

Visual Thinking
“

#UXMuppets | @russu

I’ve always been most
intrigued by what can
be done with the visual
image. I feel that is
what is strongest about
the work I do...the
visual image.
#UXMuppets | @russu
#UXMuppets | @russu
#UXMuppets | @russu

Sketching / Storyboarding / Prototyping
#UXMuppets | @russu

Sketching
Henson started sketching characters and comic strips as a kid.
He never stopped.
#UXMuppets | @russu
#UXMuppets | @russu
#UXMuppets | @russu
#UXMuppets | @russu

Storyboarding
A storyboard is a graphic organizer that visually tells a story.
Creating a storyboard helps you plan your story shot by shot.
#UXMuppets | @russu
#UXMuppets | @russu
#UXMuppets | @russu

Lend4Health.com
Home Page
(0.0.0.0)

Search Loans to Fund
(1.0.0.0)

Loan Details
(1.1.0.0)
#UXMuppets | @russu

Patterns
#UXMuppets | @russu

Patterns
Original Muppets were designed so that ~6 Muppets could be
easily made from a single design.
#UXMuppets | @russu

CSS for Muppets?
.muppet-body-blue {
background: blue;
border: 0;
height: 80%;
}
.muppet-eye-blue {
background: blue;
border-top: 3px solid black;
height: 65%;
}
#UXMuppets | @russu
#UXMuppets | @russu
#UXMuppets | @russu
#UXMuppets | @russu
#UXMuppets | @russu

Hacking
#UXMuppets | @russu

Bernard Tyers

Belén Barros Pena

http://www.diymobileusabilitytesting.net/
~$3,000.00
#UXMuppets | @russu
#UXMuppets | @russu
#UXMuppets | @russu

Travis Isaacs
keynotekungfu.com
#UXMuppets | @russu

Hacking
Jim needed to see what the viewer would see, so he started using a
“monitor” to view scenes from where he was located.
#UXMuppets | @russu

Hacking
Jim needed to see what the viewer would see, so he started using a
“monitor” to view scenes from where he was located.
#UXMuppets | @russu

(So What?)
Jim Henson made sketching and prototyping a constant part of his thinking process.
He continually evolved everything he worked on.
He hacked things together.
He made it up as he went along.
As a relatively new industry, so do we.
#UXMuppets | @russu

WWJHD?
What Would Jim Henson Do?
#UXMuppets | @russu

WWJHD?
What Would Jim Henson Do?

WWACAD?
What Would A CHANGE AGENT Do?
“

#UXMuppets | @russu

You wouldn’t decide to become
a puppeteer, I don’t think.
Thank You!

Russ Unger | @russu | GE Capital Americas

From Muppets to Mastery – Core UX Principles from Mr. Jim Henson