Month: July 2013

Recently I had the very cool opportunity of demo’ing some critical UI concepts to our company CEO (with assorted execs), as well as to high profile customers seeking a multi-million dollar product deal. Whew! No pressure, right?? Some fairly intense situations, no doubt. While the outcomes were gratefully very positive, with ample feedback for future iterations, I wanted to reflect upon some valuable lessons learned.

The primary lesson for me: that when preparing for a product demo you must be ready to improvise on the fly, not only because of technical snafus (which are inevitable, to varying degrees of severity), but also for audience reactions and skeptical questions. Remember, they are seeing the concept for the first time; you’ve been living it for weeks or months. Thus, to improvise really well, you need to prepare extremely well, in advance, with total thoroughness. 

What do I mean? Let’s break it down a bit…

 

** When it comes to demo preparation, you gotta focus on the following:

– Master the exact narrative and functional sequence of the product demo, committing it to memory both verbally and physically. Knowing what to click and what happens next. This is absolutely fundamental, period.
– Rehearse the flow across multiple devices, platforms and browsers (as needed), and doing that in the exact room to be used in the exact location as well (front, back, etc.)
– Mirror exact environmental conditions as much as possible (lighting, sound, crowd level, video camera positioning, etc.). And don’t forget WiFi conditions too (or whatever internet and wireless tech). Set up all that in advance, and bring adapters, chargers, cables, etc.
– Prepare to give the main rationale for WHY (particularly in the case of executive/CEO demo feedback). Be ready to articulate the design decisions and abbreviated history of that decision, if possible. I often use stickies to help me abbreviate and commit to memory: Keep it Short & Simple.
– Dig up recent alternative designs, concepts, sketches and have that ready on a separate computer, iPad, printouts, etc. This requires presence of mind to recall that you have these ready if audience asks!

 

** When it comes to improvisation readiness, prepare for the following possibilities:

– Not immediately understanding the concept itself. Have several analogies and metaphors ready in mind that are commonplace, non-technical. Shift from professional demo speak, to folksy “aw shucks” manner which helps break most barriers.
– Deep skepticism about the concept’s relevance and value. Have use cases and stories ready to mention, and relate stories back to the audience! Ask them their similar problems that your concept could fix.
– Mix up your presentation with references to the weather, names of the customers in the audience, any small talk prior to the demo (like a customer’s kid is having a baseball game tonight) to add that special relationship touch.
– If devices and services break with technical snafus, do NOT apologize but instead keep vamping it! Keep a sketchbook or whiteboard handy to illustrate the concept in real-time.
– Always be ready to throw questions and discussions back to the audience (just like in improv games) to positively engage them, enabling a dialogue rather than a tense inquisition.
– If you’re really brave, ask audience to play with the demo or suggest “what shall I click on next” :-) But only if you’ve really got things working!

Through this mix of technical preparation and savvy improvisation, you’ll be able to deliver memorable and useful product concept demos. It definitely takes much practice and some luck too. Don’t forget to make the appropriate pleas & sacrifices to the demo gods beforehand!

Earlier this year there was outrage and grief expressed over Adobe’s decision to no longer continue development for Fireworks. It is, in effect, being killed off. As a dedicated Fireworks user since 2006, I’m just as disappointed. For me, at least, it was a valuable design tool that let me express very quickly with high quality novel UI concepts at a high degree of fidelity, with basic prototyping support. Sure it’s buggy, fraught all kinds of issues (like inconsistent icons and kludgy interactions), but the speed and quality of output is compelling. Fireworks almost instantly became the predominant tool in my arsenal for crafting great interfaces.

Now with the end of Fireworks announced, many are wondering which tool will take its place. Many tools abound, including Sketch (which seems to be the primary front-runner as of this writing) and Photoshop, of course.

But I’m not interested in debating which tool will ascend to the Iron Throne of UI design ;-) Instead, this whole situation got me wondering about what it means to use a digital tool, that tool’s relationship to its user…as well as how such a powerful tool shapes one’s identity. Let me explain…

A digital tool like Fireworks is a mechanism for executing an idea, translating a person’s vision emerging from their mind into something tangible that others can use and evaluate. Different tools have different purposes (like a hammer or drill) but digital software tools in particular are like Swiss Army knives, loaded with diversely segmented yet thematically related functionality. The master of such a tool is really someone who has practiced extensively using that tool in a variety of ways (and variety of situations) such that it becomes an extension of their mind, eye, and hand. A true virtuoso of that tool (or toolset) can already anticipate the choreography of when and how to use which tools or features for specific tactical problems. That tool becomes a means of foresight and judgment before the fact, almost predictive in its potential for the kinds of outputs that can and should be generated. (Think of a master of Fireworks or Photoshop or even Powerpoint, fluidly navigating and expertly executing, in an also pre-cognitive manner)

