User Experiences

that Matter
- an ebook by Anton Sten
Contents

Introduction 2

What is UX Design? 4

UX Design Explained 5

UI Design - UX’s Nephew 9

What UX Is and What It Isn’t 12

Everyone is a UX Designer, Even You! 17

The Extra Effort for Great UX 20

UX Design as a Problem Solver 24

Creating User Experiences 28

Emil Ovemar from TocaBoca 29

Marcus Woxneryd from ustwo 36

James Gill from GoSquared 42

1
Designing for People 48

Growing Relationships by Understanding Value 49

Time vs. Attention - Which is More Valuable? 51

UX is Much More Than Software 54

MVP 57

Pain, Dream, Fix 60

Designing with Emotions in Mind 63

Change is Quick, Results Take Time 67

Built to Last 69

Go Out and Create! 73

2
Creating User Experiences that Matter

First of all, thank you from the bottom of my heart for purchasing this book. I’ve
been scared shitless by the whole idea of releasing this book as it’s uncharted wa-
ters for me. By buying this book, not only will you become better at creating great
digital products, but you’ve also helped me overcome one of my fears. Thank you!
At this pace, I’ll be hopping into a cage and playing with great white sharks soon!

Our world is full of apps, websites, and software with thousands more of each be-
ing released daily. We see shipping dates as even more important than the product
that is actually being shipped. You can always iterate and improve later! Just get it
out there! I understand that it’s wise for companies to be in a constant process of
release, learn, iterate, release again, but I often wonder if it’s healthy. Are we just re-
leasing products for the sake of releasing it?

Do you remember that the first iPhone was originally launched without an App-
Store?  Mind blowing, I know. Our first experience with this product was with its
core functionality. A lot of products we see released today would benefit from start-
ing more basic. Take the time to really think about how they’ll provide their users
with a great experience. However, many make the mistake of equating more fea-
tures with making the product more successful. Often it just makes it more difficult
for new users to understand the basics of the product and hurts conversion.

I’ve geared the book towards helping designers/developers/product managers/

companies adjust how they view their users and craft amazing experiences with
their product. After all, isn’t what the user feels about the product just as impor-
tant as what they do with it? Some label this as branding, but let’s be honest, that’s
just one piece of the entire user experience cake. Big picture thinking like that cre-
ates strong products.

iii
For almost half my life, I’ve been subconsciously collecting knowledge through my
experiences working with digital products. All these websites, apps, SaaS, banners,
and e-mail campaigns have graced me with a unique perspective. This book is the
expression of my desire to share this knowledge and help others find success and
avoid pitfalls.

Enjoy the show,

P.S. Just kidding - I’ll never ever go into a shark cage. But thanks again for purchas-
ing this book. Now let’s begin!

iv
 What is
UX Design?
One of the amazing things about this industry is our endless desire to
create roles, titles, and especially abbreviations: MVP, UX, API, and
even P2P. Apparently, it’s all TL:DR! (I’ll save you the Google
searches: Minimum Viable Product, User Experience, Application
Programming Interface and Peer to Peer. You’re welcome!)


Let’s start by understanding what User Experience really is, what it
isn’t, and why it matters. Our first chapters will clear these up as I
think it’s important that we are all on the same page. After all, isn’t
that really what this book is all about? ... Setting expectations and
communicating with our users.
1
UX Design Explained

Digital designers think differently than just about anyone and it’s not a bad thing.
They are known to keep weird hours, exhibit odd habits, and speak almost
exclusively in jargon. Those in the real world are often confused by nearly
everything they say. Generally, you don’t need to bother trying to understand
them, but if you’re running a live site, there is one term you need to become well
acquainted with: UX Design.

You may have noticed that those inside and outside of the industry have been
throwing this term around a lot lately. It’s probably been used in the same sentence
as: Information Architecture, Interaction Design, Graphic Design, Web Design, or
Web Development.

More often than not, you will see UX Design mentioned in the same breath as
User Interface Design (UI Design), often in examples that muddle the meaning of
both. UX design may hang out with or heavily overlap with some of these things,
but it is a very different animal.

It’s a discipline that stands as an independent and crucial component in website

development, backed by a community of specialists swimming in enough jargon to
leave you begrudgingly clueless. Fortunately, I’m about to clear it up for you.

6
What does UX Design REALLY mean?

As many of you may already know - UX Design is an abbreviation for User

Experience Design.

“User Experience encompasses all aspects of the end-user’s

interaction with the company, its services and its products”

– Don Norman

UX Design is really a mix of Sociology and Cognitive Science that looks at how
people and products interact. As a scientific process, this is an analysis of any time
a person has an experience with the object of interest. In the physical world, this
can be products like cars, chairs, or tables. In the digital world, it refers to the way
a user interacts with the interface of a website, e-commerce store, or app.

The ultimate goal for good UX Design is to improve customer satisfaction, quality
of interaction between a company and its consumer, and to ensure that the
product - a website, app, or software - logically flows to the next step.

How would a UX Designer do that?

I’m glad you asked! UX Designers tend to be creative AND critical thinkers. For
example, a UX Designer working on a website would consider the overall
experience and effectiveness of each tool or facet. They would examine if all of the
consumer’s needs were considered and if it was executed successfully.

7
By taking the time to understand consumer behavior and their experience with the
product, a UX Designer can effectively create or tweak a website to be easy-to-use
and enjoyable for the consumer. This is what separates a UX Designer from a UI
Designer. UX design principles are guided by cognitive and behavior analysis,
rather than aesthetic or composition values.

This kind of sounds like the role of a Market Researcher though, right? Not quite,
though they do share a lot of research and analytical techniques, but it goes far
beyond that. A UX Designer’s daily tasks can include:

• User research

• Usability testing

• Information architecture

• Interaction design

• Visual design

• Prototyping

• Wireframing

• Development planning

• Experience and content strategy

• Service design and delivery

• Coordination with UI Designer

• Coordination with Web Developer

• Tracking goals and integration

8
• Analysis and iteration

UX Design is a vital component of a successful product launch. The UX Designer

brings an element of understanding to the design process that directly impacts the
user. With a great user experience, a company can grow a customer base that is
loyal to their product.

To recap:

• A UX Designer is not a graphic designer or web coder.

• A UX Designer’s role is to look at a website and analyze how a customer will use
it and feel about it.

• They will ask, “How can I make this easier for them to use?” or “How can I make
the user’s experience on this website more enjoyable?”

• A UX Designer asks these questions so that the customer leaves the website
happy and satisfied. This creates customer loyalty.

Happy loyal customers = happy business.

9
2
UI Design - UX’s Nephew

UI Design and UX Design seem hopelessly intertwined to most of us. They are
often brought up in the same breath. In fact, designers who work in both
sometimes have a hard time drawing the line between them. I think it’s important
for us to understand that while they are closely related, each role is unique when it
comes to the actual design and building of a website.

Let’s visualize this relationship between UI and UX this way:

User Interface Design looks at how the content is used and organized

A door handle is UI Design

User Experience Design focuses on how the user thinks and feels

The fact you need a door is UX Design

Which one is more important?

I get asked that question occasionally and always have a difficult time explaining it
to someone who isn’t in the industry. I certainly don’t want to diminish either UI
or UX. Both are crucial and play a critical role in properly building a digital
product. There are MILLIONS of websites, apps, and software interfaces that may
contain one without the other. How much better off would they be if they had
taken advantage of both? Short answer: Tons.

10
So, what does a UI Designer aim to do?

If you boil it down to the simplest terms, a UI Designer’s role is to complement the
work of a UX Designer by translating their research and requirements into an
attractive and responsive experience for the user. All visual elements need to be
implemented consistently and adhere to the style guide. I know, I’m speaking
jargon again, so here are a few real-world examples that I hope clear it up.

UX Designer: There needs to be a ‘thank you’ box that appears after a customer has
registered their details.

UI Designer: Designs a box that appears in the top left in blue using Helvetica as a
typeface.

UX Designer: The user needs to see a graph that clearly communicates the provided
analytic data.

UI Designer: Display the most important information at the top of the page through a
graph that accurately displays the provided analytic data. Include a zoom or slide function
to make the graph intuitive.

I know what you are thinking, that sounds like a web designer! There are often a
lot of overlapping responsibilities between a web designer and a UI Designer. In
fact, a UI Designer can fulfill the role of a web designer as well as a graphic
designer, brand designer, and sometimes even front-end developer.

Many of these roles focus on the process of converting design into code, but the UI
Designer takes it a step further. A UI Designer looks at branding and visual design
principles as opposed to cognitive analysis. They translate the brand’s strengths
and aesthetic values into a usable and attractive interface. This interface is what the
customer will use to successfully navigate around the website.

