I like to think about how UX applies to lots of different areas, and often out of the screen-based environment.
Today I’m thinking about a business model. I’m currently on vacation and although my coworkers will be mad at me for not relaxing (I’m very lucky to be at a company that values rejuvenation) I have to get this experience written down because it’s stuck in my brain. I’m at a hotel, well resort to be exact. My partner and I spent 2 weeks last December planning where to go. We had saved money for awhile and were ready to do something really amazing. It took forever to choose the right place but we finally made reservations according to our budget.
Now we’re here and yes, it’s great. The sun is shining is warm the water is clear and this drink couldn’t taste better. The business succeeded in giving me what I wanted and I’m enjoying my time - but here’s where it did fail - it made me think.
At a resort, everything comes with a price tag. Items which are typically complimentary, or easily attainable locally are available only in the gift shop. What’s worse is everything comes with a price tage and a steep one at that. Now this isn’t a rant about prices, but it’s still a rant. It’s not that I can’t pay for these things, but it is making me think twice about what if I really need something I am used to having at a hotel. I feel as if the hotel has surprised me and is taking advantage of my isolation.
In other words, my vacation isn’t simple anymore. It has created a ‘barrier of entry’ to a relaxing experience.
We see barriers this all the time in web, especially e-commerce segments. A giant loss point of users engagement is the checkout. People enjoy online shopping, searching, comparing, and discovering. However, No one likes forms and checkouts. Amazon.com does a great job of tackling the evil neccessity of the checkout so amazon strives to make it simple with shortcuts, pay passes, saved information, and more.
But what are the shortcuts, pay passes, etc. for your business model? Just ask Richard Branson and his virgin brand. Fly one of his planes instead of United and you’ll know what I mean. Virgin doesn’t surprise you and they offer all customers the same experience and options. Coach doesn’t feel like a box. You get great seats, free direc tv and your own personal screen. You can also order extras like a movie or a sandwich.
…And that right there is the difference! He is a master at selling extras. He doesn’t charge you for items people expect or want: such as bags, entertainment, comfortable wait areas, and drinks. He does charge you for extras you might want, but not require such as: full meals, renting a movie, upgraded seat class, or HBO access. This changes the business experience from nickel and diming to upgrading. Is successful to the overall experience because your able to get extras but you don’t NEED them to enjoy yourself.
mrneenaw asked: Your post about product design was a good read :)
thank you! I appreciate any feedback you can give as well. always happy to discuss
User experience is one of the best jobs around. We get to have our hands in everything: business, design, development, marketing, and more. As we make our mark on the tech industry and grow, we begin to lose sight of - what I feel - should be one of our guiding principles: “Make it simple.”
Building “simple” is hard, but it doesn’t just exist on a wireframe either. At ThoughtWorks we build custom software and look at it as a holistic product experience. We integrate just enough of what’s needed into our whole approach, then grow that organically through continuous, iterative feedback—helping clients get from idea to product in an informed way.
We succeed with the user and client when we take the aspirations and complex technologies of the business and make them relevant to the user through simplicity. As we work to explain this concept to everyone from clients to new hires, I happened to stumble upon a song from my (and possibly your) childhood. Oddly enough I was completely befuddled at how this fits as the mantra for great UX strategy, product design, product management—or whatever it is being called this week.
Bear with me as I explain how we do this with the help of “Bare Necessities” from the Disney movie, The Jungle Book.
Look for the bare necessities,
The simple bare necessities,
Forget about your worries and your strife.
I mean the bare necessities,
Old Mother Nature’s recipes,
That brings the bare necessities of life.
Start small. Whenever we begin an engagement we look for something called the MVP or Minimum Viable Product. In order to do this, we find the smallest set of features that can stand alone and make the idea actionable by refining the target market, business strategy, technical specification, and use cases. We work with the client to go from idea to the “bare necessities” of the deliverable, then design and build in an Agile way to produce the first product environment quickly.
Wherever I wander, wherever I roam
I couldn’t be fonder of my big home
The bees are buzzin’ in the tree
To make some honey just for me
When you look under the rocks and plants
And take a glance at the fancy ants
Then maybe try a few
The bare necessities of life will come to you
They’ll come to you!
Here’s where things get interesting. Our first release. This is usually an alpha release to a select group of dedicated users. We begin absorbing, learning, and most importantly validating. By validating these concepts the business is able to quickly pivot their product strategy in order to better serve the users before having invested all of their funds. It’s just like wireframing before building to validate design concepts. What’s important is that as we validate we begin to learn what matters, and the “bare necessities” start coming to us on their own. We don’t have to make as many uninformed choices on what features are more important, but rather are being told by actual customers. As the business and product are learning the designers and developers are working on the planning and building of the “bare necessities” that come along.
Look for the bare necessities
The simple bare necessities
Forget about your worries and your strife
I mean the bare necessities
That’s why a bear can rest at ease
With just the bare necessities of life
After the first release we have the refined MVP and possible pivot from the client. Clients are starting to get more comfortable with this approach and are more confident in the direction now that they have actual customer feedback rather than assumptions. We now have a solid MVP set and can begin building the the rest of the product vision.
Now when you pick a pawpaw
Or a prickly pear
And you prick a raw paw
Next time beware
Don’t pick the prickly pear by the paw
When you pick a pear
Try to use the claw
But you don’t need to use the claw
When you pick a pear of the big pawpaw
Have I given you a clue ?
The bare necessities of life will come to you
They’ll come to you!
Now the full product vision is coming along. We’re testing the MVP and other features. By being more informed by two testing releases we know what to “beware” as we gather feedback and test the features outside of the MVP. Making sure the product vision is supporting the main value proposition and adding to the User’s holistic experience. Now we’re focusing on the “bare necessities” of the product as a whole and continuing to design and build the product organically from the bottom-up.
So just try and relax, yeah cool it
Fall apart in my backyard
‘Cause let me tell you something little britches
If you act like that bee acts, uh uh
You’re working too hard
And don’t spend your time lookin’ around
For something you want that can’t be found
When you find out you can live without it
And go along not thinkin’ about it
I’ll tell you something true
The bare necessities of life will come to you
Here’s the best part, everyone is calm, yet excited. The client is comfortable with the product and actual full market release is coming up. The client is glad to have a lot of “tough choices” off of their shoulders. They just don’t have to worry about features seeming better than they might actually be. Instead we know priorities and features based on the continuous feedback loop. By building with continuous agile design & development approaches, we were able to adapt the product on the spot. We are getting the product ready for version 1 full market release and the business is working to prepare for the launch while the team puts on the final touches.
We relax, release, and go celebrate. Excited to see our largest feedback loop begin, and letting the new set of “bare necessities” come to us.
( I do not own any rights to ‘The Bare Necessities’ or ‘The Jungle Book’ , nor am I claiming to. So don’t come after me. I have given Disney a lot of business growing up.)