In so doing, the tool and its user forge a personal bond, much like a baseball player and his mitt or a carpenter and his special hammer. There’s intense familiarity, trust, acceptance of flaws, workarounds formed, and yes dedication to maintenance, preparing the tool for the next day’s work. (Not that there’s much love in using that damn Adobe updater to keep things running smoothly!) Just like a carpenter knows his tools, where they live, and their thresholds of capability, a designer knows how their software tools function best, personalizing the workspace of palettes and menus for what’s most comfortable and effective to finish the job.

This intimate relationship between tool and user is quite potent. But does it define the user, their sense of self? Does the tool make/break the user’s identity? If that tool breaks or no longer becomes useful, some sentimental value is lost, with personal grief over disposal of an old friend. But the tool’s user continues onward with other tools or stronger & better replacements, rebuilding a new relationship. He is still shaping visions and deftly applying his skills in executing and delivering per values and principles: quality, integrity, trust, etc. I’d suggest that tools do not make the practitioner. You are not your tool, no matter how dedicated and intuitively bound the relationship.

This is particularly relevant to designers as modern software tools change constantly, with emerging technologies, brands, companies, and user communities all in flux. Every few years (or months!) something new comes along that’s deemed trendy and useful (Flash > MS Blend > HTML 5 > Native mobile SDK > etc.) The tools do not make or break the designer who must constantly stay flexible, learning and applying and swiftly adapting as situations change. To say you are a Fireworks designer or Photoshop designer would be extremely limiting in a volatile industry where some hot new tool or technology surfaces every few months or couple years. Tools can be ephemeral yet require a deep intense bond for flawless high performance utility. It’s this balance that’s important to maintain and incredibly hard to do so, as no doubt more tools will fade away as new ones appear on the horizon. Tools are essential and powerful ways to deliver results, but just don’t get too wrapped up in them. Even if it’s something like Fireworks.

Even as a principal designer, I sometimes go deep into the pixels, using Adobe Fireworks or Photoshop to precisely & vividly render a particular concept, or even prepare final comps with assets for delivery. While it seems I’m just staring at a screen and deftly moving my mouse hand, there’s actually quite a bit happening if you reflect upon what’s transpiring.

There’s a rapid virtuous cycle of reflection and creation, with quick interpretation and judgment of placement, choreography, hierarchy, and overall taste (or alignment with brand/visual standards) of the elements’ overall composition. Behavior, feedback, and affordance are also on the mind. You’re constantly shuttling between precise details and holistic overview, directly seeing (and often sensing) how it all comes together in the end. It’s a cyclical and iterative process of mouse clicks, keyboard presses, and layer manipulations (and some cursing as well ;-)

It’s a nearly subconscious dialogue among the eyes (sensing what’s happening on-screen), the hands (manipulating various controls to yield some output), and the mind (continuously monitoring, interpreting, judging, and deciding). I’d also throw in the soul, the heartbeat of passion that sustains the dynamic despite frustrations and difficulties inevitably encountered (crashing files & clashing elements). The fluidity of this dialogue is dependent upon dexterity with the tools (a function of knowledge and frequency) and a kind of habitation of the problem space, laid out on the pixel grid on the screen in front of you. You must literally and cognitively place yourself in that space, living and breathing it deeply to fully absorb the constraints and potentiality.

Finally there is also a continual background hum of skepticism on what is being created on-screen–is it right, is it good, is it necessary, “does it deserve to exist”? (as the recent Apple ads suggest) Pixel-pushing is an engaging process in its own right, not merely mindless production and derivative assembly of pre-cast elements. Of course, parts of it maybe like that, when doing rote manual production or slicing & exporting. But the creation and manipulation interface elements towards achieving a precisely articulated presentation of pixels that conveys a vision…there’s more than meets the eye. It’s a full body dialogue perceptive to those in the know.

With the widespread adoption of Agile/Lean UX methods in software design, there’s been a steady, ceaseless drumbeat for “validation” of design outputs. It’s laudable and useful, although there is some nuance lost in this specific term, which I have previously discussed. Validation is important, no question, to help ensure creation of something of value for a credible, viable market of customers (i.e., not just for you).

