Nick Whitmoyer

Product designer and community organizer with over 15 years of experience.

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A prototype is worth a thousand meetings

Mike Davidson

[marchdoe]

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I previously wrote about apps which make me feel like I live the future after trying out a “Distraction-Free iPhone” for a few weeks.

Here are three unexpected things I discovered with this experiment:

1. I use my iPad a lot more

When I first bought my iPad, I thought I’d use it for a number of things. This was me trying to justify (beyond work-related research) why I should have an iPad. A few years later I found myself rarely using it. When I did, it was for streaming videos in bed or when traveling.

Similar to the distraction free approach, I have notifications disabled and grouped apps as "the future, useless, and useful," but have left apps like Twitter, Facebook, and email on the device. This has given new light to having an iPad, especially when you want quick access to information without having a laptop open.

2. Siri needs Safari for certain functions

I use Siri. Unlike a number of friends in the DC area, I have a car and drive a lot. When driving, Siri is amazing when you need help with text messages, directions, or looking up information.

I discovered when following instructions to restrict the Safari app, it actually prevented Siri from performing certain functions.

3. Twitter still works with SMS

I’ll admit it, this last one is like reliving 2006 all over again. In fact, I takes me back to being at SxSW (pre-iPhone) sporting a Motorola Razr flip phone and getting Tweets as text messages.

Fast forward, texting from a QWERTY keyboard is a lot easier. On top of that, from direct messages to mentions, you can choose from a number of text notifications you’d like to receive. This is great if you actively use Twitter to communicate with friends, but don't need the constant stream of content.

[nickwhitmoyer]

After reading "My Year with a Distraction-Free iPhone," this is a list of apps I've kept which make me feel like I live the future:

Dark Sky

Dropbox

Slack

1Password

Uber

Kaiser Permanente

Waze

Citymapper

Lumo Lift

[nprdesigngroup]

How did you find your way to design for NPR? For me, it was a hard decision but an opportunity I couldn’t pass up at the same time. Having to say no to a number of previous commitments wasn’t easy, but it was worth it in order to be a part of the responsive redesign project at NPR.

What...

[nickwhitmoyer]

If you have an important point to make, don't try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time - a tremendous whack.

Winston Churchill

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Two weeks ago I received an invite to join an elite team of beta testers for TMSoft's next app, Compulsive. It's a simple, competitive, and ultimately addictive game. Hence the name. 

I've been included in beta testing before, but there was something about this time which seemed exceptional. With a game-like theme, founder Todd Moore created a private Facebook group for testing and offered small incentives for people to quickly install, share high scores, and report bugs.

He didn't just put it out there and say "here you go." He timed step by step instructions as a he was doing builds, encouraged conversation, and informed the group about changes in the upcoming builds.

The results are in and the app just went live for both iOS and Android devices. Now I'm curious how others collect feedback.

[nickwhitmoyer]

It's not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change

Charles Darwin

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Are you solving a problem, or a nuisance? If the latter, you have to be 10x better or no one will care.

Make Your Numbers Go Up: Optimizing for Mobile Engagement by Mariya Yao

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Time is Money - travel, transactions and great UX #MoDevUX2013 – View on Path.

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Opening keynote Tom Poole, SVP Mobile at Capital One #MoDevUX2013 at MoDev UX Conference – View on Path.

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Inside Hasbro - Designing a Transformer

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Photo credit: jkooda

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Day of Fosterly: UX Design Panel Recap

Over the weekend I spoke on a panel titled "Design, UX/UI & You" at Day of Fosterly with Michael Aleo and Jürgen Altziebler, and moderated by Maxim Leyzerovich. This being the second year for Day of Fosterly, the event was focused on entreprenuership which meant there were a number of startups in attendance. 

We didn't have any slides, but I'm happy to share the outline we used for our panel along with some additional thoughts.

UI vs UX vs You: Why should you care?

We touched on two really important things. First, the notion of The UX Umbrella by Dan Willis which highlights that user experience includes:

Visual design

Information architecture

Interaction design

Usability

User research

Content strategy

Second, we wanted to be clear that instead of hiring "a UX designer," it's better to think about putting a UX team in place. Considering everything listed above, it's not easy or realistic to expect a single person to be good at all of them.

Let’s Get Trendy: What are some ‘design trends’ that work (and don’t)? Flat design?

Whether it's a flat look or something with soft gradients and realistic textures, everyone was on the same page that it comes down to the brand you're working with and the intended audience.

Change the Channel: User experience, especially today, is a multi-channel experience.

Whether it's the clients you work with or the startups you come in contact with, there's always this conversation around gaining new users, but rarely one for keeping existing users engaged. Channels like email and even editorial content are often underutilized. This can be a big part of a user experience.

Design Thinking for Non-Designers: (thinking about design is not the same as Design Thinking) For the founder looking to try and prototype out his experience, what tools would you suggest?

I don't think we got to this, but here are a few tools I had in mind: 

White boards

Sticky notes

Sharpies

Grid paper

Clickable prototypes with Fireworks and Keynote

Money, Money, Money: How do you recommend dealing with the financial aspects on a bootstrapped budget? Equity options? Partnerships?

It's really hard to sign on with equity if (a.) that's all you have to offer and (b.) you don't have an existing product or customer base.

It’s Business Time: How/where do you recommend prospective startups look for talent? 

Leaning on advisors and mentors for recommendations was well received. As a mentor at Fortify Ventures, I've made it my job to connect their companies with talented designers and developers who are looking for work.

We didn't get to everything on our list, but we had a great audience and even found them leading with some great questions.

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#ConvergeSE

A few years ago and a few SxSW festivals later, I decided to stop visiting Austin and instead look for smaller more focused conferences to attend. With conferences like Converge SE, I realized that I've made a wise choice. Even as it grows, its still manageable in size and the talks leave you with the ideal amount of inspiration and resources to take home.

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I've always been impressed with the work CBS Interactive does. – View on Path.

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Passbook animation – View on Path.