For all of the hype around “user experience” it often feels like we struggle with what it means to actually craft an experience. We build and ship products that are perfectly fine. We make things that are usable, attractive, responsive, reliable and whatever else has come to be expected. And yet, there’s something missing. Something intangible. It’s not obvious what’s missing, until we contrast our own work against other mediums more established than our own: Film. Game design. Storytelling. Advertising… These mediums know how to make us feel, in deep and profound ways. So how do we do the same? Are there processes we can change, or things we can do to create memorable and meaningful experiences? And who has reached this level of emotional engagement? In this session, Stephen P. Anderson will explore the subtle, but critical ways we can level up our work, bringing a depth and richness to the experiences we shape.

1. Stephen P. Anderson
@stephenanderson #ISA15
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Awesome
artwork by
CappO

2. We make things that are:
usable
attractive
responsive
reliable
user tested
aligned with business goals
delivered on time
etc.

3. We make things that are:
usable
attractive
responsive
reliable
user tested
aligned with business goals
delivered on time
etc.
And yet...
I feel like there’s something missing.

4. We make things that are:
usable
attractive
responsive
reliable
user tested
aligned with business goals
delivered on time
etc.
And yet...
I feel like there’s something missing.
Something intangible…

5. We make things that are:
usable
attractive
responsive
reliable
user tested
aligned with business goals
delivered on time
etc.
And yet...
I feel like there’s something missing.
Something intangible…

6. WHAT MIGHT BE
MISSING?
ACT I:

7. EXHIBIT #1: Movie Animations

9. If an animator does their job right,
animations not only move the story along
but visually display a character’s
personality. These Big Hero 6 test
animations of the characters performing
what is superficially the same action show
just how much depth Disney’s animators
brought to each of them.
Commentary from The Mary Sue:
“

10. depth
If an animator does their job right,
animations not only move the story along
but visually display a character’s
personality. These Big Hero 6 test
animations of the characters performing
what is superficially the same action show
just how much depth Disney’s animators
brought to each of them.
“

11. ?What kind of depth do we bring to our experiences?

12. EXHIBIT #2: Board Game Design

13. http://www.leagueofgamemakers.com/the-themes-they-are-a-changing/

14. The key was to go down a level deeper. At work, we were
doing a branding exercise for a product, and we listed off the
adjectives we wanted to describe the product. I realized that a
similar exercise would work here…
I mulled over all the feedback on the mechanics: what type of
experience were they creating on their own? What adjectives
did players use to talk about the mechanics? Players described
the game as simple and elegant. It was calming and relaxing to
play. They were surprised and delighted by the richness of the
decisions. They said it flowed smoothly, that they could play it
over and over again.”
— R A N D Y H O Y T , G A M E D E S I G N E R / P U B L I S H E R
http://www.leagueofgamemakers.com/the-themes-they-are-a-changing/
“

15. The key was to go down a level deeper. At work, we were
doing a branding exercise for a product, and we listed off the
adjectives we wanted to describe the product. I realized that a
similar exercise would work here…
I mulled over all the feedback on the mechanics: what type of
experience were they creating on their own? What adjectives
did players use to talk about the mechanics? Players described
the game as simple and elegant. It was calming and relaxing to
play. They were surprised and delighted by the richness of the
decisions. They said it flowed smoothly, that they could play it
over and over again.”
— R A N D Y H O Y T , G A M E D E S I G N E R / P U B L I S H E R
“

16. This image captured perfectly the feeling that the playing
the game produced, and I knew a theme and narrative
woven around this could work to produce a great experience.
http://www.leagueofgamemakers.com/the-themes-they-are-a-changing/

18. http://www.leagueofgamemakers.com/the-themes-they-are-a-changing/

21. ?How often do we really let design principles
drive every product decision?

22. ?How often do we really let design principles
drive every product decision?
adding features
pushing back on customer requests
prioritizing the backlog
how we design a familiar feature
eliminating features

23. EXHIBIT #3: “The Carousel”

25. “…a time machine. It goes backwards, forwards.
Takes us to a place where we ache to go again.”

26. ?How often do we focus on the soul of a thing?

27. Don’t take these similarities too literally.
Big Hero 6
Character Studies
“Let’s focus on better
UI animations”
“In what nuanced
ways do we evoke
aesthetic reactions?”