11
Honestly, there really isn’t a “right” way. Like any design discipline, UI Design is
constantly changing. Paying attention to trends in the field gives UI Designers a
way of understanding what works and what doesn’t. Just like a furniture designer
keeps tabs on new developments and designs, a UI Designer will look at other
interfaces and what other designers are doing to find ways a website can be
maximized to its full potential.

UI Design: A crucial tool

I believe that it’s important to think of UI Design as a tool. It is the method of

communication between a person and a company. By presenting your website
information in a well-formulated and attractive layout, you are allowing your
customer to have a positive interaction with your information and company. Their
interactions are then observable, measurable, and testable. You now have a direct
way of understanding your customer and how they value your company. Use it!

12
3
What UX Is and What It Isn’t

Honestly, many designers seem to be very fond of labeling themselves as UX

Designers these days. I think it’s probably due to the corporate focus on the value
they receive when they are attentive to creating great user experiences. While
talking to others and explaining what UX Design really is - and what it isn’t - I’ve
had the opportunity to reflect on the work I really do and the history of the field.
For many years, people automatically related UX Design to wireframes. Perhaps
it’s because much of the deliverable revolved around wireframes and they do vary
quite a bit based on a style and purpose.

…But wireframes, though important to the bigger picture, are not the only way for
a company to improve their user experience. You see, I rarely create wireframes
anymore and it’s a tool that I really don’t miss too much. Most of my days are
actually spent having real client conversations about focusing design decisions to
improve conversions through close attention to the experience of the user and not
just presenting a wireframe.

Here’s a few insights into how you can accomplish these goals and what the
deliverables look like may look like for your project:

13
Augmenting Teams with Fresh Eyes

A few years back, I was contracted by a company that manufactures an amazing

product and had recently launched a great new website. I got connected with them
when a friend suggested that they may benefit from me taking a close look at their
UX.

This company already had a great team of very capable designers and developers,
who were responsible for the creative concept and development of the new website.
They agreed that a second pair of eyes could help make things even better.

Because they already had designers that created both wireframes and designs,
nearly all of my deliverables were mainly through e-mail conversations. I looked at
the existing designs and gave them my detailed opinion on how conversions could
be improved. It could be really minor suggestions like the wording in a button and
its placement, or it could be more complex like the flow of the shopping cart.

"On the homepage, there’s no CTA visible, no price tag, and very limited product
exposure. I know it’s always a struggle between brand and conversion/sales, just wanted to
highlight that while I think your visits will increase, a conversion drop could be seen.
Would it be possible to get “See all my products" above the fold?"

- Email snippet for a homepage UX tweak

I focused on the entire experience - desktop and mobile - and highlighted any
inconsistencies that may derail the experience.

User Focused Product/Feature Design Done Right

Sometimes the process is multiphase and dependant on the origin of the idea. In
this example, a client of mine provides the perfect example of what this would look
like.

14
1. If it’s a feature that is desired by the client, it’ll usually be followed by a process
of in depth learning about the system it is being developed for and all of the related
systems. This can get incredibly technical. I certainly have a greater understanding
of many industries than I would never have known otherwise!

From this meeting/learning process, I’ll head back to my office and assemble a very
rough wireframe or sketch about the desired functionality and the flow of the
feature. Basically I am nailing down how the user is presented information and all
the different options and functionality. These will go back and forth a couple of
times until it is well defined as being user friendly enough for the average user, but
is still functional enough for the advanced user.

2. If it’s a feature/subject or area where I can see a need for improvement, I

approach it very differently. Even though I’m not generally the target for the
product, it’s my job to think like them and consider features that I would have
liked to use. These are usually via an e-mail, during an informal meeting, or using
Keynote.

Quick tip: Keynote is a great tool for visually communicating concepts and ideas
that don’t have all the features set in stone, something that’s not a wireframe, and
that doesn’t necessarily have a flow. The two advantages I have found Keynote has
given me:

• Clearly highlights the problem through a visual medium

• Gives a strong representation of the solution (what is technically possible,

economically sane, and represents a focus on improving overall experience)

15
Example: Let’s assume a project’s goal is to give a user access to manage and
monitor all of the utilities for a company through an app. This company is multi-
location with each of the facilities have specific, if related needs. Sure, the user
could manually group managed facilities based on the relationships, but
automatically providing the option for grouping could give the user more insights.
The app’s job would be to create these groups without it being labor intensive.

Now that we have identified the root problem as the creation of the groups being
time-consuming and confusing, we can recommend to the app developer to
develop a feature that would allow the user to create dynamic groups themselves
based on industry-specific standards. This way, the user is capable of yielding
better information with less effort.

1 Hour Consultations

So far, I’ve talked about situations that are with clients who are long contracts, but
companies also work with me on a consulting basis. This usually consists of 1 hour
strategy sessions over something like Google Hangouts or Skype and are based
around a set topic (on boarding, conversions, design style, or checkout flow)

This is super efficient for the client because they’ll get a lot of valuable information
in a really short period of time. There’s usually not a set deliverable, but the take-
aways are still very tangible.

---

I think it’s pretty easy to see that there is much more to good UX Design than
wireframes. Sure, bigger picture elements - like wireframes - play an important

16
role, but much of what the user encounters is actually based around smaller
experiences with the product. Small features, user journeys, microinteractions, and
targeted design help to create a better experience for the user and leads to better
conversions for the client. As a UX Designer, being flexible with your process and
deliverables based on the project can make your job MUCH easier.

17
4
Everyone is a UX Designer, Even You!

Ok, here’s my big confession - I don’t like the title “UX Designer”. When people
ask what I do, I tell them I am a UX Designer, but I don’t think it’s really accurate.
It’s true that I help companies design user experiences and you’d think the title
would be suitable, but it also suggests that I am solely responsible for what the
complete user experience will be. This couldn’t be farther from the truth. As I tell
everyone, user experiences are made up of so much more and everyone has a role
to play.

Mike Monteiro is one of my favorite thinkers. You may know him from his brilliant
speech “F*ck You. Pay Me.” or his books “Design is a Dream Job” and “You’re My
Favorite Client”. Some of my favorite passages come from “You’re My Favorite
Client” where Mike let’s the reader know that whether they believe it or not, they
are a designer too:

“I don’t know anything about design. Bullsh*t. Look around you.You make choices based
on design every day.

….

Even if you can’t design those things yourself, that doesn’t take away from your ability to
decide that was the chair you wanted to sit on, or the shoes you wanted to wear, or the car
you wanted to buy.

….

18
You know bad design when you encounter it. From every chair you’ve sat in that hurt
your ass, to every coffee cup that burned your hand, to every time your finger triggered the
wrong link on your phone, to every airline booking site that pissed you off.You know bad
design.You hate it. “

It Should Just Work

Mike’s reasoning can be easily applied to UX-design - the airline booking site
reference fits really well. As people, we just want things that work. This is, without
a doubt, one of the reasons that Apple has seen such great success with their
products.

Sure, the Android operating system has some awesome features. You can customize
just about anything, but the vast majority of users don’t give it a second thought.
As designers who craft experiences, do we really think that people care whether or
not you can customize what font the operating system uses? Most people don’t
even know what a font is. What people DO care about is getting on with their daily
business. The faster I can pull the phone out of the box to start making calls, e-
mailing, and browsing the web - the better.

More Options Don’t Equal Good Experience

I was recently hired to rethink the user experience of an e-commerce website that
lets users customize shirts. The possibilities are absolutely endless. A user can
choose different buttons, collars, pockets, cuts, and the list goes on and on. They
can even upload their own measurements to ensure a perfect fit.

These endless possibilities get overwhelming for first time users. They might just
want to get a shirt where they can simply select a custom color. I suggested to the

19
client to group options together to make the choices easier to grasp. Especially in
this case, this grouping technique can help users easily engage with the product.

Just think of Google. The possibilities are endless for what you can search for and
then filter those results to see exactly what you want using their tools. However, the
success of Google lies with its simplicity - that most users feel comfortable with a
single text field where they can enter their search term.

This e-commerce client didn’t buy into my reasoning and thought that they would
lose clients by grouping the options for ease of use. They believed that their user
base desires to have all the options, all the time. We ended up parting ways because
I couldn’t suggest a solution that would meet all of their demands.

Especially in this instance, it was a reminder to myself that I need to stick to what I
know is right and not bend to the will of the client. I always keep this phrase in
mind as I go about working with clients and you should too: if you want to please
everyone, you end up pleasing nobody - not even yourself.

