what about the other half of your customers?

What about the other half of your customers?

Alja Isaković

Me.Startups + mobile Women in tech

What other half?

TSstartup signups demographics

Total sample: 106 people Total sample: 41 teams

Y Combinator

“Out of 111 founders in the Winter 2013 YC class, 12 are women — that’s more than 10 percent, an all-time high for the program.”

Source: Women Make Up 10% Of Founders In Y Combinator’s Current Class

Real world

49%51%

Population by gender (Slovenia 2002)

Female Male

Meaning...Men are shaping the (tech) world for women

Source: Why You Need To Speak To Women | LadyGeek

Hmm... maybe women just don’t like technology?

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Women also like mobile

Source: BII MOBILE INSIGHTS: Advertising Relearned For Mobile

Women also like mobile

Source: The Truth About Cats and Dogs: Smartphone vs Tablet Usage Differences

... and games

Source: Women Win Facebook, Twitter, Zynga; Men Get LinkedIn, Reddit [INFOGRAPHIC] - Mashable

Now what?

No problem, we’ll pink it and

shrink it!

Products for women, you’re doing it wrong

Women are more than just ...

Below 30

Above 30

Nerd test

Different women, different stories, all just human.

Simple tips

Do: talk to womenDo: make women feel welcome

Do: get to know the real differences

* if not, go back to the drawing board!

Don’t: make a pink version of your product for herDon’t: use the female bodies to sell your product,

you’re better than that*

If in doubt: would I do the same with/to a man?

Good example

What kind of apps do women want?

Popular categories of mobile apps among women

Source: The Apps Women Want by Handshake media

Women are more committed gamers

Source: Flurry: Love, Courtship and the Promiscuous Male Mobile Gamer

What kind of apps do women want?

juggling busy lives easier ways to do the things I do

better ways to coordinate recipes, ingredients and shopping

comparison shopping

bringing together the various parts of my life

better ways to workclarity and simplicity to the palms of my hands

Source: The Apps Women Want by Handshake media

A girl’s app manifesto

Think about me. I don’t like wasting time. 

Make my life better or fun. Don’t make me feel stupid. 

Don’t make me change for you.I’m looking for experiences, not features.Yes, I like pretty, but I’m not a princess.

Bottom lineWomen and men come in 50 shades of gray

Women can be great, passionate customers

Women friendly doesn’t mean guys will hate it

Don’t forget about the other half of your customers!

pink and blue and all the colors in between

One more thing ...

The other part of the equation...

Where are the girls on your team?

Why?

“We see that a company’s odds for success increase with more female executives at the

VP and director levels.”

“For start-ups with five or more females, 61% were successful and only 39% failed.”

Source: Women at the Wheel; Do female executives drive start-up success?Dow Jones VentureSource

Why?

“There’s little correlation between a group’s collective intelligence and the IQs of its

individual members. But if a group includes more women, its collective

intelligence rises.”

Source: Defend Your Research: What Makes a Team Smarter? More Women - Harvard Business Review

P.S.: It’s all about diversity and different perspectives

However...

Don’t hire women just because they’re women.

Hire them because they rock!

But, but...

There are so few women in tech!

Providing the right opportunities for women

We can change that!

Tell (and show) girls and women in your life it’s ok to love tech

Start them when they are young!

P.S.: Computer Engineer Barbie option. I’d recommend Katniss Barbie, she kicks more ass.

Have you talked with a woman yet today?

@iAljaiAlja.com

ialja@me.com