This document summarizes a 1-day workshop on user experience for lean startups. The workshop covers lean UX fundamentals, three lean UX experiments - getting to know customers, acting on customer needs, and measuring what matters. It includes activities like creating personas, sketching user flows, dot voting on features, and discusses quantitative and qualitative evaluation techniques. The goal is to help teams build products customers want through a lean UX process of getting customer feedback and rapidly iterating.

1. Crushing the Boulder
User Experience for
Lean Startups
1-day workshop
WED, AUG 15, 2012
LUXR.CO AUGUST 2012

2. LUXR.CO AUGUST 2012

3. Who’s in the room?
Intros
LUXR.CO AUGUST 2012

4. LUXR.CO AUGUST 2012

5. Residency Core Workshops Advising
Curriculum
10 weeks to Learning Core concepts Coaching &
awesome for products for and hands-on guidance for
early-stage accelerators & activities for teams going
teams. startup teams. everyone. at lightspeed.
LUXR.CO AUGUST 2012

6. TWEET!
Tristan Kromer
LUXr.co
@TriKro
@LUXrco
LUXR.CO AUGUST 2012

7. This is not...
A class on how to
(how do you know itʼs awesome?)
produce an awesome UI
A session on making (how do you know these arenʼt
production wireframes or a waste of valuable time?)
photoshop comps
A “perfect approach” or (100s of entrepreneurs have
used these techniques to define
a rigid point of view on their own unique Great UX.)
Great UX.
LUXR.CO AUGUST 2012

8. Today we’ll cover...
I. Lean + UX Fundamentals
II. Three Lean UX experiments:
1. Get to Know your Customer
2. Act on Customer Needs
3. Measure What Matters
III. Bring it all together
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9. What is this stuff?!?!
I : Lean UX Fundamentals
What is Lean Startup?
What is UX?
What is UX for Lean Startups?
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10. Lean Startup?
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11. Lean Startup is NOT
Cheap Startup
Fast Startup
Shortcut Startup
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12. Lean Startup is NOT
Low-Ambition
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13. Lean Startup is NOT
THE OPPOSITE OF
FAT STARTUP
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14. Get out
of the
building!
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15. Customer development is...
A four-step framework for discovering and
validating the right market for your idea,
building the right product features that solve
customersʼ needs, testing the correct model and
tactics for acquiring and converting customers,
and deploying the right organization and
resources to scale the business.
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16. Steve Blank
introduced
“Customer
Development”
in...um...2006.
The big idea...
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17. In 2010, Brant
Cooper & Patrick
Vlaskovitz wrote
a shorter, more
useful book.
The big idea...
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18. What it looks like in practice...
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19. LUXR.CO AUGUST 2012

20. Build,
Measure.
Learn.
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21. Lean Startup is...
An approach for building companies that are
creating new products and services in
situations of extreme uncertainty.
The approach advocates creation of rapid
prototypes that test market assumptions, and
uses customer feedback in an effort to evolve
the design faster and reduce waste.
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22. Eric Ries wrote
a blog post on
Sept 8, 2008
titled “The Lean
Startup.”
The big idea...
+ +
make products reduce
incremental
customers
want releases waste
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23. The Influence of Agile
“The courage to speak truths,
pleasant or unpleasant, fosters
communication and trust.
“The courage to discard failing
solutions and seek new ones
encourages simplicity.
“The courage to seek real,
concrete answers creates
feedback.”
—Kent Beck
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24. Lean Startup advocates...
• Experiments
•!Validated learning
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25. UX.
Design.
Startups.
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26. User Experience is...
A personʼs perceptions and responses that
result from the use or anticipated use of a
product, service or system.
product UI UX
via Ed Lea: http://design.org/blog/difference-between-ux-and-ui-subtleties-explained-cereal
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27. Lean User Experience is...
A principle-driven process for product teams
working in situations of extreme uncertainty.
It is characterized by rituals that predispose
predictable, high-quality, high-velocity user
experience outcomes.
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28. UX brings 10* years
of experience, methods, and
patterns of work.
*20, 30, 50 years
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29. UX people are EXPERTS at “getting out of the building”
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30. UX people are EXPERTS at “getting out of the building”
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31. UX == Customer Discovery
People, their
goals & needs
Sketches and
prototypes
Interactions and
flows
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32. UX cycles == Lean Startup learning loops
THINK
MAKE
Reduc
cycle e
time,
not
build
time
CHECK
Generative Research • Ideation • Mental models • Participatory Design • Contextual Inquiry • Concept Maps •
THINK Behavior Models • Test Results • Competitive Analysis
Personas • Sketches • Prototypes • Wireframes • Value Prop • Landing View • Hypotheses • Comps • Deployed Code
MAKE
Evaluative Research • A/B Testing • Site Analytics • Usability Testing • Funnel Analysis • Interruptive Surveys
CHECK
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33. Design > UI THINK
MAKE
CHECK
Users
1. I need...
why
what Needs 2. I want...
3. My goal is...
how
Business thinking goes here
Mary can...
BUILD
Uses MEASURE
LEARN
Features
Sketches, wireframes, pixels
This Week
Prototypes
User Stories
Themed Releases
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34. LUXR.CO AUGUST 2012