The User Experience is SO Much More

Even though my title might be UX Designer, the user experience consists of

everyone involved: marketers, managers, customer service, technicians, even other
users. The role of a UX Designer is to take all these different inputs and suggest
the best way to package, position, and communicate it. Success comes from paying
attention to the entire experience of the user, from beginning to end.

“A great user experience is the craft that brings all of the elements
together to create one consistent feeling for the user.” 

- Cat Noon

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5
The Extra Effort for Great UX

One of the best books I’ve ever read on User Experiences is titled “The Elements
of User Experience” written by Jesse James Garrett. In the book, he begins by
telling the story of a man who wakes up and wonders why his alarm clock never
went off. He goes to make coffee, but struggles with the coffeemaker. On his way
to work, he stops for gas, but can’t get his credit card to work and has to stand in a
long line to pay. When he is finally on his way, he is detoured due to an accident
and arrives far later than he ever anticipated. He ends up irritated, sweaty, and
lacking a much needed cup of coffee.

REWIND: Let’s look at WHY each one of these situations happen and how they
relate to poor user experience design. The traffic accident was caused by a man
who had to take his eyes off the road to lower the radio’s volume. The radio had a
poorly designed knob layout and was confusing to the driver. The line at the gas
station was so long because the cashier had to use a complex and confusing system
to charge clients. The fact that he had to stand in line at all was because the gas
pump didn't offer any instructions on how to properly insert your card. The
coffeemaker didn’t work because he failed to push the button all the way down.
There was nothing to let him know it was turned on or not - no lights, sounds, no
feedback. And everything started when his cat stepped on the alarm clock,
resetting it without notification.

21
Can you relate?

I’m pretty sure we’ve all had experiences like this. Our technology and appliances
aren’t always very clear in their use. However, we ALL are forced to interact with
these failing user interfaces on a daily basis. It’s the TV remote, the pay kiosk at the
parking ramp, and especially the custom Excel spreadsheet you use to track
expense reports. In order to get what we want from these interfaces, we have to
successfully interact with them and that can be difficult.

That said, we have seen a huge increase in good (read: not great) user experiences
over the past decade. As we become more and more reliant upon different inputs,
we’re bound to learn what works and what doesn’t. That drives the development of
interfaces we use today and in the future.

Assessing the User’s Needs

In 1943, Abraham Maslow introduced Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. In it, he

described what we need as humans to fully operate. From physiological (air, water,
food) to safety (personal security, financial security, health), love (friends, family,

22
sex), esteem (self-respect, self-esteem), and finally self-actuallization (reaching your
full potential).

How does this relate to UX Design in the digital and physical world? Maslow gives
us the method to understanding the needs of our users. Take online banking for an
example:

1. Make the interface functional. It would mean the user being able to login, pay
bills, and view an account summary.

2. Make it feel safe for the user to use. I don’t need to tell you how crucial that is
for the banking industry. A user will refuse to use something that even APPEARS
to be unsafe.

3. Make it usable. It needs to be easy to navigate between pages and it all the
functions exactly as the user expects.

Note: This is where 99% of all services end, but great UX design goes further.

4. Make it pleasurable. I know what you’re thinking - a pleasurable online

banking experience? Crazy! It may seem laughable, but it’s only crazy until
someone actually makes one. Then the whole industry will scramble to catch up.

23
The Extra Effort goes a Long Way

Great user experiences are the result of putting in the extra effort - when usable
just isn’t enough. Maslow states that when a person is fully self-actualized, they
find contentment as their needs have been all fulfilled. A user finds that same sense
of contentment using a product that invested in creating a great user experience.
That fully contented user is happier to be a returning customer and a brand
advocate.

24
6
UX Design as a Problem Solver

As designers in the digital age, redesigns are a growing part of our business. We
dedicate a lot of time and energy rethinking everything from boarding passes to
apps, newspapers, and even brands. Often these are just visual redesigns without
any actual input from the company/brand in question. We do it because we think it
looks good.

This “design for looks, not function” mentality does have a downside and may
explain why we don’t see redesigns for ATM’s, glucose monitoring, or tax return
forms on Designer News/Dribble. These are the applications that actually
WOULD benefit from a comprehensive redesign.

Don’t get me wrong... I appreciate all the talent and effort that goes into
redesigning things like boarding passes, but is it what we really need? Does this
really help the product better serve its users?

A great redesign can kickstart a career

Paying attention to the needs of the user can get you pretty far in the field of
design. Tobias van Schneider, who launched his .Mail project a couple of years ago
did exactly that. He was then able to become a Lead Product Designer at Spotify
before venturing out on his own.

25
Tobias recognized, as many other designers had as well, that email apps are
desperate for a redesign. While I do think Mail.app (Apple) isn’t the best software
out there, it does it’s job. So does Gmail and I’m pretty sure Outlook does too.
Email is email is email, right? What if we had an option to make it a pleasurable
experience - one that gets out of your way and just completes the task without
effort?

Tobias writes:

“When the first email was sent in the early 1970’s there was no big
difference to the email we know today. And that’s the problem.”

Even though there have been some significant gains (HTML emails, attachments,
links, signatures, etc), I think Tobias really hits the note when he says “and that’s
the problem”. As an example, the first cars in the early 1900’s got you from point
A to point B, but today’s cars are faster, more reliable, and have many more
options - much like email. They have been redesigned countless times, but has
their function improved? It’s still four tires on the pavement resulting in traffic
jams, maintenance bills, and fuel costs. The redesign we need is the one that solves
those type of problems.

The real question: Is the problem the product or it’s users?

Do users fear the new/upgraded? Is their comfort - or their company’s comfort -

with the old solution enough to possibly damage the success of a new one? The
answer is yes. Many great ideas have been born and died just because people were
hesitant to adopt them.

26
When Mailbox launched it was seen as a revelation because it offered a new way to
attack the increasing problem of a full inbox. (It even had a sign-up queue with
hundreds of thousands in line). It allowed users to postpone messages and make
them disappear from your inbox only to recur after the selected time had passed.
After being acquired by Dropbox, Mailbox didn’t continue to innovate and it’s key
features were being poached by other developers. It may have changed the way we
interact with email, but didn’t change email itself and came with a pricetag that
people weren’t willing to pay for. Mailbox was shutdown in early 2016.

Slack is a communication app launched in 2015 that is trying to solve the

problems that email presents. In fact, many say it is the email killer. A year later,
email is still very much alive and kicking and I use it daily. However, I do love
Slack and all my team communication is handled in Slack. I’m even trying out
Slack with a couple of client projects now!

As Intercom so efficiently puts it:

“Products like Slack or Asana don’t replace email, but they do encourage us from sending
it in situations where it’s the wrong medium. At Intercom we firmly believe in the right
medium for the right message.Want to announce a new product feature? Pop-up a message
when customers are in the app and can try it straight away. Looking to re-engage
customers you might be about to lose? Send them an email to try and get them back.”

I love Slack for it’s integrations - especially /giphy - and it’s low barrier to sending a
quick message, but whenever I feel something is important - I turn to email. My
experience has shown me that it is a tool that can be trusted. I love that email isn’t
as invasive as a phone call or an iMessage. It is a reliable way to send information
and I trust that it is universally accepted - something Slack has yet to accomplish.
Slack and email are different enough products that I can’t choose one or the other.
Will Slack kill email? Naah… Email is far from dead.

27
When it comes down to it, a product is only good if it solves a problem - no matter
how pretty the design is. No amount of redesign of boarding passes will solve the
problems with airline travel to make it worth the investment. No amount of
redesign of newspapers will result in more readers to make it worth the investment.
A redesign of glucose monitor could help its users have an easier experience using
it - bettering their lives. A redesign of a tax form could ease the process of filing -
saving time and decreasing stress. I encourage all of you to use your talents to
design to solve the problem, not just make it pretty.

28
 Creating
User Experiences
One of the virtues I hold dear as a UX Designer is my curiousity
about how things work. When I decided to write this book, it was clear
to me that I should also include others and let them share their stores
on creating user experiences that matter. I’ve had the opportunity to
meet and work with so many talented people that I could likely do an
entire book with just interviews. In this section, I talked to three
people whose work I admire greatly.
7
Emil Ovemar from TocaBoca

“We want to be a positive force in the industry and make a mark.

We want to create a great culture for kids. “

When creating great user experiences, we’re often focused on measurable

outcomes. Conversions can be measured in the form of sign-ups or, honestly, any
other measurable action. What would it look like if the user experience is really
letting kids have a great time?

I first met Emil when we started working together back in 2005 at Starring. My
first impression was that his humane side really made him stand out from other
developers. He sincerely cared about creating great things for people. Ten years
later, he’s one of the founders of a wildly successful app studio, Toca Boca. There
they create apps - or digital toys, as they call them - for kids of all ages to learn and
grow. I wanted to be able to share Emil’s wisdom with you and sat down with him
to get him to answer a few questions for all of us.