28. Don’t take these similarities too literally.
Big Hero 6
Character Studies
Board Game
Design
“Let’s focus on better
UI animations”
“Let’s create a narrative,
entertainment-like,
emotional experience!”
“In what nuanced
ways do we evoke
aesthetic reactions?”
“Is there a cohesive
set of emotions that
anchor all of our
product decisions?”

29. Don’t take these similarities too literally.
Big Hero 6
Character Studies
Board Game
Design
“The Carousel”
Clip
“Let’s focus on better
UI animations”
“Let’s create a narrative,
entertainment-like,
emotional experience!”
“Let’s figure out how
to sell our stuff, like
Don Draper!”
“In what nuanced
ways do we evoke
aesthetic reactions?”
“Is there a cohesive
set of emotions that
anchor all of our
product decisions?”
“Focus on the
experience, not the
features”

30. deeper
depth
experience
soul
theme
narrative
nuance
richness
emotion
detail
craftsmanship

31. deeper
depth
experience
soul
theme
narrative
nuance
richness
emotion
detail
How do we craft an experience?
craftsmanship

32. IS CRAFTING
EXPERIENCE?
THINGS THAT MAKE US
A GREAT
WHAT ARE SOME GOOD EXAMPLES OF WELL-CRAFTED EXPERIENCES…
L?
ACT II:
WHO

36. Medium???

37. It’s 2012…

38. “a publishing platform…”
It’s 2012…

39. you can write and publish online articles
other people can comment on your articles
you can share articles
bookmark articles
It’s 2012…
“a publishing platform…”

40. you can write and publish online articles
other people can comment on your articles
you can share articles
bookmark articles
It’s 2012…
“a publishing platform…”
?

41. you can write and publish online articles
other people can comment on your articles
you can share articles
bookmark articles
It’s 2012…
“a publishing platform…”
! no customization options
! no custom domains
! royalty-free access to all content
?

42. you can write and publish online articles
other people can comment on your articles
you can share articles
bookmark articles
! no customization options
! no custom domains
! royalty-free access to all content
“a publishing platform…”
?
It’s 2012……a new place on the Internet where people share ideas
and stories that are longer than 140 characters and not
just for friends. It’s designed for little stories that make
your day better and manifestos that change the world.
It’s used by everyone from professional journalists to
amateur cooks. It’s simple, beautiful, collaborative,
and it helps you find the right audience for whatever
you have to say.”
“

44. “Everything changed for me over the weekend when I took the time
to write a blog post on Medium.”
“As someone who writes a lot of stuff and has used a lot of different
writing software, I'm telling you that I was blown away by the quality
of the product as a writing tool.”
“The entire process is a breeze. And once published, the article looks
pretty good too in terms of typography and appearance.”
“Intuitive enough to seem psychic.”
“Because it is such a pleasure to work with, Medium has become
something of a fetish object for writers.”
“It does not take a user experience designer
to publish a professional story.”
“A joy to use!”
“It’s so damn beautiful. Medium has removed all the cruft that gets
between the reader and the message…”
“Clean design, great concept, full of potential treasures to be read.”
“The best writing tool on the web.”

45. But here’s the thing: I feel as if the service looks so good
that it invites only the best content that I—or anyone—
can write before actually hitting publish.
Let’s put it another way: If I’m going to write a
post on Medium, I don’t want to let Medium
down. (“It’s not you, it’s me.”)
“Part of the reason I haven’t published to Medium is because
I’m slightly intimidated. I know that is illogical and insane
on the surface, but I feel intimidated and almost as if I have
to rise to a higher standard on Medium.”
—Christina Warren, senior tech analyst at Mashable

46. But here’s the thing: I feel as if the service looks so good
that it invites only the best content that I—or anyone—
can write before actually hitting publish.
Let’s put it another way: If I’m going to write a
post on Medium, I don’t want to let Medium
down. (“It’s not you, it’s me.”)
“Part of the reason I haven’t published to Medium is because
I’m slightly intimidated. I know that is illogical and insane
on the surface, but I feel intimidated and almost as if I have
to rise to a higher standard on Medium.”
—Christina Warren, senior tech analyst at Mashable

47. A different experience!

48. • you can write and publish online articles
• other people can comment on your articles
• you can share articles
• bookmark articles
The obvious “what to build”
features & functionality

