A living document for lessons in product development, user experience design, and growth. Mostly relevant for consumer apps.
- Main CTA
- For each screen, ask: Where do I want my user's eyes to go?'
- The opengraph preview is crucial for CTR on web
- For web apps the opengraph preview image is like the video thumbnail on YouTube – it's the longest lever for increasing the click-through rate on X, or any platform that allows embeddings
- For iOS apps it's the app store icon
- Big features can have a small footprint
- When having an idea for a new feature, do not give way to excitement
- The first iteration is never correct – and often too brazen
- Think of the Facebook like button – small user-facing footprint, but super pivotal
- Problem first, solution second, aesthetics third
- The problem you're solving matters more than how you solve it, and how you solve it matters more than how it's presented
- SaaS are like screwdrivers while social apps are more like clothing—function matters, but users care about look and feel too
- Mobile CTAs can be bigger
- The thumb is less precise than the mouse, so if the layout allows it, buttons can oftentimes be made bigger on mobile, not smaller
- Mobile first
- ~70% of internet traffic is mobile, your app will most likely have a similar breakdown
- Develop your app inside of a mobile view/iPhone simulator
- Magical moment
- New users should "get it" as soon as possible after signup/purchase
- For example, being greeted with cookies on the kitchen table in your freshly cleaned AirBnb
- Ask: What is my app's magical moment and how do I make it near-instant?
- Avoid applying DRY to UX
- Software engineering is a search for simple primitives and abstractions whereas product development is more about having empathy and clear communication
- For example, don't be afraid to add a signup button at both the top and the bottom of the same screen if it increases conversion or helps your users understand your product
- Just like in speech, you sometimes need to repeat yourself twice or thrice for the message to sink in
- Avoid over-systematizing design
- If you're an engineer you'll be tempted to systematize the design system
- This is great in some cases, e.g. using utility classes for consistent padding and font size jumps
- But you'll likely need more than 3 colors, many of which will have to be hand-picked as opposed to mathematically derived
- Consumer apps are arrived at through a shit-ton of experiments
- Make it fun and easy to experiment
- Run conclusive tests
- Navigate with conviction