Startup Leadership Program Product Design

PRODUCT DESIGN STARTUP LEADERSHIP PROGRAM FEB 2016 Alex Cowan

© 2015 COWAN+

ABOUT ME

Entrepreneur (5x) Intrapreneur (1x)

© 2015 COWAN+

THE VENTURE DESIGN PROCESS CUSTOMER DISCOVERY & EXPERIMENTS …

Was the implemented story relevant to the proposition?

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How did the customer /user react?

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PRODUCT & PROMOTION

Did the implementation deliver on the story?

VALUE PROPOSITIONS & ASSUMPTIONS

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USER STORIES & PROTOTYPES

Do we understand this person? What makes them tick? PERSONAS

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PROBLEM SCENARIOS & ALTERNATIVES

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PIVOT?

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Is the problem relevant? Is the proposition better vs alternatives?

© 2015 COWAN+

ABOUT ME

www.alexandercowan.com © 2015 COWAN+

ABOUT ME

bit.ly/hiagile © 2015 COWAN+

CREATING SUCCESSFUL PRODUCTS Scale Friendly

Innovation Friendly

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ALEX COWAN alexandercowan.com @cowanSF © 2015 COWAN+



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© 2015 COWAN+

AGILE: BLOCKBUSTER EVENT OF 2001

ALEX COWAN alexandercowan.com @cowanSF Paul Holloway via Wikimedia Commons

© 2015 COWAN+

THE AFTERPARTY


THE MANIFESTO WAS SIMPLE INDIVIDUALS INTERACTIONS WORKING SOFTWARE

PROCESSES TOOLS COMPREHENSIVE DOCUMENTATION

CUSTOMER COLLABORATION

CONTRACT NEGOTIATION

RESPONDING TO CHANGE

FOLLOWING A PLAN


AGILE: THE GOOD STUFF

1: THE USER STORY

2: NARRATIVE COLLABORATION

3: SMALL BATCHES


THE IMPORTANCE OF FORM & NOTATION

© 2015 COWAN+

(THE WHOLE) AGILE USER STORY Epic Stories Stories Test Cases

Who is this user?   What makes them tick?   Who’s an example of such a person? “As a [persona], I want to [do something] so that I can [derive a benefit]” Why do they want to do this? What's the benefit/reward? How will we know of it’s working?

bit.ly/youagile


EXAMPLE: AGILE USER STORIES AT ENABLE QUIZ EPIC STORY 1) ’As the HR manager, I want to create a screening quiz so that I can understand whether I want to send possible recruits to the functional manager.’

CHILD STORY A 1A) “As an HR manager, I want to match an open position’s required skills with quiz topics so I can create a quiz relevant for candidate screening.”

CHILD STORY B 1B) “As an HR manager, I want to send a draft quiz to the the functional manager so I make sure I’ve covered the right topics on the screening quiz.”

… STORY N


THE EPIC: NOT QUITE AS BIG AS IT SOUNDS Epic Stories Stories Test Cases

Epic sounds big. But the are still specific & discrete.


EXAMPLE: AGILE EPIC STORIES AT ENABLE QUIZ “As a [persona], I want to [do something] so that I can [derive a benefit]” EXAMPLE EPICS 1) ’As the HR manager, I want to create a screening quiz so that I can understand whether I want to send possible recruits to the functional manager.’ 2) ’As the HR manager, I want to try out the screening quiz so that I can make sure it works as I expected and that I’m ready to both give it to candidates and share the results with the functional manager.’ 3) ‘As the HR manager, I want to give the screening quiz to a job candidate so I can assess their skill sets against the needs of the position.’ 4) ‘As the HR manager, I want to share and explain the results of our screening with the functional manager so they can decide who they want to interview.’ Draft a set of epic stories (Next: pick an epic and detail it w/ child stories.)

(5 min)


EXAMPLE: AGILE EPIC STORIES AT ENABLE QUIZ “As a [persona], I want to [do something] so that I can [derive a benefit]” EXAMPLE EPICS 1) ’As the HR manager, I want to create a screening quiz so that I can understand whether I want to send possible recruits to the functional manager.’ 2) ’As the HR manager, I want to try out the screening quiz so that I can make sure it works as I expected and that I’m ready to both give it to candidates and share the results with the functional manager.’ 3) ‘As the HR manager, I want to give the screening quiz to a job candidate so I can assess their skill sets against the needs of the position.’ 4) ‘As the HR manager, I want to share and explain the results of our screening with the functional manager so they can decide who they want to interview.’ Draft a set of epic stories (Next: pick an epic and detail it w/ child stories.)

(5 min)


WALKING THROUGH AN EPIC EPIC ‘As the HR manager, I want to create a screening quiz so that I can understand whether I want to send possible recruits to the functional manager.’

bit.ly/dostory © 2015 COWAN+

USING THE STORYBOARDING SQUARES

}

1 Panel

Optional notes here to supplement your storyboard

} }

Storyboard Area

Notes  Area bit.ly/dostory © 2015 COWAN+

SKETCHING YOUR NARRATIVE TRIGGER How does the problem scenario initiate?

ACTION How is the action executed? How easy is it?

REWARD How is the persona gratified?

bit.ly/dostory source: adapted from Nir Eyal’s Hook Framework

© 2015 COWAN+

WALKING THROUGH AN EPIC EPIC ‘As the HR manager, I want to create a screening quiz so that I can understand whether I want to send possible recruits to the functional manager.’ Pick an epic and storyboard it with ~6 squares

(8 min)

© 2015 COWAN+

EXERCISE: STORYBOARDING THE BEFORE SCENARIO

Independent Negotiable Valuable Estimable Small Testable

Could this be implemented on a stand-alone basis or does it presuppose other content?