49. • Designed more like a magazine.
• Designed a social system to create a
built-in audience for new authors
• Launched with published authors
(which set really high bar for content)
• Hired former Wired.com editor Evan
Hansen as an editor for the site
• Bought he long-form journalism
startup Matter
• Created what is arguably the best
writing tool on the planet
• Promoted contextual comments
• Focused on typographic UI details
that compete w/ centuries of print (vs
other web platforms)
• Focused A LOT on quality content
• Offered pre-publishing feedback
• you can write and publish online articles
• other people can comment on your articles
• you can share articles
• bookmark articles
The obvious “what to build”
features & functionality
The not so obvious “how to build” (& launch)
experience details

50. • Designed more like a magazine.
• Designed a social system to create a
built-in audience for new authors
• Launched with published authors
(which set really high bar for content)
• Hired former Wired.com editor Evan
Hansen as an editor for the site
• Bought he long-form journalism
startup Matter
• Created what is arguably the best
writing tool on the planet
• Promoted contextual comments
• Focused on typographic UI details
that compete w/ centuries of print (vs
other web platforms)
• Focused A LOT on quality content
• Offered pre-publishing feedback
• you can write and publish online articles
• other people can comment on your articles
• you can share articles
• bookmark articles
The obvious “what to build”
features & functionality
The not so obvious “how to build” (& launch)
experience details
Product

51. • Designed more like a magazine.
• Designed a social system to create a
built-in audience for new authors
• Launched with published authors
(which set really high bar for content)
• Hired former Wired.com editor Evan
Hansen as an editor for the site
• Bought he long-form journalism
startup Matter
• Created what is arguably the best
writing tool on the planet
• Promoted contextual comments
• Focused on typographic UI details
that compete w/ centuries of print (vs
other web platforms)
• Focused A LOT on quality content
• Offered pre-publishing feedback
• you can write and publish online articles
• other people can comment on your articles
• you can share articles
• bookmark articles
The obvious “what to build”
features & functionality
The not so obvious “how to build” (& launch)
experience details
Experiences
Product

54. “Still amazed by how much @SlackHQ reduced the number of
unnecessary emails I could have on a normal workday. #slack”
“Added my entire cohort at @bitmakerlabs to @SlackHQ. Great way to
get tons of valuable feedback considered too informal for email.”
“@SlackHQ is already the glue of our remote team. Can't believe we lived without it.”
“The UI in @SlackHQ is SO well considered. Full of helpful surprises.”
“I have to say, @SlackHQ + @appear_in is a game changer for easy
video conferencing. By far the lowest friction solution I've seen.”
“Just discovered @slackHQ, which lets us see all our updates from trello,
sourcetree and drive in one stream! We're in love :D and it's free!”
“Loving the @SlackHQ experience. Looks like it'll join #Evernote &
#Wunderlist as another daily productivity app I can't live without”
“@SlackHQ this may be the best piece of software I found in years #inlove”
"With @SlackHQ, the world of business software is edging into
consumer tech. And it's surprisingly good fun."
“Started using @SlackHQ for the first time in a while at work and it has
been one of the happiest days I've had! Thanks!”

58. • You can create a room
• add people
• share files
• chat as a group, or
• direct message one another
The obvious “what to build”
features & functionality

59. • You can create a room
• add people
• share files
• chat as a group, or
• direct message one another
The obvious “what to build”
features & functionality

60. •Went after individuals and product teams
(vs entire companies)
•Focused on a differentiated brand
•Hyper-focused on onboarding experience
•WOM marketing
•Laser focus on quality and responsiveness,
taking longer than normal to iterate the
preview version
•Positioned themselves against email and
mailing lists (not the “chat room” category)
•TONS of integrations (more of a glue
between existing services, than a
competing service)
•Super-frictionless tool, available for
nearly every platform!!
•Solid team
• You can create a room
• add people
• share files
• chat as a group, or
• direct message one another
The obvious “what to build”
features & functionality
The not so obvious “how to build” (& launch)
experience details