Hey Emil, could you tell the readers a bit about your background?

Absolutely. I discovered the Internet and computers at a pretty late stage. I was
never a gamer, I didn’t have a computer nor a Nintendo which basically meant that
when playing at friend’s houses, I got to play for about a minute, then watch for 30
minutes only to play for another minute. You can understand how that didn’t make

30
for an exciting gaming experience. It wasn’t until I played a C64 game called Little
Computer People that I was really hooked. The game didn’t really have an agenda,
but was more about exploring. Think Sims in 1985. It was the first digital
experience that made me excited.

I went on to study System Sciences and taught myself how to make webpages. I
figured this was something I could do for a living. While working at Starring, I
started to realize that I wasn’t really interested in development, but rather building
great stuff that people love to use. I got more and more interested in things like
interaction design, service design, and user experiences. All of a sudden, I started
to realize that I had a talent for understanding the full experience, how people
work, and that details matter.

Back in 2005, that wasn’t really a topic of discussion.

There’s a book by Jesse James Garrett called The elements of User Experience,\
where he discusses this theory of layers and how things work together. When
reading about layers - I instantly thought that this is how we should work! We were
operating (pretty much like most agencies at the time) where we’d spend 5% on
the user flows/experience and 95% on visual design. We also used pretty much the
same methods regardless if it was a campaign or a corporate site. I tried to
convince management that this as an opportunity to make more money by
providing clients with a better service. At the time, this discussion didn’t exist in
Sweden and only with firms like Adaptive Path that charged for research and
interaction design.

Later, when working for Bonnier, I got a more traditional User Experience role
and realized that this is what I really enjoy doing. Essentially being able to combine
research with a strategic guidance that always has it’s base in the user’s experience
and always representing the end user. Being able to assign principles to projects so
that you have clear goals for the user experience. Björn (Jeffery) and I became a

31
great team at Bonnier as we both understood the importance of the user
experience but also the business side of things.

Toca Boca allows kids to play, be creative, and learn how to use technology.
So from a social perspective, that’s really User Experiences that Matter
because it will also have an impact in the future. Is that something that you
take into account when designing?



We’re not releasing products purely from a sales-perspective, no. We’re fully aware
that the choices we make have an impact beyond today. Apple occasionally uses us
as an example and sometimes asks for our advice. This could be when creating a
new parental lock or, as an example, when they launched their Kids category in the
AppStore. We were very clear that we felt it shouldn’t be gender-based. I’m not
sure how much our opinion was taken into account. Maybe a company like Disney
would have acted in another way.

We want to be a positive force in the industry and make a mark. We want to create
a great culture for kids.

How long does it usually take from idea to AppStore?

It’s changed over time. During our first year we released 10 apps with no more
than 3 months per app. Over time we’ve started to put more effort into every app
as we realised that the smaller apps weren’t really good enough (nor were they
profitable). This year, we’re expanding our target so every app must be fun for 3
year olds, but also be fun for 7 to 9 year olds. This means every app needs to have a
depth to be able satisfy kids of many different levels. We’re investing a lot more into
every app this year instead releasing more apps.

32
At the same time, not everyone will buy every app. Some buy 3 or 4 of our apps
whereas some families trust our brand and buy every new app as soon as we
release it.

Designing for kids must be a blast because kids are so honest in their
feedback. At the same time, I’m guessing they’re not as predictable as
grownups.

Very true. When working with kids, you can’t assume that you know what they’re
thinking. Even if you think it’s similar to something that you’ve done previously
that worked, you still have to test it. It could be a really minor detail that’s different
and they simply won’t like it. You have to be on high-alert at all times and test
often. You have to be great at observing and then test and iterate again.

Because kids are so honest, you become very humble. Never assume that you
know.

What’s the biggest challenge with such a young target audience? What’s the
biggest difference?



That you’re a grownup yourself. Everything you know, you have to re-evaluate.
Every interaction whether it’s swiping, scrolling, or pinching have established user
patterns for us

as grownups, but you can never assume that kids have the same points of
references.

33
Toca Bocas doesn’t have any text, labels, or instructions. Everything is
very intuitive and made for exploration. How do you achieve simplicity?

We’re not really striving for as simple as possible but rather want to invite to play
and exploration. A simple example: Say there’s four characters on a row. One of
them is jiggling and bouncing and very inviting. Kids will try to touch that
character because it’s the one that’s the most interesting. Kids aren’t trying to
perform a task so you have to get them excited. “Who’s this? Who’s hiding behind
that box?”

Our first criteria when creating new apps is: I’m curious about what this is.

When you get kids curious, you’ll find new solutions. Invite, excite, and create
opportunities.

“Unlike adults, kids aren’t trying to perform a task so you have to

get them excited.”

As opposed to many games, there are no levels or goals in your apps.

There’s no conversion, there’s just the journey and play time. What ways
does this affect your process?



I don’t think it’s because of the process, but rather our criteria. We’ve outlined
criteria for what a great Toca Boca experience is. First, you should get curious
about what this is. Then you should feel empowered - I can do this, but I can also
do this. Finally, you should return to find even more things that’s possible and
continue to explore.

This requires working with layers and details at a certain level. There should always
be more to explore.

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We put a lot of effort into creating details, because we think details matter. Even if
everyone won’t find the ALL the details, it’ll spread online through forums and
between friends. When creating experiences for grownups, not many companies
invest in creating great details. When Twitter launched their pull to refresh sound
and gesture was a great new experience that just felt right.

Often though when features like that are released, they get copied to tons
of apps. All of a sudden it’s not a detail - it’s the default way to refresh and
more like a framework. You’re designing digital toys, but are also
launching a video service and physical products. How do you ensure that
your users will feel at home?

We’ve discussed this a lot and there are several ways to tie things together. The
easiest way would be to have an established character (like a SpongeBob), but we
don’t really have characters in that sense. We don’t even have an established visual
design language.

What we do have is our values: Always include others, how to play for the sake of
play, and that there should be a dimension of play in everything. That’s what
guides us. We’re working with principles that are emotional rather than a visual
language.

“...it’s about a getting that personal connection - that the person that created this
product created it with me in mind.”

How do you define a great user experience?

Sometimes it’s “wow, how efficient” whereas other times it’s “wow, I feel all these
emotions.” Regardless, it’s about a getting that personal connection - that the
person that created this product created it with me in mind. This isn’t created by a
massive corporation, but rather by a person. This was created for me.

35
What defines a Toca Boca experience?

The above and...


This is something I can play with. I’m in full control. I feel empowered by this.

I can explore, I can do this - but I can also do this! That emotion is important and
it should always be based around play. You’re playing with Toca Boca, but you can
also invite all your friends to play too.

What has been the biggest insight during the past years?

That kids know so much more than what most grownups think they do. Kids need
creative tools to be feel inspired and when they don’t have them, they don’t feel
motivated. If you do something that’s truly great, then free kids to do whatever
they want. Kids deserve the best tools.

I would argue that the same applies to grownups! Thank you Emil.

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8
Marcus Woxneryd from ustwo

“To me, that is the most exciting part of my job – creating things
that actually make people’s lives better.”

5 years ago I got to know a great studio named ustwo. I’ve made an effort to keep
in touch with this studio filled with humble, hardworking people. While ustwo
might not be known to everyone, one of their games, Monument Valley, has
received global recognition. They won an Apple Design Award for it and what’s
perhaps even more awesome is when President Frank Underwood pitched the
game in an episode of House of Cards.

Their latest app, Pause, isn’t a game although game design plays a big part. It’s an
app for meditating and winding down. I found the controversy in using technology
- usually the distraction for us all - to wind down so interesting that I wanted to
hear more about the thoughts behind it.

Tell us a little bit about yourself, your background and what you’re up to
now

My name is Marcus Woxneryd and I’m from a studio called ustwo. ustwo is a
‘digital product’ studio – which basically means we come up with, design, and
build digital products for anything with a digital screen.

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My goal has always been to create the ultimate studio space where passionate
people come to do the best work of their lives. And slowly but surely I feel we’re
getting there. We started in 2004 with 2 people, and now there are over 250 of us
based in studios in London, Malmö, New York, and Sydney.

Apart from looking over the ustwo group as whole, my day-to-day responsibility is
heading up the ustwo Nordics studio. A group of 80 amazing “ustwobies” and
friends that make my life a joy.

As a company and a studio, we’re on an exciting, yet challenging journey at the

moment. Moving from helping the biggest brands with digital transformation the
last couple of years, we’re now also launching our own products, starting new
ventures, and investing in promising startups. This journey, going from mainly
client service work to becoming a “venture builder”, or incubator if you like, is
both super exciting and super challenging. Leading this transition is where I spend
most of my time these days.

