sxsw 2012: the visual interface is now your brand

› Nick Myers

@nickmyer5 #SXvisuibrand

The visual interface is now your brand

Visual design and the interface How to create unique digital experiences Engaging customers How user experience can influence the brand

What  I’ll be talking about

More customer interactions are now digital More customer interactions are now digital

User experiences have improved User experiences have improved

Products  are  now  more  usable  Products are now simpler

Expecta5ons  are  now  higher  Expectations are now higher

Expecta5ons  are  now  higher  Expectations are now higher

Expecta5ons  are  now  higher  We’re a spoiled bunch!

Expectations for mobile website speed increased from 58% in 2009 to 71% in 2011 for websites to load as quickly, almost as quickly or faster on their mobile phone compared to the computer they use at home. Nearly 60% of web users say they expect a website to load on their mobile phone in 3 seconds or less.

“  

”  

People’s  expecta5ons  are  constantly  being  redefined  

Expectations are constantly being redefined

But  compe55on  is  now  more  fierce  Competition is now greater. Intuitive and simple are not enough to differentiate

www.flickr.com/photos/retrocactus/4949516534/

Design  is  now  more  strategic  Design is more strategic

How do we respond to higher expectations, massive challenges, and also stand out?

What  is  brand?  First…

A  strong  brand  creates  compe55ve  advantage  

A strong brand creates competitive advantage

Brands  are  defined  by  a  customer’s  experience  

Brands are defined by a customer’s experience

User experience now has a greater influence on the brand

User experience now has a greater influence on the brand

As of Dec 2011, Facebook received 2.7 billion likes and comments per day.

Software is different

Organizations must understand customers

We need new methods to exceed expectations

4 key factors that elevate your digital brand

User experience should influence brands

Software is different

+  GE

+  Thomson Reuters

+  NetApp

Many companies are now software makers Many companies are now software makers

GE is now the 14th largest software provider in the world

SoFware  is  not  fashion  Software is not fashion

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ham-hock/3698805401/

Visual  design  sets  expecta5ons,  but  the  experience  must  deliver  

Visual design sets expectations, but experience must deliver

Software needs to feel timeless Software needs to feel timeless

2001 2009

Digital products are more complex Digital products are more complex

The visual system must be more precise

There  are  fewer  opportuni5es  to  present  an  iden5ty  

Fewer opportunities to present an identity

The identity lives in the details The identity lives in the details

But  too  much  personality  interferes  with  the  experience  

Most importantly, we’re designing for people first

Screens  are  smaller  and  projected  to  overtake  larger  screens  in  the  next  few  years  

Screens are smaller

The  interface  is  fading  The interface is fading

www.flickr.com/photos/kjd/537496939/

Mo5on  and  interac5on  now  have  greater  influence  on  the  experience  (Clear  app)  

Interactions + motion have greater influence on the experience

Defining and creating a memorable experience

First,  you  must  understand  

Business objectives User needs Brand guidelines

Understand the problem

Workshops help define the experience more vividly

Images bring life to the conversation and guide an ideal experience

The experience is defined The experience is defined

Brand messaging is one-way communication. Experience attributes consider the customer’s perspective and context and is two-way communication

Why is this different?

Brand messaging

User needs + context

Business goals

Explore  the  visual  language  Explore the visual language

Ini5al  impressions  Ini5al  impressions  

Abstract  visual  studies  from  behavior  Abstract visual studies from real behavior

Explore  iden5ty  in  context  We’re creating identities for the interface

Explore  the  behavioral  language  Explore the behavioral language

Signature  interac5ons  can  differen5ate  and  delight  

Signature interactions can differentiate and add delight

Customers  remember,  and  share  the  amazingly  good  and  amazingly  bad  experiences  

Amazingly good Amazingly bad

www.flickr.com/photos/cote/4675658738/

Design patterns aren’t memorable

Conflict  between  unique  and  usable  Conflict between unique vs. usable

How  to  create  signature  interac5ons  Signature interaction: core experience, generate as a team, style, prototype

Signature  interac5ons  are  no  value  if  other  founda5onal  needs  aren’t  met  

Remember: You can’t reach the top of the pyramid without a solid foundation

It’s  easy  to  be  different,  but  it’s  difficult  to  be  beYer  

Connecting with customers

Only a deep understanding of our customers builds passion and brand loyalty

Only  a  deep  understanding  of  our  customers  builds  passion  and  brand  loyalty  

Inspira5on  from  ecosystems  and  permaculture  

Permaculture help designers model a final design based on an observation of how ecosystems interact.

Modern  “permanent  culture”  is  a  system  design  tool  

A way of looking at the whole system or problem. And trying to fix what’s broken.

1 of Holmgren’s 12 design principles

Use edges and value the marginal: The interface between things is where the most interesting events take place. These are often the most valuable, diverse and productive elements in the system.