© 2015 COWAN+



Stories are not spec’s. This is an input for you to arrive at an optimal implementation with the developer, not a functional ‘requirement’. © 2015 COWAN+



What problem scenario does this address? How have you validated your value proposition for it? © 2015 COWAN+



How hard is this vs. the team’s experience? Is it discrete enough?

© 2015 COWAN+

EXERCISE: STORYBOARDING THE BEFORE SCENARIO A big part of what makes agile (and lean) work is the Independent use of small batches with Negotiable measurable results. Make Valuable sure your stories are broken down to workable Estimable sizes. Small

Testable © 2015 COWAN+



How will you know if it’s working in a way where you can validate its value? © 2015 COWAN+

EXAMPLE: AGILE USER STORIES EPIC STORY ‘As the HR manager, I want to create a screening quiz so that I can understand whether I want to send possible recruits to the functional manager.’

CHILD STORIES A) “As an HR manager, I want to match an open position’s required skills with quiz topics so I can create a quiz relevant for candidate screening.” B) “As an HR manager, I want to send a draft quiz to the the functional manager so I make sure I’ve covered the right topics on the screening quiz.” C) “As a functional manager, I want to send feedback on the screening quiz to the HR manager so I make sure I’m getting the best possible screening on candidates.” D) “As an HR manager, I need to purchase an upgraded service tier so I can add additional topics to my quiz.” E) “As an HR manager, I want to add custom questions to the quiz so we cover additional topics that are important to the functional manager.” Detail one epic with (8 min) child stories © 2015 COWAN+

AGILE: YOU’LL KNOW IT’S WORKING IF… Item ✔ Your stories have all three clauses ✔ Usability and motivation are both linked to stories, but tested separately ✔ Usability is testing feels easy, frequent, and effective ✔ Every story is linked to a value proposition (small or large) ✔ Every proposition is linked to a problem ✔ Every story, proposition, and problem is linked to a vivid persona

© 2015 COWAN+



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© 2015 COWAN+

THE PRACTICE OF DESIGN THINKING The Twin Anti-Poles of Design Failure 

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Doing precisely what the user asks

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Assuming you know what’s best and ignoring the user © 2015 COWAN+

THE PRACTICE OF DESIGN THINKING Finding the Right PROBLEM

alternatives

Personas Problems Alternatives

Finding the Right SOLUTION

Value Hypothesis & Assumptions Product Hypothesis

Experiments on Motivation User Stories

Field Discovery

Prototypes Software

divergence

convergence

divergence

time

convergence

source: adapted from ‘The Design of Everyday Things’ © 2015 COWAN+

THE PRACTICE OF DESIGN THINKING- WHY IS IT HARD?

Then

Survival

Now

Design Thinking

© 2015 COWAN+

THE PRACTICE OF DESIGN THINKING- FOUNDATIONS

Empathy

Creativity © 2015 COWAN+

THE PRACTICE OF DESIGN THINKING- FOUNDATIONS

© 2015 COWAN+

THE PRACTICE OF DESIGN THINKING- FOUNDATIONS 1

Entry

2

Urinate as they go

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Edges preferred

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Speedy

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PB > cheese

Empathy © 2015 COWAN+

THE PRACTICE OF DESIGN THINKING- FOUNDATIONS Check & Repair

1

UV Validation

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Relevant Placement

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A Better Mouse Trap

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Powered by Better Bait

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Creativity © 2015 COWAN+

THE VENTURE DESIGN PROCESS- PERSONAS


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© 2015 COWAN+

DESIGN THINKING: EMPATHY & PERSONAS

bit.ly/2persona


DESIGN THINKING: EMPATHY & PERSONAS

bit.ly/2persona


PERSONA: BAD • Women • Age 28-45 • Has kids • Socialize with other mom’s • Online with Facebook • 86% said they’d like to be more  organized • 70% said they’d use an application that organizes them © 2015 COWAN+

PERSONA: BAD This is a huge populationnot exact

• Women • Age 28-45 • Has kids

Bullet points are almost never vivid or detailed

• Socialize with other mom’s • Online with Facebook These responses are ‘fake actionable’survey responses like this are unreliable

• 86% said they’d like to be more  organized • 70% said they’d use an application that organizes them

Stock photo- not real © 2015 COWAN+

THE ART OF CUSTOMER DISCOVERY

© 2015 COWAN+

PERSONA: BETTER

Mary the Mom Mary is a mom by choice. She had a successful career in accounting, but welcomed the opportunity to be a stay at home mom. She loves it. But it’s not like having kids purged her creative, social instincts. She wants to connect, she wants to learn, she wants to interact. Being a mom is a job and she wants to do it well. That means corresponding with other mom’s on child education and keeping track of what works. She posts to Facebook at least twice a week and responds to other moms’ items more often than that. She has a few blogs and publications she reads regularly…

© 2015 COWAN+

PERSONA: BETTER the use of a first name helps w/ vividness (a little)

these full sentences look like a good start towards something vivid and detailed

this is a real photo of a relevant person taken with an iPhone in the real world

Mary the Mom Mary is a mom by choice. She had a successful career in accounting, but welcomed the opportunity to be a stay at home mom. She loves it. But it’s not like having kids purged her creative, social instincts. She wants to connect, she wants to learn, she wants to interact. Being a mom is a job and she wants to do it well. That means corresponding with other mom’s on child education and keeping track of what works. She posts to Facebook at least twice a week and responds to other moms’ items more often than that. She has a few blogs and publications she reads regularly…

© 2015 COWAN+

Vivid Actionable Real Identifiable Exact Detailed © 2015 COWAN+

EXERCISE- PERSONA CREATION List at least 3 personas Mary the Working Mom Susan the Stay-at-Home Mom Douglas the Dad Nathan the Nanny Ivan the Infant

use 1 index card/ persona

…

(4 min) © 2015 COWAN+

A LITTLE GAME FOR BETTER PERSONA DISCOVERY

Day in the Life We look at a few photos for a given persona (not a full picture, just snippets) You make some guesses about them There are no right answers BUT There is a right process: observe and infer

OBJECTIVE: Get a feel for what’s real; start to create something vivid

© 2015 COWAN+

OUR CAST

Sally the   Single Mom

© 2015 COWAN+

WAKE UP!

