The Road Less Travelled I've found a new passion in teaching the next generation of UXers. I remind them always to keep their eyes on the road. Outcomes over process. The tools help us get there, but ultimately what we're working on is so much more important than how we work. How do we design more distinctive, credible, and memorable products? Should we work more responsibly, more ethically? What does it mean to solve the problems worth solving? It comes down to understanding who we are and what we stand for; as organisations, and thus as individuals. Our core values, our personal missions, and our distinctive personalities combine. This is our brand. As user experience designers we get excited about new tools, new methodologies, new books in the scripture of the holy church of UX. You've got to learn the rules before you can break them. But so often the world becomes saturated by well-meaning, well-crafted products which fail to be distinctive or daring, or want to speak to us with a personality we don't believe. Does the world need another iOS photo filter app or a bank who wants to be our best mate? Brand is our compass in navigating the road less travelled. When our values are aligned to the things we create, work doesn't feel like work. We're happier, and better rewarded. What's the work you'll one day be proudest of? How will the work you do make a difference? Why do you do what you do?

1. @MIKEATHERTON
A MINIMUM VIABLE PRESENTATION
FOR COLLABORATE BRISTOL
THE ROAD LESS TRAVELLED

2. THEROADTO50MILLIONUSERS
38years 13years 6months4years 50days

4. “Too many notes.”
Amadeus

5. THE FEATURITIS CURVE
Number of features
Userhappiness
“Nice, but I wish it did more…”
“So glad they added this!”
“Cool!”
“I rule!”
“Guess I’d better read the manual”
“Where the f*** did they put that?!”
“Now I can’t even do
the ONE SIMPLE THING
I bought this for.”
“I suck.”
Kathy Sierra - Creating Passionate Users, 2005
Happy user peak
RAWR!

6. People buy empowered versions
of themselves.

7. simple, intuitive, magical,
personal, loved, everywhere.
HUDDLE DESIGN PRINCIPLES
S.I.M.P.L.E.

8. Marketers are only as good as
what they have to work with.

9. A brand is an idea that you
stand for, made real by what
you do and expressed through
your personality.
Wally Olins

10. CarSafe Games Console
Casual CameraInstant

11. YOUR BRAND IS NOT YOUR LOGO.
@MIKEATHERTON
BRANDS OWN A CORNER
OF YOUR MIND.
BRAND IS A SMALL, DIFFERENTIATED IDEA.

12. commodities
goods
services
experiences
transformations
CUSTOMERRELEVANCY
DIFFERENTIATION
PRICE PREMIUM
PROGRESSION OF ECONOMIC VALUE
Joseph Pine II and James H. Gilmore - The Experience Economy, 1999

14. We choose to go to the moon.
John F. Kennedy, 1962

15. Our core values are the qualities
we care most about.

16. C O M M U N I C AT I O N
R E S P E C T
I N T E G R I T Y
E X C E L L E N C E
thanks to @jcolman

17. Values drive our emotional relationship to the brand.
This can lead to joy or disappointment.

18. Our values are not who we aspire to be.
Our values are who we are.

25. FIND YOUR TRUE VOICE
@MIKEATHERTON
CUTE IS NOT THE
ONLY VOICE.
AIM FOR UNIQUE, AUTHENTIC, TALKABLE...AND APPROPRIATE TO YOUR PRODUCT.

36. CHALLENGER BRANDS
AL RIES & JACK TROUT, POSITIONING: THE BATTLE FOR YOUR MIND
REFRAME THE
CONVERSATION
MAKING US CONSIDER THE CATEGORY IN NEW WAYS

37. If this is User Experience Design…

38. …is this UX?

39. UX can get too focused on artefacts, not outcomes.
(Okay, so I made that tweet up)

40. THE STANDARD CONFERENCE QUESTION
@MIKEATHERTON
“How can I convince the
business of the value of UX?”
“I WANT PERMISSION TO GET BUSY WITH THE SHARPIES!”

41. REFRAME THE QUESTION
@MIKEATHERTON
“How can I make UX
valuable to the business?”
STAND UP AND BE COUNTED.

42. Think different.

43. Collaboration
Blogging
Photos
IntelligentMicro
Instant

44. People think focus means
saying yes to the thing you’ve
got to focus on. But that’s not
what it means at all.
It means saying no to a
hundred other good ideas.
Steve Jobs

45. “This above all:
To thine own self be true.”
Hamlet, Act I Scene III

47. The web was once a wild and exciting place for me.
My first professional site design, 1996.
(Actual size)

48. Me! Interviewed in 2001.
Too many hours making too little of lasting value burned me out.
Also: ‘proliferated’?! What an idiot.

50. Being a teacher made it easy to explain my job at parties.

51. Me as a teacher (early concepts)

52. Me as a teacher (final prototype)

53. Class of Summer 2014. Currently at large in London.

55. BRAND IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY
@MIKEATHERTON
MAKING MARKETING RUN
YOUR BRAND IS LIKE MAKING
I.T. RUN YOUR WEBSITE.
LIVE YOUR VALUES IN EVERYTHING YOU DO.

56. How you write defines your brand.

57. What you offer defines your brand.

58. Your design decisions define your brand.

59. How you treat people defines your brand.

60. If you’re better than you look, fix the brand.
If you want to look better than you are, fix the company.

61. You are responsible for the
work you put into the world.
Mike Monteiro

62. EVERY COMPANY HAS A BRAND
@MIKEATHERTON
BRAND IS WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT YOU
WHEN YOU’RE NOT IN THE ROOM.
- Jeff Bezos

63. Thanks for listening!
@mikeatherton
slideshare.net/reduxd
My book, whichI will totallywrite one day.
MIKE ATHERTON
Buy my book!
(Just kidding. I haven’t
written a book.)