what about the other half of your customers?
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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.
