the #1 ux failure of new products

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  • 7/28/2019 The #1 UX Failure of New Products

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    STEPH HAY

    content, UX, hugs

    Home The #1 UX failure of new products

    I'm more active on Twitter than

    LinkedIn

    I'm great at clarifying content and

    UX so users don't wonder, "What's

    this mean?"

    Here's my email address.

    Next Up

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    THE #1 UX FAILURE OF NEW

    PRODUCTS

    October 23, 2012 by stephaniehay in Blergh

    I got asked this question last week. At first it seemed un-answerable, but then I

    realized that NOT optimizing their UX for a first-time user is the biggest issue

    early-stage companies face.

    The problem is clear: there is no active or loyal user base yet. So if the product relies

    on having a user base to be valuable enough that users would want to return, it HAS

    to cater to a first-time user FIRST.

    For example, when I first got into Rdio very early on, I saw music there already. I

    started listening immediately. I then had a lower threshold for inviting friends because

    the proof was in the app when I first logged in. I also already was ENJOYING the

    app, so returning (and becoming a paying subscriber) was also easier for me.

    Now imagine if Rdio required me to upload music first because the listening library

    had a minimum number of songs to start. Imagine if I had to connect my Twitter or

    Facebook account BEFORE I had a chance to use the app.

    Whats my incentive?

    A first-time user is there to kick the tires. To change behavior and encourage users to

    come back for more, there has to be a clear strategy that caters to that first-time users

    context FIRST. That mainly means answering questions like what the crap is this,

    why am I here, and is it worth my time?

    Heres a real example of the norm. My buddy Will invited me to Biogrify. Its

    homepage says nothing about what it is. So I asked Will what the crap is this? He

    told me it was something like the New New Social Network with Infographics. I

    dont need this in my life, but Will is awesome, so I signed up via Twitter, addedprofile info, then skipped the invite friends part of the 3-step process.

    BLOG

    The #1 UX failure of new products http://www.stephaniehay.com/the-1-ux-failure-of-new-products/

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    --> Video: Who Cares About

    Content?

    Articles

    --> AListApart: Being Real Builds

    Trust

    --> UXMag: What Are You

    About?

    --> WSS: Crafting Intentional

    Content

    Once in, I see content created by people I dont know.

    Why didnt I see Wills posts? He invited me. And whats my incentive to do a Quick

    Post, Create, or Connect with Facebook to find more friends at this point? Im

    kicking the tires, but why would I want to create content for strangers to see? And

    why would I want to invite friends without seeing what this product really is all about

    but wait, is that the only way this would be relevant to me on first view?

    Instead of optimizing the sign-up process and UI to a first-time user like me, theproduct is built for the business. Its got fun visual tools without context of why a

    first-time user should use them. It offers the chance to make posts without friends.

    Each of the features and networking aspects requires me to take actions without ever

    telling me why Id want to take them. In the meantime, my inbox starts filling up with

    X is now following you messages that try to draw me back into the application.

    Startups here are optimized for power users who get it and become

    evangelical. This is definitely one tactic to take, and my buddy Will is surely onboard.

    Im not. Would I be if the UX was customized to creating a more oriented, powerful,and conversational first-time experience? Yes. Its fun.

    But its not worth my time to figure out why it matters to me. Thats the startups job.

    Taking the pitch of why it needs to exist and making it a core aspect of the UX is the

    best way of communicating with the first-time user, whose buy-in is essential to

    success.

    Building a product for most of us is an attempt at building a business; it takes time.

    Think Jack Chengs slow web time. If startups could launch products the way they

    launch conversations with an Im working on this app for people who love

    The #1 UX failure of new products http://www.stephaniehay.com/the-1-ux-failure-of-new-products/

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    14 Responses

    o0odesigno0o October 23, 2012 at 4:03 pm

    Good UX post. You have to walk before you can run.

    Jose October 23, 2012 at 9:31 pm

    Agree so much. Btw I have to say I love Rdio design.

    Virginia October 23, 2012 at 11:06 pm

    I wrote the same comment on your 500 post (and wheres the Speek

    Party on your up next????

    I love this article Steph. And Id like to share the outstanding advice you

    gave Speek.

    I have a great anecdote for how optimizing for the first time user works.

    When a guest user first used Speek (the easiest, simplest, face-melting

    conference call alternative there is out there) we used to have a div pop

    up immediately asking them for their name, email, etc as an attempt to

    convert them. Why wouldnt they want to convert? Speek is

    AWESOME! Thats what we thought. Steph said why the hell are you

    bombarding me with this pop up before I even see the virtual conference

    table? Why cant I experience for myself? Let me see how awesome this

    is. Give me a minute

    So we did. We waited 60 seconds to show this div during the call

    experience and our in call conversions jumped from 10% to 20%. Boom.

    infographics rather than connect twitter, tell friends, create posts! and guide

    them in that first-time experience, more of us would actually stick around for the

    good stuff that makes us incorporate the new app into our daily lives. Which makes

    the business grow for realz.