When developing new products, what’s your method? How do you usually
come up with new products?



The ustwo work process is a combination of multiple best practices in design and
product development. The foundation is based around Lean and Agile
methodology with the inherited roles and processes.

“That’s my biggest learning over the last year and my strongest

advice - it’s just another fucking growth opportunity.”

Our secret ingredient is, without a doubt, our culture. Lean/Agile/etc offer some
great principles and practices in terms of product development, but it’s our people
and the culture that makes a difference. The culture is the key driver for producing

38
work with heart. However, culture takes time to ripen, and I think we’re
increasingly losing sight of that. Especially in a world demanding short term
results, where lean, sprints, and ROI rule.

We work a lot with culture as the enabler for new products, but it’s not easy. The
speed of change and complexity for us working with technology calls for new ways
of working. We can’t lean on experts and old knowledge anymore as most things
haven’t been done before. Instead, we need diverse competencies, great
collaboration, and leadership skills to explore our way forward. Collaboration is a
craft in it’s own right so, for example, we assign a Coach to each team who’s
responsible for designing, facilitating, and leading these highly collaborative and
explorative team processes to create and deliver great products.

We also have a venture program we invest in a couple of new ventures that the
studio wants to engage in. This is a process where external and internal
entrepreneurs can come and pitch their product/business. With the help of an
external jury of seasoned advisors, the studio votes and selects a venture to invest
time, people, sweat, love, and tears into making happen.

Tell me more about the Venture Program – what’s your engagement –

financial or knowledge? What kind of ventures are you looking to invest in?



Our core proposition in the venture program can be explained as Product
Acceleration in return for equity. We help entrepreneurs and companies to define
and build their digital product / service. The first step is often to accelerate their
journey towards investments needed to get the product to market.

“Our culture is the key driver for producing work with heart.”

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Monument Valley was a HUGE success and Pause is currently at the #1
spot in the US App Store. What’s the secret to creating these block busters?



I think it’s a combination of our heritage of design and the crafts, our product
capabilities, and the ustwo culture. We have a culture of JFDI - when we see an
opportunity we strongly believe in, we go for it. Meeting Peng Cheng from
PauseAble, and hearing about his personal story, his research and his unique
approach, was one of those moments - love at first sight. For ustwo it’s not about
what you say - it’s what you do. Building and launching products is our way of
exploring the world.

Pause is really a User Experience that Matters as it’s focused on people’s

well-being and how they can cope with the stress of our everyday lives. Was
this social value an important part when creating the product?



It was definitely an important part of creating the product. We’re always looking to
create products that have an impact and with Pause we’ve had amazing feedback
from our users. People are thanking us for their best night’s sleep ever, it makes
them feel more creative and productive, and getting ready for new challenges. We
are also reaching users beyond relaxation and stress. Pause is helping people tackle
anxiety, ADHD, PTSD, and depression. Helping millions of people struggling with
this would be huge and would make a measurable difference in the world. To me,
that is the most exciting part of my job – creating things that actually make
people’s lives better.

Pause is really a different kind of meditating experience - no cellos or

beach sounds. Do you think this was crucial for the product’s success?


40


Most mindfulness/meditation products use the ‘positive distractions’ approach -
distracting users from anxiety and fear. Pause is a totally different approach, where
the digital experience only exists when user is being mindful. In Pause the finger
movement becomes the vessel of our current attention, which enables our
technology to detect attention in a very simple and practical way. It’s the user’s
slow, continuous, and gentle movements that achieve calm and focus - not cellos or
beach sounds. This is the absolute key to the effectiveness of Pause.

Using your smart phone for relaxation seems kind of odd. Aren’t most
people are stressed because of their smart phones?



It’s ironic, isn’t it? Technology and smartphones are often blamed for increasing
stress in our modern society, I feel we need to turn that assumption on its head.
What we’re trying to prove with Pause is that we can use technology to get similar
results to the traditional principles of Tai Chi and mindfulness – but in minutes
rather than months or years. The user testing and validation done to date show
great promise of our hypothesis being true. This mean we can totally rethink the
relationship between technology and mental health.

To you, what defines a great user experience?

A great user experience is an experience that you remember. Something you feel in
your stomach, something that bring joy, something that solves a clear user need, or
something that makes you think differently. But more importantly to me, it’s also
something that actually help people. Something that really makes a difference for
the individual.

41
 “My motto over the last year has been to stop thinking about
myself as a VIP and start thinking about myself 

as a WIP - a work in progress.”

What was your biggest learning from the last year?

Biggest learning = old ways no longer work! I shouldn’t even attempt to believe I
have all the answers. It’s actually about taking the opposite approach in this crazy
new world we operate in. My motto over the last year has been to stop thinking
about myself as a VIP and start thinking about myself as a WIP - a work in
progress.

The world around is changing at a furious speed. So stop trying to pretend, stop
trying to prove your ability, let go, and focus on learning. A growth mindset will
make you move faster. It will allow you to take more risk (which is increasingly
becoming more important) and it will make you less stressed. When a new
situation becomes an opportunity to learning and growth over a potential fuck-up
and failure, you will start looking at the world with different eyes. That’s my biggest
learning over the last year and my strongest advice - it’s just another fucking
growth opportunity.

42
9
James Gill from GoSquared

“Good user experience is not just good aesthetics or good transitions.

It’s a fundamental value that a company needs to have to succeed
in software.”

Over the years, I’ve probably tried thousands of different services. For most of
these, I signed up, but never returned. And then there are those services that when
you sign up, you’re instantly hooked. You can think of it as the connection people
feel instantly to something they love, like Star Wars, biking, or micro breweries.

When creating products, this is what we want to achieve. That feeling of instant
connection. The thought that this is something that was created with me in mind.

I recently signed up for GoSquared and after using it for just a couple of hours, I
was looking for the input field to enter my credit card number. Needless to say,
they had succeeded persuading me as a user of their intuitive analytics
software.Think of GoSquared as a “mission control” for your business. Its easy-to-
use platform presents real-time web analytics so that you can understand your
users/customers like never before.

Meet James Gill, CEO and co-founder of GoSquared.

43
Hi James, what can you tell me about how GoSquared started? What’s your
background?

GoSquared started way back in 2006. Time flies!

Essentially, we saw this site called “The Million Dollar Homepage” and thought
“Wow, if someone can make a million dollars from a simple idea like that, imagine
what we could do!”

It led me to find two of the smartest people at school (we were all 14 years old at
the time) and join forces. I focused on design and business, while Geoff and JT
focused on all the difficult stuff – making a website that actually worked.

We kept on building and iterating while we were at school, and eventually left
school to focus on growing the business full-time before heading to university.


How big is the team now compared to when you started?

We’re still a very small and tight-knit team – currently only eight people full-time.
We always want more smart people on the team. When we started it was just three
of us. All three of us are together and more excited than ever to be at GoSquared.

“We obsess over our customers and listen to every word they tell us.”

When developing new features, what’s your method? How do you usually
come up with new features?



There’s no magic formula, but we take a healthy dose of customer feedback every
single day. We obsess over our customers and listen to every word they tell us. The

44
thing is, we have to filter a lot of feedback and work very hard to translate feature
requests into our own understanding of customer problems.

We can’t simply build what customers tell us to build – we’d end up with a chaotic
mess of a product if we did that.

So we have to have a strategy - a plan - and a vision of where we want to go. We

work with our customers to get there. We start with the fundamental problems we
see customers having. First thing is to understand that deeply and then come up
with lots of ideas for how we can solve that. Then we flesh out designs and
prototypes which we try to get in front of as many people as possible (while also
maintaining a level of secrecy). We try not to write much code until we have our
solution pretty well understood and locked down. The biggest problems we’ve run
into on a product is when we embark on writing code too soon - before we’ve fully
understand what problems we’re solving.

It’s funny, if you start by figuring out the hard stuff then it makes the marketing
and selling a whole lot easier in the long-run.

For me, using GoSquared feels very natural compared to something like
Analytics that feels very technical. Was this your goal? If so, how did you
work to achieve it?

Making something feel “natural” is really hard. I think people can really appreciate
a lot of quality in software, even if they can’t necessarily articulate or explain why
something is good. We don’t want people to spend hours talking about our
transitions or error states – they should just work and get out of the way.

We spend a lot of time refining some of these details. It’s sometimes hard to justify
because no one upgrades purely because of our software quality, but it’s one of
many factors that helps build trust and confidence with our customers.