62. WHAT’S REQUIRED
EXPERIENCE?
A GREAT
ACT III:
TO CRAFT

63. TO CRAFT A GREAT EXPERIENCE…

64. ALIGN AROUND THE EXPERIENCE1
TO CRAFT A GREAT EXPERIENCE…

65. Meaningful
Pleasurable
Convenient
Usable
Reliable
Functional (Useful)
Focused on
Experiences
(People, Activities, Context)
Focused on
Tasks
(Products, Features)
©
SUBJECTIVE / QUALITATIVE
OBJECTIVE / QUANTIFIABLE
Has personal significance
Memorable experience worth sharing
Super easy to use, works like I think
Can be used without difficulty
Is available and accurate
Works as programmed
Prioritize Aesthetics (no, not Graphic Design)
(visual, behaviors, sounds, psychology)
Design for FLOW (boredom vs anxiety)
Leverage Game Mechanics/Learning Theory
(completeness)
Have a Personality
Create conversational and context aware
interactions
(“Adaptive Interfaces”; narrative IA structures)
Elicit Desire
(Limited availability, limited access, curious and
seductive experiences)Simplify, organize, and clarify
Display information visually
Reduce features and complexity
Use language for more natural
Add features that support desired
ine browsing)
Have a believable story
Co-create value with customers
Connect people in community
Are part of a bigger system
Appeal to emotional, spiritual, and
Create a tolerance for faults at
Are tied to a person’s self-image,
highly personal
Creating Pleasurable Inte
Getting fom Tasks to Expe
presented by Stephen P. Anderson | N
“It is not en
products tha
understand
we also nee
that bring j
pleasure an
beauty, to pe
THIS IS THE“CHASM”THAT IS REALLY, REALLY
HARD FOR ORGANIZATIONS TO CROSS

66. Experience Focus
Product Focus

67. Experience Focus
Product Focus

68. Experience Focus
Product Focus
people, activities
& context
tasks & features

69. Experience Focus
Product Focus
people, activities
& context
tasks & features
outcomes and
experiences
output and
functionality

70. Experience Focus
Product Focus
people, activities
& context
tasks & features
outcomes and
experiences
output and
functionality
perceptions, emotions,
attention, memory…
interfaces,
interactions, usability,
etc.

71. “do” needs
“be” needs

72. “do” needs
“be” needs
Autonomy-Independence
Competence-effectance
Relatedness-belongingness
Influence-popularity
Pleasure-stimulation
Security-control
Physical Thriving-bodily
Self-actualizing-meaning
Self-esteem-self-respect
Money-luxury

73. https://medium.com/the-job-to-be-done/replacing-the-user-story-with-the-job-story-af7cdee10c27

74. https://medium.com/the-job-to-be-done/replacing-the-user-story-with-the-job-story-af7cdee10c27

75. A teenage girl with a bleak outlookneeds to feel more socially acceptedwhen eating healthy food, becausein her hood a social risk is moredangerous than a health risk

76. When a product team is not aligned…

79. “MIND-MELDING”

80. “MIND-MELDING”
What it is…
How it feels…
What values should constrain decisions…
What it’s like / not like
The experience of using it…

81. Vision Statement.
Design Tenets
Prototype.
Anything needed to mind-meld
across the entire team!
Future Press Release
Concept Models
(and so on)

82. ALIGN AROUND THE EXPERIENCE
2 OBSESS OVER THE DETAILS
1
TO CRAFT A GREAT EXPERIENCE…

83. With animations, you speed up, slow
down, change they style…

84. “…until it feels right”
With animations, you speed up, slow
down, change they style…

85. With board games, you endlessly playtest…
With animations, you speed up, slow
down, change they style…

86. With board games, you endlessly playtest…
With animations, you speed up, slow
down, change they style…
“…until it feels right”

87. With board games, you endlessly playtest…
With animations, you speed up, slow
down, change they style…
With presentations you rehearse and adjust things…

88. With board games, you endlessly playtest…
With animations, you speed up, slow
down, change they style…
With presentations you rehearse and adjust things…
“…until it feels right”

89. With board games, you endlessly playtest…
With animations, you speed up, slow
down, change they style…
With presentations you rehearse and adjust things…
With film editing, you cut, recut, change the sequence…

90. With board games, you endlessly playtest…
With animations, you speed up, slow
down, change they style…
With presentations you rehearse and adjust things…
With film editing, you cut, recut, change the sequence…
“…until it feels right”