© 2015 COWAN+

WAKE UP!

© 2015 COWAN+

GEARING UP FOR THE DAY

© 2015 COWAN+

AT WORK

© 2015 COWAN+

AFTER WORK

© 2015 COWAN+

PRE-BED

© 2015 COWAN+

BED

© 2015 COWAN+

GEAR

© 2015 COWAN+

IF I HAD 3 EXTRA HOURS…

© 2015 COWAN+

ABOUT SALLY THE SINGLE MOM… What’s her favorite kind of music? Where did she buy her last pair of shoes? What movie did she last see? What did she drink with dinner last night? If she had a dog, what kind? What’s her favorite magazine?

bit.ly/daynthelife


PERSONAS- THINK SEE FEEL DO

© 2015 COWAN+

PERSONAS- ‘THINKS’?

Thinks: (The cognitive part. Often: the tension between how they’d ideally like things to be and how they are now.)

Sees

Feels

Does

© 2015 COWAN+

EXAMPLE- ENABLE QUIZ & HELEN THE HR MANAGER

© 2015 COWAN+

PERSONAS- THINK SEE FEEL DO Example: Helen the HR Manager Thinks: Helen thinks the hiring process should be so much better- more systematic, fewer bad hires. Professional development is something they’ve identified that they want to do better, but the functional managers aren’t engaged enough to get the whole thing started.

Sees

Feels

Does

© 2015 COWAN+

EXERCISE- DISCOVERING WHAT THEY THINK Question Form

Examples Questions (‘Enable Quiz’)

Tell me about [yourself in the role of the persona]?

- Tell

Tell me about [your area of interest]?

- Do

Tell me your thoughts about [area]?

me about being an HR manager? - What do you most, least like about the job? - What are the hardest, easiest parts of the job? - I’ve heard [x]- does that apply to you? you do screen new candidates? If not, who? - Can you tell me about the last time? What was the trigger? - Who else was involved? What was it like? - How should it ideally be done? - How is it actually done? Why?

Draft discovery questions in the areas above (If complete, converge with your group) (7 min) © 2015 COWAN+

PERSONAS- THINK SEE FEEL DO Draft the ‘Think’ portion for your top persona (If done, converge with your group.) Example: Helen the HR Manager Thinks: Helen thinks the hiring process should be so much better- more systematic, fewer bad hires. Professional development is something they’ve identified that they want to do better, but the functional managers aren’t engaged enough to get the whole thing started.

Sees

Feels

Does

(4 min) © 2015 COWAN+

CAN YOUR PERSONA DO THIS? Capture Attention  via Google AdWord

Secure the infamous  ‘click through’

Engage Interest, Desire on landing page

Action, onboarding, retention

() © 2015 COWAN+

CREATING AN ADWORD AD

© 2015 COWAN+

EXERCISE: CREATE AN ADWORD AD: THINK ANGLE Create at least one Google AdWords ad on the paper template- specifically using the ‘think’ angle on your persona

1. Select keywords (put in Notes section) 2. Draft ad copy How does the draft follow from your personas? Are you speaking in the language your customers use? Are you connecting with the THINK in your Think-See-Feel-Do? (NO RULE AGAINST UPDATING YOUR PERSONA WHILE YOU DO THIS!)

© 2015 COWAN+

PERSONAS- ‘SEES’?


Sees: (The interactions that shape their Thinking- media, peers, education, training, casual observation.)

Feels

Does

© 2015 COWAN+

PERSONAS- THINK SEE FEEL DO Example: Helen the HR Manager Thinks: Helen thinks the hiring process should be so much better- more systematic, fewer bad hires. Professional development is something they’ve identified that they want to do better, but the functional managers aren’t engaged enough to get the whole thing started. Sees: Helen is at the tail end of every bad hire and sees the damage it does to the employee and company, alike. Helen sees that online learning has rocketed forward in the last few years. If someone wants to learn a specific skill, there’s a number of high quality options online, many of them free. They just need a way to help employees organize select into these courses.

Feels

Does

© 2015 COWAN+

EXERCISE- DISCOVERING WHAT THEY SEE Question Form



- Tell


- Do


What do you see in [area]?

me about being an HR manager? - What do you most, least like about the job? - What are the hardest, easiest parts of the job? - I’ve heard [x]- does that apply to you? you do screen new candidates? If not, who? - Can you tell me about the last time? What was the trigger? - Who else was involved? What was it like? - How should it ideally be done? - How is it actually done? Why? Where do you learn what’s new? What others do? Who do you think is doing it right? How did you make your last decision?

