All projects: Gel, Good Todo, Games, Uncle Mark, Bit Literacy
You can't outsource obsession.
"Have you watched someone trying to install the app?" This was my question recently to the startup company asking for my take on their mobile product.
Good product, with good functionality once it was up and running, but a bear of an install. I actually couldn't get through the process without a hint or two from the team. Clearly this was going to be an obstacle to growth.
With some conversation I learned that there were many good ideas within the team. New features, possible partnerships, APIs, and yes, some flow improvements in installation. But with lots of good ideas, of course, come lots of ways of prioritizing them.
Hence my question: "Have you watched someone trying to install the app?" After all, the very best way to clarify a team's priorities is to watch real live customers interact with the product - and then discuss, among team members, what needs to improve.
The answer was that someone on the team had done some user tests of some sort, and reported some results. But no, the top people in the company hadn't yet taken part. User experience was just one of a constellation of priorities and concerns.
To succeed today, with a mobile app or otherwise, you've got to be obsessed with what your customers go through. Call it the user experience, the customer experience, the ideation-info-architectural-construct, whatever: it's that delight-or-plight of your users that you must obsess over.
Sure, you could outsource it to someone else - on the team, or outside. But it won't work. You can't outsource obsession. If the very future of your company depends on delivering a good experience, then you have to care about it as much as - no, more than - anyone else on the team.
With that said, you may need help framing the process, and producing the details. That's for someone on the team (or my own Creative Good, if you'd like to go outside). But the obsession to learn what users want most of all, and then deliver it: that's your job.
Great post as usual. And quite Jobbish - ergo timely :) btw how come one cant easily share these on twitter or FB? Bummer...
Great post! I have an idea for a future topic - examples of framing the process. I think this is key to getting colleague buy-in. Thanks!
A really great post Mark (as usual). There is nothing that can replace walking a mile in your user's shoes. From the point of purchase to the time they call in for support. The entire user experience needs to be looked at holistically. Making one feature/function a good experience isn't good enough.