45
When talking about website analytics - level of engagement seems pretty crucial.
Some users want the overview once a week whereas others want to see deep
statistics in-real time daily. We had to ask ourselves: how do you cater to meet both
of those groups of users?

A lot of the challenge in building a software product that’s “simple” and easy for
the end user

is picking sensible defaults. Defaults are powerful because most people don’t
change them. So they have a huge impact in people’s overall impression of the
product.

Luckily we understand our customers very well – we have an end-to-end view of

the customer’s data so we can be smart about picking defaults. For example, a
customer with a few hundred visitors a day may be overwhelmed by daily email
reports, while someone with millions of visitors a day often wants to know every
single day what’s been happening.

Importantly, while we try to make sensible calls on defaults, we try to make it

really easy to change the defaults. And we obsess over trying to make the customer
happy, not trying to inflate some nonsensical growth metrics.

“I think people can really appreciate a lot of quality in software,

even if they can’t necessarily articulate or explain why something is
good.We don’t want people to spend hours talking about our
transitions or error states – they should just work and get out of the
way.”

46
Things like ‘bounce rate’ are industry specific KPI’s but depending on the
scenario, they’re not really a great measurement tool. For instance, a high
bounce rate doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a bad page if the user got what
they came for. Have you discussed not using the industry standard terms
in favor of inventing your own that would be of more value to the user?

Bounce rate is an interesting one actually – we do not use the industry standard to
define bounce. We don’t feel it’s good enough for the modern web. Our bounce
rate takes into account engagement metrics such as time on page.

More info on GoSquared Bounce Rate:

https://www.gosquared.com/customer/en/portal/articles/2171527-engagement

Overall, creating new KPIs isn’t an easy business. We can’t dictate too much
because every business has different needs. Where we feel we can provide more
value is in educating our customers about the right KPIs for their own businesses
and then help them track those with the GoSquared platform.

How do you make different kinds of users feel at home?

We try to not to abusively push features on our customers. A lot of services you see
are so obsessed about boosting their own revenues and growth metrics that they
try to get ALL their users using ALL of their features and products. We don’t take
this approach. We try to figure out which of our customers would benefit most
from specific features and selectively encourage different customers to try different
parts of the product that we feel will benefit them.

This approach avoids us annoying customers who just don’t care about some
features, and helps us focus our efforts on being helpful to the customers that can
genuinely benefit.

47
“We try to gure out which of our customers would bene t most from
specific features and selectively encourage di erent customers to try
different parts of the product that we feel will benefit them.”

What’s the plan for GoSquared for the future?

We have some very exciting new products in the works. I’m very excited about
them. We’re also turning ten years old next year. It’s gonna be a big one!

How do you test new features?

Lots of testing with Marvel in early stages. We also are running more user tests at
our office in London. We run through a set of non-leading questions while
recording their screen session and their audio. We take meticulous notes and feed
this directly back into product development. “Don’t Make Me Think” is probably
the best book I’ve ever read on building a great product with user testing and
feedback.

What defines a great user experience?

Good user experience is not just good aesthetics or good transitions. It’s a
fundamental value that a company needs to have to succeed in software. It comes
down to your customer service, your approach to sales, and much more. Great UIs
are part of that. That great UI should be focused on getting a job done and making
that easy. It has nothing to do with fancy slidey shiny animations.

48
 Designing
for People
Although I’ve already touched the subject, I wanted to end the book
by really focusing on how great user experiences are made. Often
when we discuss creating user experiences, we end up discussing the
practical sides: features, wireframes, conversions.
At the end of the day, these elements are fundamental to success. In
fact, they are so important that we lose focus on the emotional values
that drive our products. User Experiences are created out of love and
a deep desire to make things better.
These final chapters will cover just this - the importance of creating
something for PEOPLE rather than “users”.
10
Growing Relationsships by
Understanding Value
The office ecosystem is an unusual place. The building where I have my office is
large by any standards. There are roughly 100 different companies with more than
500 actual people working for them. You could assume that an environment like
this would adopt all the benefits of a co-working space, but not everyone is
onboard. Agencies often complain that they are not comfortable having their
clients so close to their competitors. I think they are making a mistake. Wouldn’t
they benefit from growing great relationships with these other companies?
Wouldn’t that add value to everything everyone does?

Values drive relationships

Relationships have their foundation in values. It’s about what you bring and what
you expect. All relationships are different, but they depend on these values to be
truly healthy. For instance:

MY DOG brings me happiness, daily exercise, and a feeling of responsibility and

caring. In return, she gets exercise, food, shelter, and - most importantly - love in
return.

MY CLIENTS get an agency-like quality delivery without the bureaucracy. They’ll

get it on-time and mostly without revisions. In return, I get long-term engagements
and clients that adapt to my way of working. Also, I don’t have to chase new
clients!

50
FACEBOOK brings me updates from close and not-so-close friends. It really is a
great experience and although there are things that could improve, the positives
outweigh the negatives. The value it brings me in my daily life verify it’s worth. In
return, I bring Facebook content and engagement. It might seem trivial, but it’s
not trivial for Facebook.

Stable relationships thrive on balanced values. Each one of the examples above are
different in the values given/received, but without a balance either side could
suffer.

What values do you bring?

Think about it, what do you bring to your relationships? What values do you bring
to your relationship with your significant other, customers, or services? What do
you expect from them? And does it really matter? If you are unsure of what value
you bring, you may have trouble maintaining that relationship. Someone may end
up feeling deserted...

What does this have to do with UX Design?

People don’t truly understand what a UX Designer does. When they ask, one thing
I tell them is that I help companies align their product’s value with the
expectations of their users. They certainly don’t want their users to expect too
much and end up disappointed. Honestly, even giving the user more than they
expect can leave them feeling overwhelmed. This is why aligning values and
expectations is so important. It’s the first step to building long term relationships
with your customers.

51
11
Time vs. Attention: Which is More
Valuable?
tl:dr For those who’ve used up their attention for the day: Design for your users attention
span more than their time, it’s what really matters

There is one week in Malmö that is absolutely HUGE. In fact, it’s so big that they
label it THE WEEK. Every year, the highlight is The Conference and I’ve loved
attending this event in the past. However, this past year, I decided not to go. No, it
has nothing to do with the speakers, the topics, or because my calendar is full of
client work. It’s because I’ve come to a revelation. I simply can’t concentrate for an
entire day - and I bet you can’t either.

Jason Fried recently wrote for Signal v. Noise:

“I recently realized that if I’m too busy to take something on, I

shouldn’t say “I don’t have the time”. In fact, I often do have the
time. It’s not that hard to squeeze in some extra time for someone.

What I don’t have – and what I can’t squeeze in – is more

attention. Attention is a far more limited resource than time. So
what I should say is “I don’t have the attention”. I may have 8

52
hours a day for work, but I probably have 4 hours a day for
attention.”

That final line is what got me thinking. While I may have the TIME for more
projects, conferences, and other random stuff - I don’t have the ATTENTION for
it. Other projects or my personal life would suffer from borrowing attention from
them. I’m less and less willing to make that sacrifice.

Our everyday experiences have a cost.

That conference, meeting, or app requires effort. In terms of time, there’s no

problem squeezing in 7 meetings in one day, but our attention only will allow 3 or
4 of those to be productive.

This is particularly important when creating an event like a conference or

workshop. Organizers often focus more on how much content they can pack into a
day than if they can hold the attention of the audience. Hyper Island does a
spectacular job of this when they have their Master Classes (which are quite
intense!). Between sessions they offer things they call Energizers. These aren’t
energy bars or sugary treats; these are short exercises that help you to refocus. My
favorite? The Shouting Game is always a win!

The Shouting Game

This simple group game is played in a circle. Participants repeatedly choose one
other person to look at, hoping that person won’t be looking back at them.
Whenever eye contact is made between two participants, both must shout wildly
and lunge backward. They are then eliminated. The game generates laugher and
boosts energy in a group.

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How does this translate to the user experience?

You need to look at your product - a conference, app, or a store - and be able to
understand the attention span it requires. I can keep my attention focused at a
conference for around 4 hours, but I don’t even last an hour browsing Facebook.
As I said in the last chapter, it’s important to align your values for your user, but it
is equally important to understand their attention span. Most product owners can
only measure their success as “time spent on site”, but I’m not sure if that is really
a good metric. Is longer better? Does that really mean they love browsing our site?
Or are having a hard time finding what they’re looking for?

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12
UX is Much More Than Software

Most companies are beginning to understand how important user experience is for
their bottom line. They are actively trying to solve or avoid these problems, but
tend to just focus on their software. What they miss is creating a user centric
solution is just a portion of the full experience that the user will have.

