Published in The Startup·Jan 4, 2021Member-onlyThe Five Product Strategy FailsAnd what you can do about them — This I believe: Successful products succeed uniquely but failed products all fail for the same reasons. In this post I’ll describe the 5 most common product strategy fails I’ve encountered and what I’ve learned to do when I see them coming. 1. The Top Down Fail When the Hollywood film is made about the Volkswagen emissions cheating scandal…Product Strategy12 min readProduct Strategy12 min read
Published in Salesforce Designer·Jul 31, 2020Metric Display StandardsBest practices for presenting numbers that change with time — Change over Time Technical people monitor metrics — numbers that report change over time — to keep systems running smoothly. This is not news. What is news is that as streams of data continue flow into and alter every aspect of modern life, UX designers are increasingly being asked to create experiences anyone…UX11 min readUX11 min read
Published in Designer’s Field Guide·Mar 22, 2020A Natural ReactionInstinct and the Corona Virus — Yesterday evening I went for an urban hike in San Francisco. I do that a lot, and have for years. Yesterday’s hike was different. Really different. The trails, stairs, and open spaces I usually have nearly to myself were crowded like I have never seen them before. Hikers, couples, families…Instinct3 min readInstinct3 min read
Published in Salesforce Designer·Dec 31, 2019How to Get Started Designing for Developers4 things you have to know — So, you want to design developer experiences? Awesome! Your timing is great. The employment picture is bright for folks who know how to create products for programmatic or declarative developers. Your first step is to develop empathy for these people by learning what it is like to spend your working life inside a computer. Inside a computer…Developer Experience8 min readDeveloper Experience8 min read
Published in Salesforce Designer·Feb 7, 2019Describing DataHow to speak about data with technical people — Learning to speak data In 2001 the fallout from the dot com bust was making it hard to find software development work anywhere in the Bay Area. …Data Science18 min readData Science18 min read
Published in Designer’s Field Guide·Nov 14, 2017How Product Development Works BestWhen design, business and technology define product strategy together as partners, success is a certain outcome. — First of all, my definition of product development working: 1. Build great products 2. Everyone involved has fun doing it. How do you do this? A partnership of business, design and engineering. The partnership has 2 rules: A partner can require either an outcome or a schedule from another partner. One or the other, never both at the same time.Product Development2 min readProduct Development2 min read
Published in Designer’s Field Guide·Sep 19, 2017Every designer needs an ethical framework.Here is how I got mine. — In April 1992 I returned from living in Barcelona and got my first real job after design school with MenloCare, a medical products start up. My time there enabled me to grow from a green design grad to a competent journeyman product designer. …Ethics4 min readEthics4 min read
Published in Salesforce Designer·Jul 25, 2017Co-Designing the Digital MachineUse these models to get your entire team on the same page about what you are building — The Problem is Translation Years ago while traveling in India I bought an inexpensive English translation of Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment. I was excited to read this famous piece of Russian literature but after slogging my way through it, I was not impressed and couldn’t understand why it was so revered. The answer, it…UX15 min readUX15 min read
Jul 21, 2016Window SeatA story about making. This space in my house could be nicer: Along came an idea.Design4 min readDesign4 min read
Published in theuxblog.com·May 25, 2016Q: How much user research is enough?A: Enough to reduce risk to your comfort level. — Here is an example. I was negotiating a temporary contract with a unicorn and was asked to provide my hourly rate. My gut feeling was I could ask $150 but I wasn’t sure. My negotiating strategy is to open at the top of a reasonable range, but I also know…UX3 min readUX3 min read
