The magic of loops, markets & moxie

Creating an actionable framework based on Lean Startup and other methods to keep you focused

Nicole Capuana@ncapuana

LeanDog@leandog

Nick Barendt@nickbarendt

What we work onProduct Design & Development● web, mobile, cloud, embedded, IoT(H)● software making an impact

Loops

If I only knew then what I know now

Why Lean?● reduce waste● continuous learning● focus on customer value● feedback● retrospectives

Lean Startup

● Eric Ries & Steve Blank

● Apply Lean and Scientific Principle to Entrepreneurship

Build Measure LearnLoops, feedback, cadence, & retrospectives

Hypothesis formatWe believe that

[building this feature][for these people]will achieve [this outcome]

Markets

“No business plan survives first contact with a customer.” -Steve Blank

Hypotheses

● Leap-of-Faith Assumptions/Hypotheses● Focus on Learning Initially● Sequence or Collection of Hypotheses● Riskiest hypotheses first

Customer Development

Customer Development

● Core focus● Solve a problem● Product Market Fit● Don’t build for everyone● Talk to them to understand● Observe what they do

Get out of the Building● Uncomfortable for developers● Friends and family don’t count● Whole team participates● Identify Personas● Develop Empathy● Interview and Observe● Stay out of the “Woulds”

Safe Driving? What is “safe”?

Who are your customers

● Segments● Personas● Channels● B2B or B2C?● User vs. buyer● You are not your customer

Understand how + why your customers buy● Pricing

○ what are you selling against?● Day-in-the-life● Journey Map● How big of a pain do they have?● Do they want and need it?

Experiment & Validate

...there is no try

● Prove or Disprove Hypotheses

● Experiment Design

Types of Experiments● Landing page - test the water● Customer interviews - create a script for

consistency● Paper prototypes to clickable prototypes ● Concierge service or Wizard of Oz● Technical spikes to to prove feasibility and

improve effort estimates● Actual software prototype

Build Less - Prototype More!

● Learn before building● Picture worth 1000s words● Building feels like progress● Validate with customer● Tell a story● It’s priceless

Testing & Metrics

● Can they use it?● Do they want it?● What did you

observe?● What did you learn?● What does the data

indicate?

Experiment Mapping

● David Bland● Can we learn

faster?● Can we do

less? Lear

ning

Time

Days Weeks Months

Build

User Stories

Story Backlog

Story Mapping

● Jeff Patton● Epics > Features >

Icebox● Prioritize across● Play Devil’s Advocate● Create an actionable

plan

There’s always more to it than you think & priorities will change

Story Map - Before

Story Map - After

MVP - Minimum Viable/Valuable Product

“A minimum viable product has the exact (not least) amount of features to make it desirable and sellable, thus giving value.” -Martin Christensen

Feedback Cycle

Moxie

Path only looks straight in hindsight

Dont’ Do it Alone

Hustler, tech, sales, fund raising● a founder (the idea creator) ● someone who can see the big picture● someone who hold all the details & will do whatever it takes to get the job

done● someone who is the hustler

Be mentored

Be mindful of the toll

● Relationships● Exhaustion● You

Lots of “No”s to get to Yes

Kill Your Darlings

Pivot● Based on what you

learn● Course corrective● Build an app that

solves only your problem or build a business?

Funding (really not your problem)

● Bootstrapping● Friends and Family● Angels● Accelerators● Venture Capital● Rich vs. King

end of funnel is opening of another

feedback loops are reality check against visionbetter to learn sooner

Have the audacity to learn, fail fast + have fun changing the world

http://www.leandog.com/what-we-do/studio/http://www.leandog.com/dogtreats/