91. http://www.westword.com/restaurants/meet-the-man-behind-the-music-at-more-than-1-400-chipotles-5121272
It's hard to put my finger
on exactly what song makes
it and what song doesn’t…
We're trying to find
emerging stars. Emerging
artists have this certain feel
to their music.”
— C H R I S T O P H E R G O L U B
“

92. “…until it feels right”
…REQUIRES AN INTIMACY WITH
THE MATERIAL(S) OF YOUR CRAFT.
TO ITERATE…

93. http://www.westword.com/restaurants/meet-the-man-behind-the-music-at-more-than-1-400-chipotles-5121272
It is very difficult to approach Slack with beginner’s
mind. But we have to, all of us, and we have to do it
every day, over and over and polish every rough edge
off until this product is as smooth as lacquered
mahogany.
Each of you knows “really good”. Each of you is able
to see when things are not done well. Certainly we all
complain enough about other people’s software, and
we all know how important first impressions are in
our own judgements. That is exactly how others will
evaluate us.
Look at it hard, and find the things that do not work.
Be harsh, in the interest of being excellent.
— S T E W A R T B U T T E R F I E L D
“

94. ALIGN AROUND THE EXPERIENCE
2 OBSESS OVER THE DETAILS
FOCUS ON THE WHOLE
1
3
TO CRAFT A GREAT EXPERIENCE…

97. “The Whole is Other than the Sum of the Parts”

98. “An Experience is Other than the Sum of the Parts”

102. !=
The pieces are the same…
…but the final experience here is just WRONG!

103. Product

104. Experiences Product

105. Production. Direction. Balance. Orchestration. Choreography.

106. [Avengers] was very difficult to make it flow and
cohere in terms of all the changing perspectives and
characters, all these movie stars, all these beats to hit.
It's a ridiculously complex puzzle. But once you’ve got
the puzzle, and you’re just filling in the voices and
coming up with the moments, that’s what’s fun”
— J O S S W H E D O N
“

109. Surprise and delight are the high-fructose
corn syrup of the experience economy”
“

110. ALIGN AROUND THE EXPERIENCE
2 OBSESS OVER THE DETAILS
FOCUS ON THE WHOLE
FOCUS ON AWESOME USERS
1
3
4
TO CRAFT A GREAT EXPERIENCE…

111. We tend to focus on…

112. We tend to focus on…
➡ making awesome products
➡ making an awesome service
➡ making an awesome company

113. We tend to focus on…
➡ making awesome products
➡ making an awesome service
➡ making an awesome company
…but what if we focused on
making awesome users?

114. We tend to focus on…
➡ making awesome products
➡ making an awesome service
➡ making an awesome company
…but what if we focused on
making awesome users?

115. Example of User Awesome:
I find the clean organization of Ulysses gets out of
my way, and when I’m writing—it’s as smooth as
silk. In a subtle way, I feel inspired by Ulysses and
consequentially, I end up spending more time with
my butt in the chair, actually writing because I’m
enjoying myself.”
—Micah Moss, Screenwriter and Novelist
“

116. 2 OBSESS OVER THE DETAILS
ALIGN AROUND THE EXPERIENCE1
FOCUS ON THE WHOLE3
FOCUS ON AWESOME USERS4
TO CRAFT A GREAT EXPERIENCE…

117. 2 OBSESS OVER THE DETAILS
ALIGN AROUND THE EXPERIENCE1
FOCUS ON THE WHOLE3
FOCUS ON AWESOME USERS4
TO CRAFT A GREAT EXPERIENCE…
Look for needs (the why & when)
Align the entire team around the desired outcome
Let the desired experience to drive all product (+ business) decisions
Look for opportunities to create transformative experiences
…not just the parts
Keep iterating, until it feels just right
…not just a few playful moments

118. And if we succeed…

120. I’m convinced that it is feelings, and feelings alone,
that account for the success of the Virgin brand and
all its myriad forms.”
— S I R R I C H A R D B R A N S O N
“

121. People will forget what you said,
people will forget what you did,
but they’ll never forget how you made them feel.”
— M A Y A A N G E L O U
“

122. Thankyou!
getmentalnotes.com
Design for Understanding
StephenP.Anderson
@stephenanderson
www.poetpainter.com | www.slideshare.net/stephenpa