However, before running “out of the building” to validate a prototype that may be “the winner”, your team must first assess the perceived & actual significance of what is being offered. By “significance” I mean the meaning and consequence of the proposed product, service, or system. Let’s break this apart…

Where does meaning come from? Philosophies and theories abound. Fundamentally, meaning is contextual & interpretive, arising from vectors of contact, or relationships, as described below:

** Person to person: How does the offering enable a positive sociable relationship, creation and projection of identity and trust?

** Person to environment: How does the offering support the physical surroundings and context for activities in a safe, responsible, positive manner, and/or contribute to attitudes promoting a healthy progressive environment?

** Person to object: How does the offering support the accumulation of things, possessions, artifacts, etc. that form the tangible personal layer of meaning found in their owned and used artifacts. What makes this possession personal meaningful?

** Person to culture/spirit: How does your offering enable participation and resonance with a set of ideals held by a collective of people (community, tribe, team, etc.) as well as at an individual level of aspiration and achievement? (related to Maslow’s hierarchy)

 

Not all these relationships are always applicable in creating meaning for every product or service offering. Yet, based upon these possible relationships (or any combinations thereof) you should ascertain what’s the significance of what you’re proposing to create and sell in terms of people, place, community, objects, and even cultural/spiritual values.

Also you must consider what’s the consequence of your service or product. This refers to the ever-expanding ripple effects in terms of production, distribution, materials, usage patterns, and disposal or renewal after the consumption. Also this refers to social and personal behaviors: etiquette, health, diet, communication, respect and tolerance, trust and privacy, etc.  Is it responsible and humane and life enhancing? Yes, it’s unabashedly “green” “social” and “ecological”, relating to critical concerns for “the greater good” in a positive & profitable manner, as espoused by Paul Hawken (Natural Capitalism), William McDonough (Cradle to Cradle) and even Victor Papanek (Design for the Real World). Value creation should minimize any possible negative consequence, with clear foresight of ways to address them in a fair, responsible manner, not simply an afterthought slapped on.

Please note–this isn’t it some academic theory! Instead, it’s at the very heart of creation that matters, beyond mere “snake oil” profiteering. How is what you’re creating moving human progress forward, offering distinct meaning in one or more ways? How are the consequences of what you’re making leaving behind a positive footprint for others to follow? It’s not easy but working through this helps simultaneously a) broaden your window of problem framing and b) winnow down an appropriate solution set before soliciting customer feedback prematurely.

Ultimately, it is your team’s responsibility to define what’s truly significant, requiring deep thought & analysis, before plopping it in front of users for mere validation.

In no particular order, here are some brief blurbs on design-related books that I’ve recently read and enjoyed (chronicling the past 3 months roughly)…

 

The Connected Company by Dave Gray & Thomas Vander Wal

An excellent overview of how to evolve towards a “connected company” that is fundamentally a complex, adaptive system embodying the values of a “learning organization” and “social network” dedicated to maximum customer experience value. Gray’s beautiful hand-drawn illustrations are a perfect complement to the theories and anecdotes. The book overall is quite consumable with short summaries and easily graspable chapters. Definitely a keeper!

 

Playing to Win: How Strategy Really Works by AG Lafley & Roger Martin

A rare good book on strategy (not the usual business fad stuff), reflecting the authors’ “design thinking” orientation with a keen eye towards maximizing business value. The core questions of “where to play” and “how to win” frame the brunt of the book, with ample case studies and detailed diagrams worth careful study. This serves as a useful playbook and seems like a good complement to Osterwalder’s “Business Model Generation” as well.

 

101 Design Methods by Vijay Kumar

There seems to be quite a few of these “methods” books lately and this one adds to the mix nicely as a wonderful compendium of tools, models, methods, etc. based largely upon the Instititue of Design’s MDM program. Digestible brief overviews with color photographs and/or richly detailed process diagrams make this a compelling reference on any designer’s desk.

 

Designing Together by Dan M. Brown

Ah, creative professionals and their damn big egos and petty sensitivities! How to possibly teach them about managing tensions and conflicts back at the office, and evolve mature professional approaches dealing with difficult clients? This book provides a rather lengthy but useful overview of approaches and frameworks. While the intent is great, with great supporting content, I wonder if this could be distilled down to just a 50 page book, not 250 pages! Good reference for tough times, next to that bottle of bourbon.

 

Microinteractions by Dan Saffer

This is simply brilliant and required reading for every UI / interaction designer. Dan provides an excellent, digestible framework of “trigger + rule + feedback + loops” to serve as a lens for examining micro interactions in our projects and daily living as well. This is loaded with great examples and memorable anecdotes, as well as nice nods to history (like the origins of copy-paste). Another true keeper of a book, with long-term value.