Saturday, February 22, 2014

Why You Should Invest in a UI/UX Designer

Find Melltoo in the App Store and Google Play Store

If you are outsourcing your mobile app development, or even if you are doing it yourself, you should hire a UI/UX designer or make sure your development company has a very good one on board. Mind you, an experienced freelance UI/UX designer doesn't come cheap. Expect to pay between $35 - $50 per hour. 

When we built the first version of Melltoo (mobile app--social classifieds market), about 25% of our development costs went to the UI/UX designer. At first, we had no plans to hire a UI/UX designer given that 'app design' was built into the cost of development. So why hire a UI/UX designer when the developers were already volunteering to do it for no extra cost? 

What is UI/UX?
First, let me say that  UI/UX is much more than just design. UI refers to user interface and UX refers to user experience. To this day, I still can't confidently tell you the difference between the two; but in plain English, UI/UX refers to the look and feel of the app and how it works. UI/UX is what users see and interact with.

Web 3.0
The web 2.0 ethos of collaboration, open source, and technology as a platform has now progressed to web 3.0.  Technology itself is no longer enough; technology wrapped in a beautiful UI, that offers a wonderful UX, is what users of today want and expect (thanks Nima of pitme.com for opening my eyes to this!). To me, that just means that web 3.0 is all about the mobile experience. Given the lack of screen real estate and the preference for native apps, a focus on UI/UX is absolutely critical to the success of a mobile app. Unlike the 13-15 inch web page, there is simply no room on a 4-5 inch smartphone screen for redundancy (e.g. two buttons that do the same thing).

Let me give you an example. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Melltoo (Go download it! Links are below), it is a mobile app platform for a consumer-to-consumer marketplace. It is mobile classified ads with robust social features and built-in instant messaging. We are currently working on an important new feature that alerts users of new ad listings that match search criteria specified by the user. This is quite straightforward and most web-based classifieds sites have this. But things are not so simple on mobile. Our first headache is how/where/on which screen to introduce a button/link/icon that indicates this new feature. Since we don't have the room for a text explanation of the feature, we need a strategically placed button that is either one-word or an icon that instantly conveys what the feature does. Can you think of one? I can't. That's where the UI/UX designer comes in. 

By the way, if a user cannot figure out what your app is about or how to use it within the first 30 seconds, say hello to the trash can. 

In some cases, the app developer is a UI/UX designer as well. But that is rare. You know what they say: Jack of all trades, master of none. More than likely, your developer is a hacker who can write the code that your app runs on. But knowing how to build and what to build is a different thing. Developers don't always have the user in mind when they code; and even when they do, their knowledge of code often blindsides them. They know how to navigate things that the everyday non-techie doesn't. 

That's where the UI/UX designer comes in. He/she will design a UI that is not only beautiful but also user-friendly and 'dummy-proof'. With this blueprint, the developer has a much easier time coding since he/she can focus on optimizing code as opposed to design and screen-flow. That's why app development is a team effort. As a matter of fact, it took a UI/UX designer, an iOS developer, an Android developer, a backend developer, and a quality assurance guy to build Melltoo. 

Finding a freelance UI/UX designer
Finding a good UI/UX designer isn't all that difficult, which is not to say it's easy either. Unlike code, UI/UX is visual and can be seen and experienced. If you are looking for a freelancer, try behance.net or dribbble.com. You can browse some portfolios to get a feel of the style that works for your app and your audience (not just a style that you like!). This is obvious. What is not so obvious is that the designer you pick needs to have an understanding of your business, as much as a tech co-founder. Not only should the designer understand the functionality of the app, he/she must also understand the problem the app is trying to solve and how you plan on monetizing (or not) the app. This is crucial in laying down a framework for future iterations of the app. For example, if you intend to monetize with banner ads (eewww!), then important app elements should be located away from where banner ads are placed to avoid the "fat finger" problem, where users accidentally tap on the banner ad while aiming for something else. Previous work by the designer on a similar app is highly desirable. So be sure to communicate what your business is about and check the designer's understanding by asking him/her questions about your business. (More tips on working with freelancers in a post I have yet to write.) 

If you are now convinced and are looking for a UI/UX designer, I can recommend a couple that I have worked with and know to be reliable (they are not all reliable!). But you have to 'pay' me by following me on twitter @melltoo_me (and I will follow you back so you can DM me). Alternatively, like our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/Melltoo.me) and write us a message there.



Sunday, February 16, 2014

Agile Development for Dummies (aka Non-Tech Founders)

What it means for you as a non-tech startup founder...

Cartoon by: adamprescott.net

We built Melltoo (mobile classifieds with built-in instant messaging, launching 1st March 2014 for iOS and Android) by outsourcing app development to India. Every developer we contacted spoke of "agile development". We googled it of course and semi-understood but plunged in anyway, ignorance is bliss in this case... 

The tech writers say that agile software development is all about iteration and re-iteration. They contrast this with the traditional "waterfall model" of software development. In my limited understanding, waterfall development is a systematic process where each component of software is built and perfected before development proceeds. In contrast, agile development is adaptive and flexible and multiple components of software may be developed simultaneously and put together, then taken apart, then redeveloped according to the needs of the user. Development teams work out a rough prototype then improve on it, then improve on it, then improve on it some more. 

