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Copyright © 2011 YourVersion
Dan Olsen, CEO, YourVersionDan Olsen, CEO, YourVersionEntrepreneurs RoundtableEntrepreneurs RoundtableJanuary 28, 2011January 28, 2011
Ten Nuggets of Advice for Tech Startups
Copyright © 2011 YourVersion
My BackgroundTechnical + Business/Marketing (EE + MBA)19 years of Product Management Experience
5 years at Intuit, led Quicken Product ManagementCofounded consumer web startup in Madrid, SpainLed Product Management at FriendsterPM consultant to startups: Box.net, YouSendIt, EpocratesCEO & Cofounder of YourVersion, startup building “Pandora for your real‐time web content”
Won TechCrunch50 People’s Choice AwardsWebsite + browser tools + apps for iPad, iPhone, Android
Will post slides to slideshare.net/dan_o
1. Focus on the Customer Problem First
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Russians: pencil
NASA: space pen($1 M R&D cost)
Example:Ability to write in space (zero gravity)
Problem Space vs. Solution Space
Problem SpaceA customer problem, need, or benefit that the product should address
A product requirement
Solution SpaceA specific implementation to address the need or product requirement
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Iterating Your Product Vector Based on User Feedback in Solution SpaceProblem Space
(your mental model)Solution Space
(what users can react to)
Help userbook travel
Help userplan travel
Customer Feedback
Mockups / Code
2. Go After a Big Opportunity
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High Importance + Low Satisfaction =Opportunity
Impo
rtance of U
ser N
eed
Impo
rtance of U
ser N
eed
User Satisfaction with Current AlternativesUser Satisfaction with Current Alternatives
CompetitiveMarketOpportunity
LowLow HighHigh
LowLow
HighHigh
Not Worth Going After
3. How Will Your Product be Better?
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Kano Model: User Needs & Satisfaction
User SatisfactionUser Satisfaction
User DissatisfactionUser Dissatisfaction
Performance (more is better)
Delighter (wow)
NeedNeednot metnot met
NeedNeedfully metfully met
Must Have
Needs & features migrate over time
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What is Your Value Proposition?
Which user benefits are you providing?
How are you better than competitors?
Competitor A Competitor B You
Must Have Benefit 1 Y Y Y
Performance Benefit 1 High Low Med
Performance Benefit 2 Low High Low
Performance Benefit 3 Med Med High
Delighter Benefit 1 Y ‐ ‐
Delighter Benefit 2 ‐ ‐ Y
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4. Design & Ease of Use Are Critical4. Design & Ease of Use Are Critical
VisualDesign
InteractionDesign
InformationArchitecture
ConceptualDesign
Recommended reading: Jesse James Garrett’s“Elements of User Experience” chart, free at www.jjg.net
What most people seeand react to
What good product people think about
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5. Prioritize and Stay FocusedLimited resources
10 high priorities = FAIL
What’s most important?
Manage scopeAvoid feature creep
Bread down big items
Strategy = deciding what you’re not going to do
Must say “no”
6. Launch so you can Learn & Iterate
7. Listen to Your Customers
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“Ramen” User Feedback for Startups
Anyone can do it!
Ingredients:Solution‐space product/mockup to test
1 customer (with laptop if testing code)
1 desk
1 person to conduct the session
Pen and paper
Optional note‐taker and observers
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Typical Format for Customer Session
5 ‐ 10 min: Ask questions to understand user needs and solutions they currently use30 ‐ 50 min: User feedback
Show user product/mockupNon‐directed as much as possibleWhen necessary, direct user to attempt to perform a specific task
5 ‐ 10 min: Wrap‐upAnswer any user questions that came upPoint out/explain features you want to highlightAsk them if they would use the product
Copyright © 2011 YourVersion
Dos & Don’ts of Conducting Usability
DoExplain to the user:
Their usability test will help improve the productNot to worry about hurting your feelings“Think Aloud Protocol”
Ask user to attempt the task, then be a fly on the wallAsk non‐leading, open‐ended questionsTake notes and review them afterwards for take‐aways
Don’tAsk leading questions“Help” the user or explain the UI (e.g., “click over here”)Respond to user frustration or questions (until test is over)Get defensiveBlame the user
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8. Build a Team with the Required Skills
You can’t do it all yourselfMany different skills are required for success:front‐end dev, back‐end dev, PM, UI design, QA, marketingWear multiple hats: generalists better than specialists
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9. Take Advantage of Free/Cheap Resources
Never been easier to startOpen Source Software
PHP, Ruby on Rails, MySQL
ServersAmazon Web Services
Groups & EventsMeetup.com, Plancast.comSVASE
Office spaceHacker Dojo, Plug & Play, Citizen Space
Angel/seed $, incubators
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10. Startups are like Roller Coasters
Exciting with scary momentsHigh highs, low lowsChallenging turns & dips
Find at least 1 cofounder: 1 + 1 = 3Get through the dips, share the highsEnjoy the ride!
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Try it out at:http://www.yourversion.com
Free apps:iPad http://bit.ly/yv‐hd
iPhone http://bit.ly/yv‐appAndroid phone http://goo.gl/3aVDGAndroid tablet http://goo.gl/HSZDn