I am usually given a set of pages that a company wants me to pay extra attention to
(homepage, category, and product pages). While these pages are critical to the
customer’s user experience and business performance, there is a lot more to look
at. It’s important to keep in mind that great user experiences take time to build
and maintain, but can be demolished in just a couple of seconds. Today’s
consumers demand an experience that works reliably and functions exactly how
they expect it to. It is critical to look beyond the main pages of the website to see
where mistakes can be made.

A Process of Discovery

When working with e-commerce companies, I like to run through a full sales
process to get an idea of what a regular customer will experience. The usual
procedure for analysing the full user experience looks something like this:

• I do a google search for a product and company name. This is the way most
users will find your product, not through the homepage and category pages. Have I

55
understood where I’ve ended up? Does the site give me a trustworthy experience?
Can I easily get back to the previous category listing? What about the homepage?

• From that product page I’ll go back to the homepage and then find my way to
another product. Have they recommended other products that might be of interest
to me? Is crucial information clearly displayed (size, color, price, delivery time)?

• If there’s a chat function, I’ll connect to it and ask basic questions, from
obvious to complex and see how they respond. Do you ship to Sweden? Can you
describe the blue color to me?

• I’ll then add products to my shopping cart and follow through with the
purchase. Was the order form easy to fill out? Did I have to register as a user to
buy? Did I have to sign up for a newsletter?

• I wait for the order confirmation to arrive. Did it arrive promptly? Is it easy to
understand? Does it have all the necessary information?

• I take a close look at the shipping process and all the things users are going to
be looking for. Do I get an email once my product has shipped? Does it feature a
tracking code?

• Once the product arrives, I look to see if everything is included including

options like “added value” items. Often these are things as small as stickers or can
be hand written notes, sweets, and vouchers. Did everything arrive as promised?
Are the added value items unique with the user in mind?

• I contact customer support one more time to ask questions about my product.
How quick was the response time? Under 24 hours? What was the tone like?
Friendly or sour?

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I then repeat this entire process for mobile and tablet. This way I know if the
experience is universal across all possible platforms and may not have issues
associated with responsive design issues.




UX is in EVERY Part of Business

As you can see, the total user experience is so much more than just the three pages
that most companies want me to focus on. Even if you don’t have the same chain
of interactions as e-commerce, there is so much more to your user experience than
the interface that your customer sees.

Is your customer support easily accessible and helpful? Do you give added value in
your communication with me? Are your order confirmations and invoices easy to
understand, printer-friendly (people still print!), PDF-friendly and OCR-ready?

When I say I do things differently, I mean it. I choose to work with a company to
understand all aspects of their solution. After all, what good is having the perfect
product page if it doesn’t work on mobile, if the customer support is not friendly,
and there’s no clear information sent after purchase? The user experience is much
more than a few pages, so let’s stop treating it like it is.

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13
MVP

Is Your Product Really Minimum AND Viable?

Our community loves the term MVP (minimum viable product) to describe the
first version of their product. Unfortunately, many ambitious product launches
show that they are neither viable OR minimum. They prove to be far too
complicated to really connect to the user. They make the mistake of ignoring how
important staying true to the core functionality is to having a successful product.

While preparing to launch Dispatch, we understood that the main goal of the app
was to provide effortless, private communications to the users. However, during
the development process, we had many intense conversations about features we
couldn’t live without. This process of over-complication threatened to derail the
product before version 1 (or .01!) had even shipped. We had even taken time to
build wireframes and designs for several features that we thought would be rolled
out soon after launch, but hadn’t covered basics like profile management! Features
like a to-do feature and geo-tagged videos were put on the back burner to ensure a
successful launch.

We did what every developer does when creating new products. We tried to think of
everything. But until you’ve launched, you need to slow down and consider the
user and how they will use it. Here are some tips to make it easier for you to
launch your product and keep MVP in mind:

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1. Build an MVP

Focus on which feature(s) is the true core of your product. For example, Twitter’s
core is the ability to post updates to your followers. Had Twitter focused on direct
messages, hashtags, images, and videos would they have found the success that
they enjoy today? Those features add value to the end product, but if the user
doesn’t fully understand the core use, what good is it? So I recommend you focus
on the true purpose of the product and can clearly communicate it to others. Hint:
You should be able to to say this in once sentence.

2. Execute it

Put your product in the hands of your users, let them experience it, and listen to
them talk about it. Their real life scenarios will give you a deep understanding of
what value it brings to them so that you can understand where it succeeds and
where it fails. Use a diverse group of users to give you the best view of how it
would be used in the wild.

3. Learn and Iterate

Using the information you’ve collected, you now know if your product performs as
designed and what additional functionality your users want. Now you can correct
any mistakes and begin adding features (like direct messages on Twitter) to round
out that experience!

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I know how exciting it can be when you think of all the features you could
implement. I’m guilty of it as well! Make sure to staying reasonable and anticipate
the needs of your user. Keep a close eye on development times and the associated
costs for each of these features to see if it is really worth it in the long run.

“Is this enough? Maybe if we add <feature> and <feature> we’ll

attract a larger user base. Right?”

Staying true to your initial product is difficult and can be frightening. Letting these
doubts drive your product development may harm your product in the end. I
sincerely believe it’s better to be loved by a few than liked by many.

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14
Pain, Dream, Fix

I absolutely love this image. It clearly communicates how we should be thinking

about developing and marketing our products. The customer is focused on their
pain point and looking to the open market to provide them with their solution.
Your product isn’t what they want, the end result is. Your customer doesn’t want
your vacuum cleaner, they want a clean apartment. They don’t want an iPhone,
they want the solutions it brings: the mobile business management, staying in
touch with friends and family, etc.

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Pain, Dream, Fix

“Pain, Dream, Fix” is a strategy originally used for creating great sales copy and
has become something that many designers, both physical and digital, use daily. It
puts you directly into the mind and heart of your users. You can empathize with
their current pain, consider their dream without that pain, and give them a solution
that has their needs in mind.



Let’s take a minute to use this strategy to understand Mario’s pain and the
solution:

• Pain - Mario needs to defeat his enemies, but he is woefully outmatched. His
enemies are larger than him, faster, and better armed. Jumping on them works, but
he risks being hurt.

• Dream - Mario knows that if he were bigger and, maybe, able to throw
something (like fire) at his enemies, he would have a much better chance of
surviving and rescuing the princess.

• Fix - Mario finds the product, a fire flower, and now can easily defeat his
enemies from a safe distance! He is able to achieve his goals.

As you can see, without this strategy it would have been difficult for Mario to find
success. As a product/solutions developer, if you fail to understand the user, you
risk distancing yourself from them. You are trying to sell them a solution to a
problem they don’t have. Once you use “Pain, Dream, Fix” to accurately identify
their problem and envisioned the dream, the fix becomes an easy sell. Your solution
is now the right one for the user because you kept their struggle in mind.

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Henry Ford famously said,

“If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said
faster horses.”

Not only did Mr. Ford bring people the “faster horse” (pain fix), but he brought
them something completely different while solving their pain. He brought them the
dream.

Thanks to Samuel Hulick for the amazing Mario-graphic.

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15
Designing with Emotions in Mind

Let’s take a minute a do a quick experiment. Are you sitting down? I want you to
think of a conversation that you recently had - one that really meant something to
you. Got it? Now close your eyes and try to remember everything you can. You may
find that you can’t actually remember conversation at all. Don’t worry, that’s not
unusual. We tend to remember the emotion associated with the conversation more
than the conversation itself.

“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget
what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

- Maya Angelou

This isn’t limited to our relationships with other people, but extends to the devices,
apps, and services we interact with. We all know there are certain ‘tricks’ we can do
as designers and developers to influence the behavior of the user (words like ‘Add
to Cart’ and ‘Register’ do better than ‘Buy’ or  ‘Join’), but do we have a good
understanding of the emotional relationship the user has with our products and
how that affects their success?

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Two different design paths

The design and development field is constantly changing. We are lucky enough to
be learning together in a time when there are so many different schools of thought
as to what is “right”. The last couple of years have seen many different paths to
success. These ‘storylines’ approach the user from very different perspectives. Here
are two that I think are especially influencing the way we design:

1. Conversion Driven - This storyline is one where we design in order to

accomplish goals as quickly and efficiently as possible. This is all about completing
tasks - adding products to carts, signing up users, or placing orders. The user feels
successful when their tasks are done quickly and without errors. These are quite
easy to measure using Google Analytics or GoSquared and to set KPI’s for.


2. Emotion Driven - This method focuses on creating services that are easy-
to-use and accomplishes our goals by creating enjoyable experiences. It is difficult
to measure the success of this storyline (even though Apple keeps telling everyone
about their Customer Satisfaction rates), but don’t undervalue it. Users will
continue to come back for each iteration of the product and will be excited to use
it.