Draft discovery questions in the areas above (If complete, converge with your group) (4 min) © 2015 COWAN+

PERSONAS- THINK SEE FEEL DO Draft the ‘See’ portion for your top persona. (If done, converge with your group.) Example: Helen the HR Manager Thinks: Helen thinks the hiring process should be so much better- more systematic, fewer bad hires. Professional development is something they’ve identified that they want to do better, but the functional managers aren’t engaged enough to get the whole thing started. Sees: Helen is at the tail end of every bad hire and sees the damage it does to the employee and company, alike. Helen sees that online learning has rocketed forward in the last few years. If someone wants to learn a specific skill, there’s a number of high quality options online, many of them free. They just need a way to help employees organize select into these courses.

Feels

Does

© 2015 COWAN+

EXERCISE: CREATE AN ADWORD AD: SEE ANGLE Create at least one Google AdWords ad on the paper template- specifically using the ‘see’ angle on your persona

1. Select keywords (put in Notes section) 2. Draft ad copy How does the draft follow from your personas? Are you speaking in the language your customers use? Are you connecting with the SEE in your Think-See-Feel-Do? (NO RULE AGAINST UPDATING YOUR PERSONA WHILE YOU DO THIS!)

© 2015 COWAN+

PERSONAS- ‘FEELS’?



Feel: (The emotional driver. What are the predominant emotions around the relevant activity? What is the emotional outcome of the actions they take around the activity?)

Does

© 2015 COWAN+

PERSONAS- THINK SEE FEEL DO Example: Helen the HR Manager Thinks: Helen thinks the hiring process should be so much better- more systematic, fewer bad hires. Professional development is something they’ve identified that they want to do better, but the functional managers aren’t engaged enough to get the whole thing started. Sees: Helen is at the tail end of every bad hire and sees the damage it does to the employee and company, alike. Helen sees that online learning has rocketed forward in the last few years. If someone wants to learn a specific skill, there’s a number of high quality options online, many of them free. They just need a way to help employees organize select into these courses. Feels: Helen feels like crap whenever they have to let someone go. She hates it. The employee hates it. The manager hates it. It’s incredibly destructive and de-motivating for everyone involved. Helen would love to be more involved, more included in functional skills evaluation and improvement. She’s love to have a success story to talk about. Most HR departments don’t do a whole lot in this area.

Does

© 2015 COWAN+

EXERCISE- DISCOVERING WHAT THEY FEEL Question Form



- Tell


- Do



How do you feel about [area]?

me about being an HR manager? Draft discovery questions - What do you most, least like about the job? the of the job?‘feel’ area - What are the hardest, easiest partsfor - I’ve heard [x]- does that apply to you? (If complete, converge you do screen new candidates?with If not, who? your group) - Can you tell me about the last time? What was the trigger? min) it like? - Who else was involved? What was (4 - How should it ideally be done? - How is it actually done? Why? Where do you learn what’s new? What others do? Who do you think is doing it right? How did you make your last decision? Tell me about the last time? What motivates you? What parts of it are most rewarding? Why? What would it be like in your perfect world?

© 2015 COWAN+

PERSONAS- THINK SEE FEEL DO Draft the ‘Feel’ portion for your top persona. (If done, converge with your group.) Example: Helen the HR Manager Thinks: Helen thinks the hiring process should be so much better- more systematic, fewer bad hires. Professional development is something they’ve identified that they want to do better, but the functional managers aren’t engaged enough to get the whole thing started. Sees: Helen is at the tail end of every bad hire and sees the damage it does to the employee and company, alike. Helen sees that online learning has rocketed forward in the last few years. If someone wants to learn a specific skill, there’s a number of high quality options online, many of them free. They just need a way to help employees organize select into these courses. Feels: Helen feels like crap whenever they have to let someone go. She hates it. The employee hates it. The manager hates it. It’s incredibly destructive and de-motivating for everyone involved. Helen would love to be more involved, more included in functional skills evaluation and improvement. She’s love to have a success story to talk about. Most HR departments don’t do a whole lot in this area.

Does

© 2015 COWAN+

EXERCISE: CREATE AN ADWORD AD: FEEL ANGLE Create at least one Google AdWords ad on the paper template- specifically using the ‘feel’ angle on your persona

1. Select keywords (put in Notes section) 2. Draft ad copy How does the draft follow from your personas? Are you speaking in the language your customers use? Are you connecting with the FEEL in your Think-See-Feel-Do? (NO RULE AGAINST UPDATING YOUR PERSONA WHILE YOU DO THIS!)

© 2015 COWAN+

PERSONAS- ‘FEELS’?



Feel: (The emotional driver. What are the predominant emotions around the relevant activity? What is the emotional outcome of the actions they take around the activity?)

Do: The ‘actuals’. As applicable: What triggers? How often? For how long? How much money?

© 2015 COWAN+

PERSONAS- THINK SEE FEEL DO Example: Helen the HR Manager Thinks: Helen thinks the hiring process should be so much better- more systematic, fewer bad hires. Professional development is something they’ve identified that they want to do better, but the functional managers aren’t engaged enough to get the whole thing started. Sees: Helen is at the tail end of every bad hire and sees the damage it does to the employee and company, alike. Helen sees that online learning has rocketed forward in the last few years. If someone wants to learn a specific skill, there’s a number of high quality options online, many of them free. They just need a way to help employees organize select into these courses. Feels: Helen feels like crap whenever they have to let someone go. She hates it. The employee hates it. The manager hates it. It’s incredibly destructive and de-motivating for everyone involved. Helen would love to be more involved, more included in functional skills evaluation and improvement. She’s love to have a success story to talk about. Most HR departments don’t do a whole lot in this area. Does: Helen’s relatively responsive to new ideas, particularly if someone knowledgeable is willing to come in and talk about it. If she likes it, she’ll bring it to the functional managers, who are usually the ultimate decision makers since without their support she can’t get the system online and working. Post-sale, Helen will help keep the program organized, moving, and otherwise on the functional managers radar. All this is predicated on Helen being equipped with the right messages, facts, and best practices to make the purchase and use of Enable Quiz effective. © 2015 COWAN+

EXERCISE- DISCOVERING WHAT THEY DO Question Form



- Tell


- Do



How do you feel about [area]?