35. II : Three Lean UX Experiments
1. Get to Know your Customers
2. Act on Customer Needs
3. Measure What Matters
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36. Today’s Challenge
Hypothesis
We believe that modern families would benefit
from having better ways to keep up with tasks,
and are willing to pay for a better way to
coordinate tasks with other family members,
friends and neighbors.
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37. 1
Get to Know Your
Customers
(Customer Development Interviews)
Types of Research
Personas
How to Interview
Practice Interview
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38. User Research
quant qual
• Contextual Inquiry
(Byer & Holzblatt)
• Mental Models (Indi Young)
Generative surveys
•Interviews
•Starbucks
Optimizely• •Hallway usability
Analytics• •remote
Evaluative A/B Testing•
Usability
Key Metrics•
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39. User Research
quant qual
Generative Interviews
Evaluative
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40. Customer Interviews
* Identify who you want to talk to.
* Articulate your hypotheses.
* Craft a topic map for the session.
* Jot down conversation prompts.
* Have the conversation
* Debrief!
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41. {Activity}
Let’s do it!
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42. {Warm-up Activity}
Rapid Sketching
Clothespin Man!
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43. Who: Make a Persona
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44. {Activity}
Make a persona
Portrait
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45. {Activity}
Make a persona
Demographics
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46. {Activity}
Make a persona
Behaviors
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47. {Activity}
Make a persona
Needs & Goals
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48. {Activity}
Bring it together
Discuss & create
a unified persona
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49. {check}
3 checks
* Does this sound like a person who could exist?
If no, make adjustments.
* Is this an actual person you know?
If yes, make adjustments.
* Is the persona respectful?
If no, make adjustments or re-do. Contempt is not helpful.
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50. Customer Interviews
! Identify who you want to talk to.
! Articulate your hypotheses.
* Craft a topic map for the session.
* Jot down conversation prompts.
* Have the conversation
* Debrief!
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51. {Show & Tell}
Topic Map
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52. Topic Map
mobile/
feeling
internet
overwhelmed
habits?
keeping
everything
working
last time
they got help
(house
cleaner) personal commute
time
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53. {Activity}
Add a topic
mobile/
internet
habits?
keeping
everything
working
last time
they got help
(house
cleaner) personal commute
time
LUXR.CO AUGUST 2012

54. Customer Interviews
! Identify who you want to talk to.
! Articulate your hypotheses.
! Craft a topic map for the session.
* Jot down conversation prompts.
* Have the conversation
* Debrief!
LUXR.CO AUGUST 2012

55. Conversation Prompts
“Have you ever had ________ experience?”
“Can you tell me the story about that?”
“And then what happened?”
“Why [or how] did you do that?”
“What did you love [or hate] about that?”
“If you could wave a magic wand, what would
it be like?”
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56. {Activity}
Brainstorm a question
“Have you ever had
__________________________
experience?”
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57. Customer Interviews
! Identify who you want to talk to.
! Articulate your hypotheses.
! Craft a topic map for the session.
! Jot down conversation prompts.
* Have the conversation
* Debrief!
LUXR.CO AUGUST 2012

58. During the Interview
DO
• Take notes
• Smile
• Ask open-ended questions
• Get their story
• Shut up and listen
DONʼT
• Talk about your product
• Ask about future behavior
• Sell
• Ask leading questions
• Talk much
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59. {Activity}
Practice an interview
1 interviewer + 1 interviewee
note-takers
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60. After the Interview: Debrief
DUMP (5min, solo)
1 idea per sticky
“What I heard”
“What I saw”
“What stood out”
SORT (10min, team)
Collect similar items
Label groups
Stack duplicates
Note trends and exceptions
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61. {homework}
Debrief
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62. LUXR.CO AUGUST 2012