Truly successful products incorporate multiple design philosophies like these into
their interactions with their user. As an example, Spotify provides users an easily
searchable library of music and quickly provides them with the outcome they
desire (playing a song). Personally, I can’t remember what the first song I played
using Spotify, but I can clearly remember feeling empowered. I had almost every
song available to me with just a few taps on the keyboard and loved the experience
from day one.

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Emotion as a design philosophy

Just like how no one was talking about UX Design a few years ago, there were even
fewer talking about Emotional Design. Perhaps this is the first time you’ve even
heard the term, but it’s been around for decades. Consider the successful
campaign that Volkswagen had for the “new” Beetle that had people smiling
around the world. As our interactions become more and more digital, this
emotional approach to design is becoming increasingly important for the apps and
services we use every day.

From his book Designing for Emotion, Aarron Walter describes how important
emotional experiences are as they make a profound imprint on our long-term
memory and create “an experience for users that makes them feel like there’s a person,
not a machine, at the other end of the connection”.

One brand I believe is completely devoid of any emotion in its design is one often
praised as a design goddess… Apple. If you really think about it, Apple is very
sterile and neutral in all its designs. So how have they become so successful? The
simple answer is YOU. Apple allows you to insert emotion into their devices - your
photos, your contacts, your apps. You may even prefer your current iPhone to a
newer one because it is “personalized to you”. Apple provides you with a canvas to
personally express yourself - somewhere to contain your emotions.

So, does that mean that you have to design your app has to say witty things and be
supportive when the user is feeling down? Not necessarily, but considering the how
your app can affect the user isn’t a bad idea. For my personal ‘brand’, I’ve adopted
a very personal style because it fits well with how I like to do business and it gives
my readers and potential clients a good idea of what it’s like to work with me. I like
to think my brand/services are something my clients feel good about and that
makes me feel good.

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16
Change is Quick, Results take Time

A few weeks back, I took a break and watched Freakonomics, a documentary

based on the book with the same name. Even if you’ve already read the book, I’d
recommend taking the time to watch it - it’s excellent! One of the things they
address is our inability to see what’s actually in front of us; to see the big picture.

In the film, they talk about how the city of New York saw a decline in crime in the
1990’s. There were many possible explanations as to why the decline may have
happened - a larger police force, higher prison populations, the success in the war
on drugs. Steven Levitt believes that they key reason actually happened 20 years
earlier.

Levitt claims the major factor may be that in the late 1970’s abortion was legalized
in the United States. The drop in crime could simply be the fact that the people
who would have committed the crimes simply weren’t born.

But wait? What does this have to do with user experiences?

I was recently working with a small startup to improve their signup processes. We
did a full visual redesign as well as streamlining the user’s signup process. As the
site launched, everyone was eager to see what the response would be.

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Around the same time, I heard back from a client that I had worked with a couple
of years earlier. They let me know that their project had seen a 900% increase in
conversion. 900%! I was feeling on top of the world. I am the conversion
mastermind!

Soon the results for the startup’s project came in and, it turns out, we didn’t see
that magical 900% increase. In fact, we saw a DECREASE in conversions! I was
speechless. Had I lost my conversion mojo?

While the jury was out on my mojo, I had some time to give it more thought...

Just because we can make changes quickly, we assume that results will be just as
fast. That often isn’t the case. Real success is often found through patience and
being confident in the changes that were made. Sure, the technology allows us to
adjust anything almost instantly, but human behavior takes time. Allow your users
the time to adjust to changes and to accept them as the norm. You don’t want to
react too quickly as that may just “reset the clock”.

Creating great user experiences takes time and requires constant well thought out
iterations. The first iPhone sold roughly 6 million units during its first year whereas
the iPhone 6/6+ sold more than 240 million. How can we explain that huge
difference? It has less to do with the product than the user’s willing to accept the
change. The original iPhone was a revolution. It introduced us to the multi-touch
screen and a new way of interacting with our data - consumers weren’t quite ready
to commit and invest. Human behavior took time.

After some time, we continued to improve the startup’s signup process. It turns out
that along with the redesign, they had simultaneously decided to cancel all
marketing - which obviously affected conversions. Maybe I didn’t lose my mojo
after all.

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17
Built to Last

I think that events, like birthdays, make us itch for an adventure. For my birthday
last year, my wife and I decided to spend a couple of days in Rome, Italy and
experience this historic city. Neither of us had ever been there before and, from
what we’ve heard, Rome is beautiful in Spring.

For me, Rome was an amazing place to watch people and admire ancient
architecture. However, enjoying the sites kept bringing a single thought to my
mind. Some of these ancient buildings took centuries to build and have lasted
hundreds or even thousands of years. They are appreciated for their quality and
history, so why do we now rush everything we build? It doesn’t matter if it’s a car,
new buildings, products, websites and apps, or even the food we eat. We want them
done and shipped YESTERDAY.

"When will you release something new?”

The Swedish rapper Petter has touched the same subject when talking about being
an artist today - that the day after he's released a new album, tweets start coming in
asking, “when will you release something new?”

Today we're blessed with faster technology and better processes for building things
quickly. But have we thought it out? Do we ask ourselves if that speed has become
more important than what we are building?

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In a recent copy of the brilliant magazine Offscreen, Sarah Bray wrote:



We think the Internet is inherently a certain way, but it isn’t. It is
constantly changing, and we are the ones who are changing it.We
can change it for the better, rather than having to change ourselves
to adapt to the parts that are toxic for us.



Her quote perfectly sums up our constant thirst for newer, faster, and shinier
things. Just because we're able to build things fast, doesn't necessarily mean we
should. We are so caught up with the quest of gathering what is new, we don’t stop
to appreciate the things that are already around us.

Slow food - quality earned through careful preparation

As an example, most of us have realized that fast food is really not all that great.
The market is now reacting to that popular opinion and, as Newton said almost
400 years ago, there has been an “equal and opposite reaction”. Say hello to
SLOW FOOD. Something that is prepared with love and allowed to take it’s time
simply tastes better. If we were talking about apps instead of food, would an app
that was lovingly - and carefully - prepared be better than one created quickly? Yes.

Let me take a second and be very clear about something. I am a firm believer in
the agile working method. I don’t believe in allowing things to take more time than
they need. That simply doesn’t make them better. I have experience from several
projects where the results suffered from not have a certain amount of time
pressure.

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What I do believe is that we are NOT creating things that last. If that’s something
you are OK with, then by all means - sign up for that class that teaches you to
produce your first iPhone app in less than 24 hours. The results will be
disappointing.

Fast, Good, Cheap

Most likely, you’ve seen this before, but I want to highlight it again because it
works across so many industries and fits our topic:

Let me ask you this. If you were to remove fast EVERY time you produced
something for a client - Would your client ALWAYS get an affordable, high-quality
long-lasting product? You bet. Unfortunately, that’s not always the option.


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From my experience, when that deadline is approaching, there's always the same
thing that gets cut. The details. I’ve found that it’s far better to create a smaller app
with less functionality that works great, runs smoothly, and has a couple nice
details than to create the entire suite of features that has no soul. It’s just fast food.

While I was looking at the details on the ceiling of the Trinita Dei Monti church,
the thought about quality cross my mind again. It may not be the biggest church,
but it’s beautiful details make it stand out. There was a pride in making things not
just beautiful, but divine. I would love for us to start making the same sort of
commitment to details in our digital products as they did in the old days. Let’s
bring the soul back. Let’s make it slow food.

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Go Out and Create!

So that’s it. How does that feel? Do you feel excited, inspired, and eager to create
amazing user experiences? I hope so!  While it might seem superficial, user
experiences really do matter. Whether it’s digital toys that allow children to be
more creative, analytics tools that help e-commerce owners run their business, or a
stress-relief app that makes all of us wind down, great user experiences have a huge
impact on our society. Unfortunately, the world today is full of horrible user
experiences.

So go on, go out there and make something great. Pour your creativity and
commitment to the user into your art. Make them the center of your design and
you will be surprise at the impact you - and your product - will make.

A special thank you to my wife for being my biggest supporter and always believing
in me. To my dog who makes me take daily walks during which I solve way more
problems than in-front of my computer.

Also a huge thank you to Joshua Yuhas, my editor. There would literally have been
no book without you.

Thank you James Gill, Emil Ovemar, and Marcus Woxneryd for taking your time
and contributing to this little book. You’re all creating amazing stuff and I hope you
never stop.

And finally, to you - this is my first venture into writing a book and charging for it.
I would love to hear your comments about the book, send me an email and I’ll
reply [email protected]

Thank you so much.

lxxiii
lxxiv