AddThis: Designing for One Billion People (RefreshDC talk, November 16, 2010)

AddThis

A D D T H I S

Designing for One Billion People

AddThis: Then & NowAddThis: Then & Now

2008

• 50 services

• 17 languages

• 116k domains

• 300M views a day

AddThis: Then & Now

2010:

• 308 services

• 66 languages

• 7.2 million domains

• 2 billion views a day

• 1 billion unique users

2008

• 50 services

• 17 languages

• 116k domains

• 300M views a day

AddThis: Then & Now

• Design for growth

• Be dangerously open

• Be data-informed

• Build to scale

• Embrace customers

Designing for 1 Billion

Design for GrowthDesign for Growth

Design for growth

Client API: http://addthis.com/help/client-api

Put publishers first:

vs

Design for growth

For end users, make sharing simple & effortless:

Check out http://960.gs/

Design for growth

Be nimble:

Design for growth

Develop a style and stick to it:

Design for growth

Design for growth

Be Dangerously OpenBe Dangerously Open

Be dangerously open

Reduce barriers to adoption:

Crowd-source translation:

Be dangerously open

Open-source service submission:

Be dangerously open

Open-source sharing protocol:

Be dangerously open

Be Data-InformedBe Data-Informed

Be Data-InformedBe Data-Informed

Qualitative:

• Surveys

• Forums

• User testing

• Email Feedback

• Internal analytics database

• A/B and multivariate testing with Google Website Optimizer

• Google Analytics reporting

Quantitative:

http://surveymonkey.com

Use surveys to reach users:

Be Data-Informed

Be Data-Informed

http://usertesting.com

Crowd-source user testing:

Be Data-Informed

Google Website Optimizer: http://www.google.com/analytics/siteopt/

A/B test with Google Website Optimizer:

Hover behavior increases sharing rate x4

Be Data-Informed

Showing services doubles sharing

Menu order and positions matter:

Be Data-Informed

Menu presentation can increase sharing:

Be Data-Informed

Build to scaleBuild to scale

• Akamai CDN

• Optimize code and images

• Streamline technical support and QA

Build to scaleBuild to scale

Embrace CustomersEmbrace Customers

Embrace Customers

• Respond to forums & feedback

• Put social media to work

• Publisher outreach

• Beta testing

Lessons LearnedLessons Learned

Lessons Learned

• Design for growth

• Be dangerously open (even if it’s uncomfortable)

• Be data-informed

• Build to scale

• Embrace customers

Don’t forget to have fun

One more thing.One more thing.

One more thing.

During 30 minutes of this talk,

AddThis was viewed roughly 43.7 million times.

Thank you.Thank you.

Email : jim@clearspring.com

Twitter: jimlanenova

Come join the fun:

http://clearspring.com/jobs

Any images from films borrowed for this presentation are the property of their copyright holders!

AddThis