1  of  Holmgren’s  12  design  principles  

“  ”  

Let’s  look  at  an  organiza5on  Let’s  look  at  an  organiza5on  

Many  of  us  are  stuck  in  the  middle  Let’s  look  at  an  organiza5on  Many  of  us  are  stuck  in  the  middle  

This  was  especially  true  of  engineers  This  was  especially  true  of  engineers  

All  the  ac5on  is  happening  on  the  edges  

All  the  ac5on  is  happening  at  the  edges  of  your  organiza5on  

Effec5ve  product  teams  in  large  companies  operate  closer  to  the  edge  

Effec5ve  product  teams  operate  close  to  the  edge  

Touchpoints  are  at  the  edges  Touchpoints  are  at  the  edges  

Staying  in  the  center  keeps  you  blind  The  center  is  blind  to  the  edges  

And  tensions  grow  between  marke5ng  and  product  teams  

And  tensions  grow  between  marke5ng  and  product  teams  

Brand  guidelines  are  center-­‐focused  Brand  guidelines  are  centrally  created  

Surveys  are  narrow  views  Surveys  are  narrowly  focused  

TiVo’s  survey  doesn’t  collect  insight  of  what  I  want  or  need  

Market  segmenta5on  tools  are  sales-­‐focused  even  if  personas  are  created  

Marke5ng  segmenta5on  is  sales-­‐driven  

Usability  tes5ng  is  inside  because  it’s  oFen  in  a  fabricated  environment  and  it’s  really  only  beneficial  for  valida5on  

Usability  tes5ng  happens  inside  in  a  fabricated  environment  

And  focus  groups  are  just  one  big  party  in  the  center  

And  focus  groups  are  just  one  big  party  in  the  middle  

Even  social  media  is  a  fabricated  connec5on  between  a  company  and  customers  

Even  social  media  is  a  thin  connec5on  to  the  outside  

To  truly  understand  customers  you  need  to  seek  them  out  and  visit  them  in  their  natural  environments  

To  truly  understand  customers  you  need  to  seek  them  out  

Seeing  is  believing  Seeing  is  believing  

Personas’  true  value  is  to  bring  focus  to  your  organiza5on  about  what’s  important  to  your  customers  

Sharing  insight  from  the  edges  is  a  powerful  method  of  focus  

If  you  can  see  and  understand  the  edges  you  can  speak  with  authority  

If  you  truly  understand  your  users’  needs  you  can  transform  an  industry  

And  have  greater  influence  on  the  experience  of  each  product  

And  if  you  value  the  margins  your  organiza5on  will  innovate  

Creating a culture of user experience in your company through leadership

What it takes

1.  Leadership

2.  Process

3.  Principles

4.  Tools

5.  People

6.  Education

7.  Collaboration

8.  Communication

What it takes

Change  is  hard  (is  there  a  willingness  to  change?)  Change is hard! Metro has taken years of effort

Execu5ves  are  more  involved  Executives see the value in UX

User  experience  needs  leadership  We need UX leaders to transform companies

Design  principles  foster  change  Design principles foster change

Why design matters

Video credit: Energy Energy

Principles  are  now  everywhere  at  Citrix  

•  Onboard  training  •  Legal  •  Etc.  

Principles are used everywhere: UX, HR, training, legal, ID badges

•  Onboard  training  •  Legal  •  Etc.  

Mark Templeton, Citrix’s CEO, speaks of their importance regularly

The results for Citrix

UI  guidelines  inspire  people  to  adopt  a  new  system  

UI guidelines can inspire product teams to adopt a new system

Development  tools  are  most  useful  Development  tools  are  cri5cal  to  craFing  the  right  experience  

Standards  improve  the  baseline  expecta5ons  and  share  design  ra5onale  

Standards  improve  the  baseline  expecta5ons  and  share  design  ra5onale  

But,  standards  can  be  one  of  the  biggest  obstacles  to  innova5on  

Prac5ce  Fusion’s  web-­‐based  EMR  

Give  teams  freedom  to  change  

Collabora5ng  to  create  the  ideal  experience  is  the  best  leadership  you  can  give  

Collabora5ng  to  create  the  ideal  experience  is  the  best  leadership  you  can  give  

And  the  best  thing  marketers  can  do  is  spend  5me  with  product  teams  

And  the  best  thing  marketers  can  do  is  spend  5me  with  product  teams  

A  process  designed  with  users  in  mind  increases  the  chance  of  success  

A  process  driven  by  the  edges  increases  the  chance  of  success  

A  process  designed  with  users  in  mind  increases  the  chance  of  success  

A  process  driven  by  the  edges  increases  the  chance  of  success  

The  iPad  design  is  now  influencing  their  web  soFware  

A few things to remember…

Value the margins of your organization

Visit the edges to understand user needs

Stop championing your brand, start championing your user

Drive your brand through user experience.

› Continue the conversation…

@nickmyer5 #SXvisuibrand cooper.com/journal

Contact Cooper for strategy + design

User research, domain Research, and analysis

Education and mentoring

Product strategy and service strategy

Interaction design and service design

Visual design and branding

Prototyping and development

+1 415 267 3500 business@cooper.com