What do you do in [area]?

me about being an HR manager? Draft discovery questions - What do you most, least like about the job? the of the job?‘do’ area - What are the hardest, easiest partsfor - I’ve heard [x]- does that apply to you? (If complete, converge you do screen new candidates?with If not, who? your group) - Can you tell me about the last time? What was the trigger? - Who else was involved? What was it like? - How should it ideally be done? - How is it actually done? Why?

(4 min)

Where do you learn what’s new? What others do? Who do you think is doing it right? How did you make your last decision? Tell me about the last time? What motivates you? What parts of it are most rewarding? Why? What would it be like in your perfect world? How many new openings/quarter? How many interviews/position? © 2015 COWAN+

PERSONAS- THINK SEE FEEL DO Draft the ‘Do’ portion for your top persona. (If done, converge with your group.) Example: Helen the HR Manager Thinks: Helen thinks the hiring process should be so much better- more systematic, fewer bad hires. Professional development is something they’ve identified that they want to do better, but the functional managers aren’t engaged enough to get the whole thing started. Sees: Helen is at the tail end of every bad hire and sees the damage it does to the employee and company, alike. Helen sees that online learning has rocketed forward in the last few years. If someone wants to learn a specific skill, there’s a number of high quality options online, many of them free. They just need a way to help employees organize select into these courses. Feels: Helen feels like crap whenever they have to let someone go. She hates it. The employee hates it. The manager hates it. It’s incredibly destructive and de-motivating for everyone involved. Helen would love to be more involved, more included in functional skills evaluation and improvement. She’s love to have a success story to talk about. Most HR departments don’t do a whole lot in this area. Does: Helen’s relatively responsive to new ideas, particularly if someone knowledgeable is willing to come in and talk about it. If she likes it, she’ll bring it to the functional managers, who are usually the ultimate decision makers since without their support she can’t get the system online and working. Post-sale, Helen will help keep the program organized, moving, and otherwise on the functional managers radar. All this is predicated on Helen being equipped with the right messages, facts, and best practices to make the purchase and use of Enable Quiz effective. © 2015 COWAN+

EXERCISE: CREATE AN ADWORD AD: DO ANGLE Create at least one Google AdWords ad on the paper template- specifically using the ‘do’ angle on your persona

1. Select keywords (put in Notes section) 2. Draft ad copy How does the draft follow from your personas? Are you speaking in the language your customers use? Are you connecting with the DO in your Think-See-Feel-Do? (NO RULE AGAINST UPDATING YOUR PERSONA WHILE YOU DO THIS!)

© 2015 COWAN+

PERSONAS & PROBLEM SCENARIOS


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© 2015 COWAN+


© 2015 COWAN+

PERSONAS & PROBLEM SCENARIOS PROBLEM SCENARIO

X

© 2015 COWAN+

PERSONAS & PROBLEM SCENARIOS PROBLEM SCENARIO What job(s) are you doing for the customer? What existing need or behavior are you fulfilling?

X

© 2015 COWAN+


X

ALTERNATIVE(S)

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© 2015 COWAN+


X

ALTERNATIVE(S)

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If they currently use spreadsheets, watch them use it and get a copy of it. If they currently put notes on the family fridge, ask about it, photograph it.

© 2015 COWAN+

PERSONAS & PROBLEM SCENARIOS ‘Hiring technical talent is difficult.’ (Too Broad, Abstract)

X

‘Screening technical talent is difficult.’ (Probably About Right)

It’s hard for the HR manager to send good notes on candidates to the functional manager. (Too Detailed, A Feature vs. a Product/Venture) © 2015 COWAN+


X

ALTERNATIVE(S)

?

© 2015 COWAN+


X ?

PROBLEM SCENARIO

ALTERNATIVE(S)

Brainstorm Problem Scenario +Alternative Pairs.   Problem: Helen doesn't have a software engineering background, so it's hard for her to screen engineering candidates. She ends up sending the functional manager too many unqualified candidates. . Alternative: She calls references and mostly ends up taking their word for it.

(4 min) © 2015 COWAN+

EXERCISE: CREATE AN ADWORD AD: PROBLEM SCENARIOS Create at least one Google AdWords ad on the paper template- specifically using the your top problem scenarios (and alternatives as you see fit)

1. Select keywords (put in Notes section) 2. Draft ad copy How does the draft follow from your problem scenarios? Are you speaking in the language your customers use? (NO RULE AGAINST UPDATING YOUR PROBLEM SCENARIOS WHILE YOU DO THIS!)

© 2015 COWAN+


X

ALTERNATIVE(S)

?

YOUR VALUE PROPOSITIONS

! © 2015 COWAN+


X

ALTERNATIVE(S)

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YOUR VALUE PROPOSITIONS Are they better enough than the alternative(s)?

! © 2015 COWAN+


X ? !

PROBLEM SCENARIO

ALTERNATIVE(S)

Brainstorm Problem Scenario +Alternative Pairs.   (If done, converge with your group.) Problem: Helen doesn't have a software engineering background, so it's hard for her to screen engineering candidates. She ends up sending the functional manager too many unqualified candidates. . Alternative: She calls references and mostly ends up taking their word for it.

YOUR VALUE PROPOSITIONS

Value Proposition: New ability for meaningful screening of technical candidates, increasing % of successful hires and lowering Frank the Functional Manager's workload on recruiting.