63. 2
Act on
Customer Needs
(Developing product and interface ideas)
Sketching
6-Up Uses
Dot Voting
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64. Remember this?
Users
1. BLAH
why
what Needs 2. BLAH
3. BLAH
how
(INSERT BUSINESS THINKING HERE)
Mary can...
Uses
Features
(CREATE SKETCHES,
WIREFRAMES & PIXELS)
This Week
User Stories
Themed Releases
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65. BLAH BLAH BLAH
BLAH BLAH BLAH
BLAH BLAH BLAH
BLAH BLAH BLAH
A person BLAH BLAH
and their
needs
Your
business
vision
why
USES:
what
What can
how Mary do with
your product?
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66. 6 Uses
An illustration that shows “What will they DO with this product?” It
intersects user needs with business vision to show the consumer value
proposition. This informs what features are most important.
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67. 6 Uses
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68. {Activity}
Sketch 6-up Uses
__ can...
_____ ____, ______
with _
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69. {Activity}
Dot-vote top picks
3 dots } pick top 2 uses
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70. {Activity}
Redraw the top 2
__ can...
_____ ____, ______
with _
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71. {Activity}
Brainstorm features
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72. {Activity}
Triage features
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73. {Activity}
Select 3 features
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74. {Organize!}
Post your persona, 2 uses
and 3 features on the wall.
(off to the side)
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75. What you have now
Who is our user What can a user How will they
and what are their do with our do that?
needs & goals? product?
Persona 6-up uses Limited features to
support the uses
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76. LUXR.CO AUGUST 2012

77. 3
Measure
What
Matters
(Quantitative and Qualitative Evaluation)
Common research questions
Metrics & Analytics
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78. Top questions
Will people use it?
Why wonʼt people use it?
Whatʼs wrong with this?
How could I make this better?
How can I improve conversion?
Are we making progress?
Do people like this?
Are these results good?
Why do people do that?
Did we do the right thing?
Why is there dropoff?
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79. User Research
quantitative qualitative
generate surveys user interviews
ideas
a/b testing
evaluate analytics usability testing
product KPIs
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80. quantitative qualitative
a/b testing usability
analytics testing
KPIs
Do people use it? How should I design the new one?
Which is better? Why wonʼt people use it?
Did we do the right thing? Whatʼs wrong with this?
Are these results good? How could I make this better?
Are we making progress? Why do people do that?
What do people love about it?
CLOSED-ENDED QUESTIONS How can I improve conversion?
Why is there dropoff?
What do they think this should do?
OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS
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81. Measuring what?
Traffic
Conversion
Funnel
Product
(black box)
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82. {Activity}
Brainstorm measures
(from features)
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83. {Activity}
Divide into 2 piles:
less more
important important
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84. {Activity}
As a team, get to 5
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85. {Activity}
Check your metrics
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86. Metrics checklist
• “number of...” [ # ]
1. Does the metric • “average number of...” [avg ]
begin with a number? • “percent of...” [ % ]
• “per week” [ ___/wk ]
2. Is there a time basis? • “per month” [ ___/mo]
• “per user” [ ___/user]
3. Is there an object • “per user per week” (fancy!)
basis? • Examples: per user, per session,
or by interaction or item
* not required, but super-helpful
(messages per file, emails
per thread)
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87. Metrics checklist
a good metric... a great metric...
...measures the usage of your ...makes you look at all the
product by a person. The usage other metrics and say “none of
should be specific to features that those other numbers matter if
deliver value to your user. we donʼt get this right first.”
unhelpful vanity good better awesome
% of users % of users
% of new
total number who sign in who share a
users per
sign-ups of registered 3+ times a task 3+
week
users day, times a day,
per week per week
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88. {Show & Tell}
Metrics Dashboard
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89. Metrics dashboard
% of users
who share a
task 3+
times a day,
per week
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90. {Show & Tell}
Information Radiator
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91. Information Radiator
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92. Information Radiator
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93. Advanced topics
Conversion metrics Pirate Metrics - AARRR!
Cohort metrics
Instrumentation Acquisition
Activation
Retention
What should I be measuring?
(a few search terms) Referral
“Vanity Metrics” Revenue
“KPI”
“A/B Tests”
“Metrics for Pirates”
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94. Tools Landscape
ANALYTICS CONVERSION TESTING UNMODERATED
Google Analytics Unbounce TESTS WITH VIDEO
KISS Metrics Optimizely Usertesting.com
Mixpanel TryMyUI
Flurry Userlytics
LocalLytics WhatUsersDo
Stats Mix (just an api) Loop11
HEAT MAPPING MESSAGE RECALL MICRO USABILITY
Crazy Egg ClueApp Navflow
Click Tale FiveSecondTest Usabilia
Clicktest
Verify
Intuition HQ
UserZoom
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95. LUXR.CO AUGUST 2012