This is all good and fine but what does it mean for you as a non-tech startup founder? Let me share some insights...

1. In the past, software was sold and distributed as a CD. Remember those large cardboard boxes that were basically empty except for that one CD? These days, software is typically distributed to end users through downloads. This makes agile development possible. If you have to burn a million CDs to be sold, you better have a software product that is as near to perfect as possible. Otherwise, your entire inventory could be rendered worthless if a bug were discovered. With downloads, if the first version was flawed, it is easy to replace it with a debugged version; best part, users won't even notice. 

2. Agile development is the preferred approach today due to widespread internet connectivity. Because our devices are always online, software companies are able to build automatic update capabilities into their products.  So if the product is not 100% perfect, or if a bug is discovered, or if new features are added, the software company can update  the product without having to do a massive recall. 

3. Agile development is also popular because it means that you can get your product to market in a fraction of the time it takes with waterfall development. Since you are not looking for perfection at each stage before moving on, delays tend to be fewer and development can continue even if problems are discovered. 

4. Agile development makes it possible for you to adapt and adjust your product based on user feedback. New features can be pushed out as an update. This allows a company to be highly responsive to users and to pivot quickly if necessary. 

5. Product development is ongoing and will never stop. So don't get rid of your overseas tech team just yet. In addition to working out the bugs, you will probably end up adding and subtracting features; and in some cases overhauling your product entirely based on user feedback. And let me repeat: product development will never stop; and should never stop because you need to continuously innovate and improve on your product to remain viable and competitive. 

6. Do not strive for or expect perfection when you launch your product. Agile development leaves plenty of room for fixes, adjustments and improvements post launch. The important thing is to get your minimum viable product to market as soon as you can. Once you are out there, user feedback will be your guide to product development. What you were obsessing about perfecting might be something you end up throwing out because users don't like it. 

7. Your tech team is not lazy, sloppy, or whatever; and they are not trying to "get you". They are "not fixing that problem" not because they don't want to, but because it will slow them down and you might end up chucking that feature out later anyway. 

Agile development is not only the preferred approach these days, it is the only feasible option. If you do not want to be in a situation where you are stuck in development forever and go to market 2 months after your competitor, then get comfortable with agile development. For us, who are part of the "old school", agile development was difficult to swallow. We kept trying to perfect everything and fix all the bugs before moving on. This led to friction with our developers (who are all much younger than us) and to unnecessary delays. Understanding the approach has brought us new clarity about where our efforts are best spent and how best to allocate our limited resources.

Download Melltoo today to see what agile development produced!




Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Mentorship and The Relevance of College for Entrepreneurs


I read a variety of newspapers from the U.S., U.K. and the Gulf. I have a penchant for articles about business, entrepreneurship, technology, and education. Something that is making the rounds recently (the last 6 months of 2013 till now) is the increasing popularity of the mentorship model in fostering entrepreneurship (as well as professional development for teachers, but that's a different blogpost). Almost every article on the topic exhorts the importance of finding the right mentors from whom to learn. The right mentors can teach a newbie entrepreneur about the 'real' world of business, can help the newbie develop the soft skills necessary for success, can give the newbie an insight into specific industries, can share with the newbie inspiring experiences, and can introduce the newbie to otherwise inaccessible networks of contacts. In these articles, the presumption is that the mentor is providing the newbie learning experiences that formal schooling doesn't offer. This is probably true; which immediately raises these questions: What is it that formal schooling actually offers? What is the value of formal schooling? 

In one of our first businesses almost 10 years ago, a European-style cafe a few blocks from a well-known private university in Los Angeles, my co-founder husband and I had a staff made up primarily of college students. After that experience, we had a name for workers with no "common sense": college students. It's not that our college student staff were dumb, au contraire, they were highly intelligent; but it seemed that their intelligence applied only to things like writing papers and taking tests, and not to so called "low skilled" tasks like making lattes and serving cheesecake. I was actually a college student at the time as well and I personally questioned the value of college. Was it just an intellectual exercise with no practical application? 

Fast forward to today, seems like nothing has changed. A fresh college graduate today is no more clued-in than those from back then; hence the need for mentorship. In my humble opinion, two things need to happen to make college relevant again. First, make everything task-based and link curriculum and assessment to real world applications. For instance, the course work for a marketing class should be to find an existing SME for which to develop and implement a marketing plan (this does take a full semester in the real world). Second, college students shouldn't be admitted fresh out of high school. They should get a couple of years of work under their belts before starting college. 18 year-olds are a distracted bunch: family, friends, social life, cool new gadgets, having fun, etc. It is really the exceptional ones that have the focus it takes to squeeze every bit out of the college experience. For most, it's just a means to an end, attend lectures, pass exams, get a degree, get a job. At that age, they barely know who they are, let alone what they want to do. It takes a taste of the real world to gain true insight and focus.

If you are an entrepreneur who's been in college (at some point) and have/had a mentor, tell me which you think is/was more valuable.