(4 min) © 2015 COWAN+

EXERCISE: CREATE AN ADWORD AD: VALUE PROPOSITIONS Create at least one Google AdWords ad on the paper template- specifically using the your top value propositions

1. Select keywords (put in Notes section) 2. Draft ad copy How does the draft follow from your value propositions? Are you speaking in the language your customers use? (NO RULE AGAINST UPDATING YOUR PROBLEM SCENARIOS WHILE YOU DO THIS!)

© 2015 COWAN+

AND NOW THE ‘PRODUCT HYPOTHESIS’ A certain PERSONA exists… … and they have a certain PROBLEMS(S) …

X

… where they’re currently using certain ALTERNATIVE(S) …

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… and I have a VALUE PROPOSITION that’s better enough than the alternatives to cause the persona to act (purchase, use, etc.).

! © 2015 COWAN+



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© 2015 COWAN+

RECORDING ON THE BUSINESS MODEL CANVAS Who are they? Why do they buy? Value Propositions

Customer Segments

Broad Selection

Do-it-yourselfer’s

Competitive Prices

Casual Shoppers

Convenience

Contractors

Example: Home Depot © 2015 COWAN+

RECORDING ON THE BUSINESS MODEL CANVAS Partner_1 (Key Partner_2 Partners) Partner_3

Activity_1 (Key Activity_2 Activities) Activity_3

Proposition_1 (Value Proposition_2 Propositions) Proposition_3

Relationship_1 (Customer Relationship_2 Relationships) Relationship_3

Segment_1 (Customer Segment_2 Segments) Segment_3

1. Resource_1 (Key Resource_2 Resources) Resource_3

Channel_1 (Channels) Channel_2 Channel_3

(Cost Cost_1 Structure) Cost_2

Revenue_1 (Revenue Streams) Revenue_2

Cost_3

Revenue_3

The templates templates here here are are made made available available on The on the the same same CC CC license license terms terms as as the the original original canvas. canvas.

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http:// This work is licensed under the CreativeorCommons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported To view copy of this license, visit94105, http:// USA. creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second License. Street, Suite 300, aSan Francisco, California, creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA.

2. 3.

List Prioritized Customer Segments/Personas List Prioritized Value Propositions Note Linkages   (if applicable)

(5 min) © 2015 COWAN+

HYPOTHESIS-DRIVEN INNOVATION VIA ‘LEAN STARTUP’ Do I have real evidence from my buyer that this is compelling?

01 IDEA!

What is our ‘value hypothesis’ and what are its key assumptions?

02 HYPOTHESIS

How do I definitely prove or disprove the assumptions with a minimum of time and effort? Am I reacting or am I focused on validating my pivotal assumptions?

6.a YES results disprove hypothesis

03 EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

04 EXPERIMENTATION

‘Pivot or persevere?’

05 REVISE?

source: adapted from ‘The Lean Startup’

6.b NO we appear to have a valid hypothesis

VALUE HYPOTHESIS © 2015 COWAN+

HYPOTHESIS-DRIVEN INNOVATION VIA ‘LEAN STARTUP’ 01 IDEA!

What is our ‘value hypothesis’ and what are its key assumptions?

02 HYPOTHESIS 6.a YES results disprove hypothesis

03 EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

04 EXPERIMENTATION

05 REVISE?

6.b NO we appear to have a valid hypothesis

VALUE HYPOTHESIS © 2015 COWAN+

EXAMPLE: ENABLE QUIZ Persona(s)

Helen the HR Manager- responsible for sourcing and screening job candidates Frank the Functional Manager- hiring manager responsible for acquiring and managing talent

Problem Scenario

Helen: hard to screen for technical skills Frank: never has enough time for recruiting and doesn’t want to be a jerk during interviews

Alternatives

Helen: call references, take their word for it (on skills) Frank: ask a few probing questions

Value Prop.

A lightweight quizzing app that has Helen can use to do quick, effective screening.

What is the core value hypothesis?

© 2015 COWAN+

EXAMPLE: ENABLE QUIZ Core Value Hypothesis If Enable Quiz offers companies that hire engineers lightweight technical quizzes that screen job candidates for engineering positions, then these companies would trial, use, adopt, and pay for such a service.

© 2015 COWAN+

EXAMPLE: ENABLE QUIZ As a group, draft your core value hypothesis As a group, converge your product hypothesis

If Enable Quiz offers companies that hire engineers lightweight technical quizzes that screen job candidates for engineering positions, then these companies would trial, use, adopt, and pay for such a service.

(5 min) © 2015 COWAN+

UNBUNDLING THE VALUE HYPOTHESIS INTO ASSUMPTIONS If we [do something] for [persona], they will [respond in a certain way] Example Assumptions (Enable Quiz) If we get HR managers to a landing page with a demo, 10% will sign up for our email product announcements. If we create position-specific quizzes for HR managers, they’ll use them ~100% of the time and, after two positions, be willing to pay. If we offer the service at [x] price with [y] supplemental assistance, companies that hire a lot of engineers will pay [z].

© 2015 COWAN+

TESTING YOUR ASSUMPTIONS VIA AN ‘MVP’

Minimum   V  P  source: adapted from ‘The Lean Startup’

What is the fastest, cheapest way to validate or invalidate this option so we give ourselves more options on future success?

© 2015 COWAN+


M  Viable   P  source: adapted from ‘The Lean Startup’

Will it give us a definitive result? What are the actionable metrics?

© 2015 COWAN+


M  V  Product   source: adapted from ‘The Lean Startup’

Does it really require actual product? Can we use alternative brands, channels?

