Slides Nis Frome recently used in his discussion w/ mentees of The Product Mentor. The Product Mentor is a program designed to pair Product Mentors and Mentees from around the World, across all industries, from start-up to enterprise, guided by the fundamental goals…Better Decisions. Better Products. Better Product People. Throughout the program, each mentor leads a conversation in an area of their expertise that is live streamed and available to both mentee and the broader product community. http://TheProductMentor.com

1. Rapid Prototyping
Nis Frome

2. WHO AM I?
Nis Frome
Product & Content at Alpha UX
http://nisfro.me // @nisfrome
product content
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3. HOW CAN WE LEARN WHAT USERS WANT?
“If I had asked people what they wanted,
they would have said faster horses.”
Surveys are wholly inadequate.
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4. WE CAN JUST USE AN MVP THEN, RIGHT?
It depends what you mean by “MVP.”
Layers of
Communication
Brand
Reputation
Expensive way
to Learn 4

5. OH, SO THE GOAL IS LEARNING?
The beauty of experiments.
Semantics Nimble Low risk 5

6. WHY USE PROTOTYPES?
DIY matters!
They’re inexpensive.
They communicate value to users.
They’re conducive to generating feedback.
Why product teams need to
master rapid prototyping
By Nis Frome
http://blog.alpha-ux.co/why-product-teams-
rapid-prototyping
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7. WHAT’S THE CATCH?
Basically, prototyping isn’t a silver bullet.
There are
other ways to
experiment.
There are other
sources of
learning.
There are
limitations to
testing.
Threats of A/B tests and UX research
By Adam Plona
https://medium.com/@adlon/threats-of-a-b-tests-and-ux-
research-adoption-time-and-incrementalism-991c0c3c61b6
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8. HOW DO WE GET STARTED?
Step 1: Define how to
measure perception of value
Step 2: Lead your team into
the unknown
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9. HOW DO WE GET STARTED?
Step 1: Define how to
measure perception of value
Step 2: Lead your team into
the unknown
Step 3: Be aware of your
organization's risk threshold
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10. HOW DO WE GET STARTED?
Step 1: Define how to
measure perception of value
Step 2: Lead your team into
the unknown
Step 3: Be aware of your
organization's risk threshold
Step 4: Know your limitations
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11. HOW DO WE GET STARTED?
Step 1: Define how to
measure perception of value
Step 2: Lead your team into
the unknown
Step 3: Be aware of your
organization's risk threshold
Step 4: Know your limitations
Step 5: Shatter them
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12. IS IT REALLY THAT IMPORTANT TO BE GOOD AT THIS?
Being bad at prototyping Being okay at prototyping
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13. IS IT REALLY THAT IMPORTANT TO BE GOOD AT THIS?
Being okay at prototyping Being great at prototyping
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14. HOW DO WE TRAVERSE THIS LEARNING SPACE?
I’m not telling you to plan,
but having a playbook for
ad hoc experiments could
come in handy.
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15. SO WHAT’S YOUR PLAYBOOK?
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16. WHAT’S YOUR DESIGN PROCESS?
It’s mostly the archer, but the bow still matters.
Wireframes Designs Prototypes
A guide to rapid prototyping tools
By Michelle Chu
http://blog.alpha-ux.co/rapid-prototyping-tools
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17. HOW DOES THIS DIFFER FROM DESIGNING A PRODUCT?
A more complete analysis of the differences.
Focus on users instead of not stakeholders,
Optimizing your designprocess for
rapid prototyping
By Michelle Chu
Coming soon on Smashing Magazine
which means don’t sweat the details.
Instead, use modules to only test stimuli,
and make sure to keep a clear path.
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18. HOW DO YOU GENERATE USER FEEDBACK?
Finding the right tool for the situation:
Surveys Split tests Un-moderated
The most effective research tools for
gathering customer feedback
By Linda Escobar
http://www.mindtheproduct.com/2015/07/tools-for-
customer-feedback/ 18

19. WHAT DOES AN INDIVIDUAL TEST LOOK LIKE?
Step 1: Identify the insight
you’re looking for (key question),
metrics you need to support it
(perception of value), pre-
qualification questions (target
user), and success criteria
(strength of evidence)
key question
Could a healthcare payer develop a
health portal and companion?
perception of value
willingness to pay, NPS, privacy
concern
target user
22-65, general population
strength of evidence
> 20% difference along with
qualitative feedback
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20. WHAT DOES AN INDIVIDUAL TEST LOOK LIKE?
Step 1: Identify the insight
you’re looking for (key question),
metrics you need to support it
(perception of value), pre-
qualification questions (target
user), and success criteria
(strength of evidence)
Step 2: Outline ad hoc
experiment or match to a pre-
defined test type
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21. WHAT DOES AN INDIVIDUAL TEST LOOK LIKE?
Step 1: Identify the insight
you’re looking for (key question),
metrics you need to support it
(perception of value), pre-
qualification questions (target
user), and success criteria
(strength of evidence)
Step 2: Outline ad hoc
experiment or match to a pre-
defined test type
Step 3: Prototype variants
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22. WHAT DOES AN INDIVIDUAL TEST LOOK LIKE?
Step 1: Identify the insight
you’re looking for (key question),
metrics you need to support it
(perception of value), pre-
qualification questions (target
user), and success criteria
(strength of evidence)
Step 2: Outline ad hoc
experiment or match to a pre-
defined test type
Step 3: Prototype variants
Step 4: Run test and analyze
cohort deltas
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23. WHAT DOES A SERIES OF TESTS LOOK LIKE?
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24. WHAT DOES A SERIES OF TESTS LOOK LIKE?
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25. Case study of earlier healthcare example:
How split testing validates new product
concepts without code
By Nis Frome
https://uxmag.com/articles/how-split-testing-validates-
new-product-concepts-without-code
WHAT DOES A SERIES OF TESTS LOOK LIKE?
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26. HOW DO YOU EVALUATE USER FEEDBACK?
Get a grip on data science.
Success
criteria
Substantiation
through iteration
How to determine when customer
feedback is actionable
By Michael Williams, Nis Frome, et al.
http://boxesandarrows.com/how-to-determine-when-
customer-feedback-is-actionable/
Risk & impact
analysis
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27. WHAT? THERE’S A THIRD DIMENSION?
There’s a huge difference
between turning around
an experiment in one
month versus in one
week.
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28. THIS ISN’T PROTOTYPING. IT’S RAPID PROTOTYPING.
Speed gives you repetition.
Repetition gives you why.
Why gives you story.
Story unlocks everything.
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29. WHAT ARE SOME MISSTEPS AND SETBACKS?
"This year, I invested in pumpkins.
They've been going up the whole month
of October and I got a feeling they're
going to peak right around January.
Then, bang! That's when I'll cash in.”
And internal politics will always be a barrier…
How to make your team love experimenting
By Michael Bamberger
http://thenextweb.com/insider/2015/10/16/how-to-make-
your-team-love-experimenting/
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30. WHAT ARE SOME PRO TIPS?
Honor
code
Designing
for agile
Pros & cons of
napkin sketches
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31. THANKS, AND NEXT STEPS
Download my free ebook:
What Product Managers Need to Know
About Rapid Prototyping
Info.alpha-ux.co/rapid-prototyping
Nis Frome
Product & Content at Alpha UX
http://nisfro.me // @nisfrome
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