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PREPARED BY
MAKE MAGIC WITH ANTICIPATORY DESIGN
@MARSINTHESTARS
September 10, 2015
SearchLove
Marli Mesibov, Director of Content Strategy
Mad*Pow
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• Director of Content Strategy at Mad*Pow
• Managing Editor of UX Booth
• My new project: become Alfred
SearchLove | @marsinthestars
Who am I? Why am I here?
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WHO IS ALFRED?
It’s not just a name.
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Who is Alfred?
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Who is Alfred?
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Who is Alfred?
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Who is Alfred?
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Who is Alfred?
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Who is Alfred?
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Alfred anticipates your every need.
• He makes you feel cared for but not smothered.
• He knows what you need before you do.
• You trust him implicitly.
SearchLove | @marsinthestars
Who is Alfred?
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HOW CAN YOU BECOME ALFRED?
Everybody’s (trying to) do it.
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Everyone wants to be Alfred.
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Anticipating the user’s wants
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Anticipating the user’s needs
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Anticipating the user’s preferences
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Anticipating the user’s concerns
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A CASE STUDY
Making the magic happen.
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Project steps
1. Stakeholder research
2. Participatory design session
3. The solution is born
4. Asking the right questions
5. Spreadsheet mania
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Stakeholder research
“We want to be the Amazon of our industry. It’s time to really knock one out
of the park.”
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Participatory design session
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The solution is born
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Asking the right questions
• What actions people users want to accomplish?
• What triggers each individual action?
• How will we know if a trigger occurs?
• What is the priority of actions?
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Spreadsheet mania
FIVE SPREADSHEETS, AND WE’RE JUST GETTING STARTED!
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DO TRY THIS AT HOME
Anticipate customer retention.
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Ask questions
• What actions do users want to accomplish?
• What triggers each individual action?
• How will we know if a trigger occurs?
• What is the priority of actions?
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What actions do users want to accomplish?
Don’t take their word for it – use analytics!
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What triggers each individual action?
Spend a few days brainstorming with a team.
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How will we know if a trigger occurs?
• Talk to the dev team
• The best triggers are the ones we can control or easily access
• Think creatively to connect triggers out of our control
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What is the priority of actions?
• Which triggers take priority? Which actions?
• These make up the “business rules.”
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Make magic happen
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Thank you!