© 2015 COWAN+


Minimum   Viable   Product   source: adapted from ‘The Lean Startup’

is not necessarily actual software/product (see concierge MVP) is a first and foremost learning vehicle … vs. a project plan vs. a product development project (OK to do those things but always subordinate them to the learning mission)

© 2015 COWAN+

UNBUNDLING THE VALUE HYPOTHESIS INTO ASSUMPTIONS MVP Archetype Wizard of Oz Concierge Sales

Notes Show or fake the customer experience Hand create the user experience See if you can sell some.

© 2015 COWAN+

UNBUNDLING THE VALUE HYPOTHESIS INTO ASSUMPTIONS If we [do something] for [persona], they will [respond in a certain way] MVP Archetype Wizard of Oz Concierge Sales

Example Assumptions (Enable Quiz) If we get HR managers to a landing page with a demo, 10% will sign up for our email product announcements. If we create position-specific quizzes for HR managers, they’ll use them ~100% of the time and, after two positions, be willing to pay. If we offer the service at [x] price with [y] supplemental assistance, companies that hire a lot of engineers will pay [z].

© 2015 COWAN+

CASE STUDY: DROPBOX OPPORTUNITY Underlying demand and supporting infrastructure ready for a great file sharing app. CHALLENGE Building a great cross-platform app. required VC funding. VC’s saw a space with lots of existing competitors struggling to get traction.

© 2015 COWAN+

CASE STUDY: DROPBOX Persona

Tom the Techie- early adopter who works on projects that require swapping a lot of files between a shifting network of collaborators.

Problem Scenario

It’s difficult to share files between a network of collaborators, particularly if they’re: big or numerous or change a lot.

Alternatives

Many existing products, but none of them super compelling and widely adopted. Also, custom setup’s which work but are cumbersome to set up and maintain.

Value Hypothesis

If Dropbox created a file sharing service that truly felt transparent to the user across all major platforms- OSX, iOS, Windows, etc., then a mass market of users would prefer it over the alternatives, subscribe to it and use it over time.

What Minimum Viable Product (MVP)? That you can bootstrap? That doesn’t require software at all? © 2015 COWAN+

THE WIZARD OF OZ MVP Created a synthetic web demo tailored for early market (techies), promoted it, and measured email sign-up’s. Result: Excellent traction and conversion to sign-up’s. Strong validation signal.

© 2015 COWAN+

EXAMPLE: ENABLE QUIZ OPPORTUNITY Hiring quality technical talent is critical for many companies, but screening for skill sets is time consuming and awkward. CHALLENGE The founding team wants to bootstrap without external funding so they need to focus on a specific technical domain, one that will get them strong early traction.

© 2015 COWAN+

EXAMPLE: ENABLE QUIZ Persona(s)

Helen the HR Manager- responsible for sourcing and screening job candidates Frank the Functional Manager- hiring manager responsible for acquiring and managing talent

Problem Scenario

Helen: hard to screen for technical skills Frank: never has enough time for recruiting and doesn’t want to be a jerk during interviews

Alternatives

Helen: call references, take their word for it (on skills) Frank: ask a few probing questions

Value Hypothesis

If Enable Quiz offers companies that hire engineers lightweight technical quizzes that screen job candidates for engineering positions, then these companies would trial, use, adopt, and pay for such a service.


THE CONCIERGE MVP Work with a set of HR managers to produce position-specific quizzes by hand on paper (or Google Forms, etc.). Metrics: Do the HR managers use them? How often? Do they want one for their next open position? Do the functional managers care?

© 2015 COWAN+

EXAMPLE: ENABLE QUIZ A QUESTION? There are dozens of technical/engineer topics Enable Quiz could offer. How can they assess which topics are most marketable?

© 2015 COWAN+

THE GOOGLE ADWORDS MVP Pair their qualitative research with topics trending online and then run a series of Google AdWords campaigns with different topics. Metrics: Which topics have the highest click-through rate (CTR)? Which then convert to sign-up’s to newsletters, etc.?

© 2015 COWAN+

CASE STUDY: LEONID SYSTEMS OPPORTUNITY (2007) Major disruption and new product opportunities among telecom providers with introduction of voice-over-IP and cloud communications. IT systems need to be rethought. CHALLENGE As a one-person startup, Leonid had actionable ideas but not enough resources to execute an end-to-end solution. © 2015 COWAN+

CASE STUDY: LEONID SYSTEMS Persona(s)

Chris the CTO- has funding and mandate to transition the business towards hosted services; many bases to cover

Problem Scenario

IT is the most expensive, most risky area when making changes to the business.

Alternatives

1) Place large, risky bets on major new system upgrades. 2) Make small incremental updates (but risk not keeping pace).

Value Hypothesis

Leonid will offer modular, integration-friendly applications in two critical areas: 1) services provisioning and 2) end user self-service portals.


CASE STUDY: LEONID SYSTEMS CONSULTING

‘PRODUCTIZED’ CONSULTING

Started with consulting as a ‘concierge’ vehicle to create tactical solutions, focus problem scenarios, evolving to full-fledged product. Result: Steady step-wise growth with consistently better understanding of key customer problem scenarios.

PRODUCTS

© 2015 COWAN+

CASE STUDY: ZAPPOS OPPORTUNITY (1999) An observed problem scenario around the difficulty of finding the right shoe at local retail and a giant (but nascent) market in online retail. CHALLENGE Consumers still in the early stages of adopting and habituating to online retail. Founder (Nick Swinmurn) wanted to bootstrap.

© 2015 COWAN+

CASE STUDY: ZAPPOS Persona(s)

Sam the shoe-hound- knows what he wants but not where to get it.