96. III : Bring it all together
Making the story
Living the Lean UX life
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97. {Activity}
Tell the story
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98. {Activity}
Make a narrative
We are _______________
Meet...
M V P with __________, ________ can...
using these features
we will measure
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99. A direct through-line
Users
1. BLAH
why
what Needs 2. BLAH
3. BLAH
how
(INSERT BUSINESS THINKING HERE)
Mary can...
Uses
Features
(CREATE SKETCHES,
WIREFRAMES & PIXELS)
This Week
User Stories
Themed Releases
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100. Living the Lean UX Life
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101. Lean User Experience is...
A principle-driven process for product teams
working in situations of extreme uncertainty.
It is characterized by rituals that predispose
predictable, high-quality, high-velocity user
experience outcomes.
LUXR.CO AUGUST 2012

102. Patterns of work
1. Generate independently, discuss as a team
(3 people ideal)
2. Dump & Sort
(one item per Post-It, use Sharpie)
3. Sketch
(especially of people)
4. Work at the wall
5. Timebox!
(speed kills the censor and keeps you moving)
6. 2x2 organizing framework
(help decision-making when lots of items)
LUXR.CO AUGUST 2012

103. Patterns of work
1. Generate independently, discuss as a team
(3 people ideal)
2. Dump & Sort
(one item per Post-It, use Sharpie)
3. Sketch
(especially of people)
4. Work at the wall
5. Timebox!
(speed kills the censor and keeps you moving)
6. 2x2 organizing framework
(help decision-making when lots of items)
7. Quick decision-making techniques
(dot-vote, roman vote, stack rank)
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104. 10 Principles of Lean UX
1. Design + Product Management + Development = 1 team
2. Externalize!
3. FLOW: think -> make -> check
4. Repeatable & routinized
5. Solve the right problem
6. Goal-driven & outcome-focused
7. Generate many options
8. Decide quickly and hold decisions lightly
9. Recognize hypotheses & validate them
10. Users are the best source of information (& inspiration)
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105. Who is involved?
1. Design + Product Management + Development = 1 team
2. Externalize!
3. FLOW: think -> make -> check
4. Repeatable & routinized
5. Solve the right problem
6. Goal-driven & outcome-focused
7. Generate many options
8. Decide quickly and hold decisions lightly
9. Recognize hypotheses & validate them
10. Users are the best source of information (& inspiration)
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106. How do we work together?
1. Design + Product Management + Development = 1 team
2. Externalize!
3. FLOW: think -> make -> check
4. Repeatable & routinized
5. Solve the right problem
6. Goal-driven & outcome-focused
7. Generate many options
8. Decide quickly and hold decisions lightly
9. Recognize hypotheses & validate them
10. Users are the best source of information (& inspiration)
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107. What do we do?
1. Design + Product Management + Development = 1 team
2. Externalize!
3. FLOW: think -> make -> check
4. Repeatable & routinized
5. Solve the right problem
6. Goal-driven & outcome-focused
7. Generate many options
8. Decide quickly and hold decisions lightly
9. Recognize hypotheses & validate them
10. Users are the best source of information (& inspiration)
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108. How can we be sure?
1. Design + Product Management + Development = 1 team
2. Externalize!
3. FLOW: think -> make -> check
4. Repeatable & routinized
5. Solve the right problem
6. Goal-driven & outcome-focused
7. Generate many options
8. Decide quickly and hold decisions lightly
9. Recognize hypotheses & validate them
10. Users are the best source of information (& inspiration)
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109. Q&A + Discussion
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110. Go be awesome.
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111. About LUXr
LUXrʼs mission is to educate early-stage entrepreneurs on
effective practices to deliver products that customers want,
need and love to buy.
Residency Core Workshops Advising
Curriculum
10 weeks to Learning products Core concepts and Coaching &
awesome for for accelerators & hands-on activities guidance for teams
early-stage teams. startup teams. for everyone. going at lightspeed.
LUXr • 3435 Cesar Chavez
San Francisco, CA • 94110
info@luxr.co • http://luxr.co • twitter: @luxrco
Janice Fraser, Founder & CEO [janice@luxr.co • @clevergirl ]
Jason Fraser, Co-Founder & Operations Lead [jason@luxr.co ]
Kate Rutter, Co-Founder & Designer [kate@luxr.co • @katerutter ]
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