    With SOOOOO many other risks startups face, why risk leaving your first-time user

    to fend for herself and discover the value of the app through its features?

    The #1 UX failure of new products http://www.stephaniehay.com/the-1-ux-failure-of-new-products/

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    stephaniehay October 23, 2012 at 11:09 pm

    VIRGINIA YOU ARE AWESOME. Thanks for this killer

    comment!

    hkon October 24, 2012 at 3:21 pm

    I like your statement: That mainly means answering questions like

    what the crap is this, why am I here, and is it worth my time?

    I think part of the problem is that creators might have a hard time

    actually answering these questions themselves.

    stephaniehay October 25, 2012 at 11:10 am

    So true! New products are understandably still trying to find

    their way. Alienating some users up-front by using specific

    language catered to a specific user means the target audience

    can get in and start doing stuff faster, which means more data

    and learning. That makes answering the questions a clearer,

    faster process.

    Jeremy October 25, 2012 at 10:13 pm

    I worked on Biogrify as a freelancer a while back, and Id warn

    you guys not to draw too many conclusions regarding the UX

    failings of this site. The founders are non-technical in the most

    extreme sense, have almost a comical misunderstanding of how

    social networks work, and have bought into the incoherent

    strategy as suggested by their design team. Hopefully no-one

    gets suckered into investing for this company.

    John F Croston III October 25, 2012 at 10:46 am

    This is what Ive been looking for on how to write up my verbiage for

    my event application, since I need it to be from small gatherings to large

    conferences.

    Thanks, greatly.

    The #1 UX failure of new products http://www.stephaniehay.com/the-1-ux-failure-of-new-products/

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    jfc iii

    stephaniehay October 25, 2012 at 11:11 am

    Sweet, glad to hear it, John!

    2 Pennies October 25, 2012 at 4:10 pm

    Love the article.

    Although, I think comparing Biogrify with Rdio is a bit inaccurate.

    While Rdio does use your friends to discover songs, in the end, your

    relationship with Rdio is ultimately you and the music. You dont need to

    see Wills activity when theres a play button ready for you to click.

    When did we become so overly dependent on your friends. If my friend

    recommends a local organic grocery, do I need to see his shopping list

    and go shopping with him to get the benefits of this new store? Simply

    inviting me and bringing it to my attention should be good enough for

    me to figure out what to do.

    Rdio is also an ironic choice of UI to highlight as simple and done the

    right way. Compared to Biogrify, Rdio is a clusterf*ck. Rdio gets way

    too much props for its cluttered UI. Weve all heard of the saying Do

    one thing and do it great. Rdio doesnt do anything great. Granted, it

    looks nice as a graphic design, everything laid out neatly with a nice blue

    gradient BG that constitutes the majority of its coolness, but its not a

    great utility.

    Look at this screenshot of Rdio: http://tyckr.se/wp-content/uploads

    /2010/06/rdiofirstpage.png

    Browse Music

    Dashboard

    Queue

    History

    Collections

    Playlist

    Reviews (why?)

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    People

    Heavy rotation sorted between: You | Your Network | Everyone

    Top Artists

    Following

    Activity

    Find People To Follow

    And More..

    All of these features are little bitty text words placed cleanly around the

    UI. Id personally be more apt to stay on Biogrify than Rdio. The only

    probably with Biogrify, is I, like most people, dont really care for the

    format of their content (text, designed well). Rdio is pushing music,

    something I, and all of us love, and because we love it so much, we all

    deal with and learn to accept overly complex UIs simply because well

    do anything to get a taste of some music. Spotify is uglier than Rdio, but

    they are both overly complicated UIs that I refuse to use. Im just glad

    people call it clean, this means theres lots of room to innovate UIs in the

    music sphere.

    Just my 2 pennies.

    stephaniehay October 25, 2012 at 4:15 pm

    Thanks for such a thought-provoking comment! I used Rdio in

    the example because of their FIRST UI (not the current one),

    though I dont have a screenshot of how simple it was early-on.

    The point is just that it was optimized for the first-time user,

    rather than how its evolved (to become more feature-rich) since

    its grown from early-stage to scale. Totally agree with you that

    the focus on inviting friends is a symptom of trying to skip to

    scale too quickly (before theres data to suggest traction or

    retention). Thanks again!

    2 Pennies October 25, 2012 at 4:18 pm

    I hear you on that!

    Your point stays the stay, meanwhile Rdio changed

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    I'm not accepting new clients these days, but here are some awesome people who are.

    Good stuff!

    Peter October 27, 2012 at 9:47 am

    As long as this site is unusable on mobile there is not much point talking

    about no. 1 errors

    stephaniehay October 27, 2012 at 10:48 am

    If by this site you mean my blog, Id love a screenshot and

    your device details. Im using Origin, a responsive WordPress

    theme.

    If youre referring to the Biogrify site, it might be that theyre

    optimizing for web users first. But your comment re: including

    mobile users is an important one.

    Comments are closed.

    On doing what you love that matters

    The #1 UX failure of new products http://www.stephaniehay.com/the-1-ux-failure-of-new-products/

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