Problem Scenario

Sam is unable to find the shoe he wants at local retailers, wasting time and getting frustrated.

Alternatives

Possibly mail order or wait until he’s in a bigger market to go to the store.

Value Hypothesis

Make the shoe Sam wants accessible online and make sure he has a great experience so he’ll come back and not have to think about where to find the shoe he wants anymore.


CASE STUDY: ZAPPOS Photographed shoes and put them online to observe whether anyone bought them. Result: It worked and the rest is history.

© 2015 COWAN+

CASE STUDY: SPRIG Startup looking for early traction for investors: Whole Foods (deli) meets Uber. OPPORTUNITY Large opportunity to re-segment and disrupt food prep. and delivery business. Desire to move fast and learn fast. CHALLENGE Some existing competitors and slow fundraising process. Food prep. and delivery requires infrastructure. source: as told to Lean Startup Circle, SF (Jan 2014)

© 2015 COWAN+

CASE STUDY: SPRIG Persona(s)

Paula the Professional- health conscious, short on time, moderate to high income, already uses similar services like Uber.

Problem Scenario Alternatives

I want to have a nice, healthy dinner with no hassle and at a price I can afford (like $12).

Value Hypothesis

Going to the store or an expensive, take-out, or a slow delivery service (>20 minutes). If Sprig offers Paula a healthy meal like you would order a cab (on Uber), then she would use and reuse the service.

* This is me interpolating/guessing on an item; not part of the Sprig team’s explanation.

What Minimum Viable Product (MVP)? That you can bootstrap? That doesn’t require software at all?

source: as told to Lean Startup Circle, SF (Jan 2014)

© 2015 COWAN+

THE CONCIERGE MVP Created a synthetic web demo tailored for early market (techies), promoted it, and measured email sign-up’s.

Result: Excellent traction and conversion to sign-up’s. Strong validation signal.


© 2015 COWAN+

CASE STUDY: PAUL HOWE & ASSOCIATES OPPORTUNITY Funded startup team rapidly iterating through B2C concepts with lightweight experimentation. One idea: Some people would like to know how much their stuff is worth. CHALLENGE Iterate to a successful concept while the time and money permits.


© 2015 COWAN+

CASE STUDY: PAUL HOWE & ASSOCIATES Persona

?

Problem Scenario Alternatives

I have a lot of stuff around that I might want to sell and/or I’m just generally curious about how much it’s worth, how much I’ve spent.* Going through credit card statements or receipts.

Value Hypothesis

If Paul Howe & Co. offered a service where you could quickly, automatically know how much your stuff is worth, users would engage with such a service in large numbers.*

* This is me interpolating/guessing on an item; not part of the Sprig team’s explanation.

What Minimum Viable Product (MVP)? That you can bootstrap? That doesn’t require software at all? source: as told to Lean Startup Circle, SF (Jan 2013)

© 2015 COWAN+

CASE STUDY: PAUL HOWE & ASSOCIATES Get a few sign-up’s with access to email and bank account info. Review by hand on a concierge basis and compile a statement for them. Do they care? Result: They don’t care. Time to move on to the next concept.


© 2015 COWAN+

CASE STUDY: STEALTH PHOTO-SOCIAL STARTUP OPPORTUNITY Lots of exciting things happening in the photosocial space. CHALLENGE The team had several ideas but few resources.

© 2015 COWAN+

CASE STUDY: STEALTH PHOTO-SOCIAL STARTUP Persona

Existing poster of photos. Personas: Martha the Mom, Pat the Party Planner, Teresa the Teen Social Butterfly

Problem Scenario

[I want to do something interesting with my photos so that my social graph rewards me with interest and acclaim]

Alternatives

Manually enhance photos, use alternative enhancers/amplifiers like Instagram

Value Hypothesis

If we offers Facebook users a way to [do something novel] with their photos, they will try the service and convert to a paid version of the app.


CASE STUDY: STEALTH PHOTO-SOCIAL STARTUP What MVP? That you can bootstrap? That doesn’t require software at all? ASSUMPTION  If the user shares a photo with this treatment, the user’s social network will like and share the app’s output

© 2015 COWAN+

CASE STUDY: STEALTH PHOTO-SOCIAL STARTUP

MVP  Create the target output by hand (concierge style) Does anyone care?

ASSUMPTION  If the user shares a photo with this treatment, the user’s social network will like and share the app’s output

© 2015 COWAN+

ABOUT SOFTWARE, TESTING MOTIVATION, AND MVP’S You have to put the magic in the software. (Not the other way around) Concierge and other non-software MVP’s can be pretty magical. Find 100 people that are really into it and you can probably grow.

© 2015 COWAN+

UNBUNDLING THE VALUE HYPOTHESIS INTO ASSUMPTIONS If we [do something] for [persona], they will [respond in a certain way] MVP Archetype Wizard of Oz Concierge Sales

Example Assumptions (Enable Quiz) If we get HR managers to a landing page with a demo, 10% will sign up for our email product announcements. If we create position-specific quizzes for HR managers, they’ll use them ~100% of the time and, after two positions, be willing to pay. If we offer the service at [x] price with [y] supplemental assistance, companies that hire a lot of engineers will pay [z].

Individually, begin decomposing your core value hypothesis into testable assumptions Pair them with ideas for experimentation (including MVP’s if applicable) © 2015 COWAN+

FINI Hypothesize

Learn

Experiment

Check out   Venture Design

bit.ly/vdesign

Use the Coursera Class: Agile Development

bit.ly/hiagile

Twitter

@cowanSF

Get in touch!

[email protected]

© 2015 COWAN+

Startup Leadership Program Product Design

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