All posts tagged advice

Designers, 2012 is yours! Why I won’t let myself be left behind.

by Wells Riley on February 7, 2012 in Design with 2 Comments
designer_successkid

Every morning I wake up and scan my iPhone notifications. First I check email, to make sure I’m either 1) not at fault for some huge disaster or 2) that the world hasn’t ended. If there’s nothing mission critical, I move on to the other miscellany of Path, Twitter, and Hanging With Friends bleeps – whichever social network or needy app I happen to be into that week. Then I browse my RSS feeds on Reeder to gain perspective on the world as of that moment, and I’m not even out of bed yet.

How fitting that David Cole wrote just yesterday (emphasis mine):

The big narrative going around right now is that design has been crowned king of the solar system. A Braun-esque super-future is in the works for 2012, and by Thanksgiving we’ll be downloading perfectly cuboid turkeys with rounded corners and all will be well.

Woot! It’s the perfect storm for design, and everything is great! Right?

Well, maybe not. The precedent is there, but David aptly continues:

But to get there, we need to solve a really big problem: the huge demand doesn’t actually seem to be creating supply. Every startup needs designers but they’re nowhere to be found.

His proposed solution is a fantastic idea. He’s encouraging highly skilled designers and design teams to take on bright young designers in a mentor / mentee relationship. In fact, that’s exactly what I’m looking for in a startup out West. I really want to join a stellar team and learn from the most talented designers I could possibly gain access to. I want to be a master, and I know that would be a huge step in the right direction. There’s plenty of startups and tech companies hiring designers, so assuming we can find existing design teams to work with, we as an industry could start a great feedback loop training designers to create world-class work.

From my experience in academia and working with student designers, I see a big gap between where students are now and having the opportunity to be mentored by skilled designers. Many young designers don’t even know that great startups / companies hiring and the exquisite designers within exist. How could they possibly begin seeking them out?

College works really well as a vacuum, and it’s easy to “become a designer” without a clue to what exactly it means to be a designer in 2012. I can say this with a certain amount of conviction because I know I’ve been guilty of this through my years in college.

It’s only been in the last year or so that I’ve had any serious interest in other designers, their work, and design history. It started with a brief research project on Dieter Rams (whom I already knew about, but I didn’t understand his significance) and the interest grew upon being invited to be a player on Dribbble. I came to realize that there were tons of great designers that I didn’t know existed. It wasn’t like I thought they didn’t, I just never really thought about it to begin with. Suddenly I was actually interacting with designers like Louie Mantia, Rogie King, Matthew Smith, and Luke Beard (to name just a few) – I’ve seen work coming out of these guys for years… since before I ever even thought to call myself a designer. They were like idols, but suddenly I was Liking their work on Dribbble, tweeting at them (and getting replies back) and buying prints of their work. I’ve even spoken to one of them over the phone. Call me corny if you must, but it’s been an incredibly eye-opening experience for me. This kind of immersion is exactly what I think young designers need in order to take the next big leap.

And it’s a pretty big leap. It’s not easy to just ‘become’ a participating member of a community overnight. It has taken months (and will continue to take me months) to amass my list of designers to follow on various social channels. I just recently added dozens of blogs to my RSS reader, and I certainly still have dozens more to add that I’ve never even heard of. Every day I’m seeing retweets and blog posts and references to people I’ve never heard of. It’s almost a full-time job in itself.

David said how “designers [are] nowhere to be found” but I’m not sure if that’s the problem. If you look at portfolio networks, blogs, or college campuses, student designers are everywhere. David believes (and I concur) that seasoned designers have the opportunity to mentor young designers, but I wonder how that works if young designers don’t even know that someone like Jessica Hische exists? How do we build those connections? Do we even need to? Maybe students just need that drive to explore and learn outside of the classroom… it’s hard and takes time, but we’ve just gotta do it.

For some students, it’s a case of “You don’t know what you don’t know.” How do we get student designers to start asking the right questions? It started for me in my senior year (of a 5-year program) upon reading “Why Designers Can’t Think” by Michael Bierut, and I wish I had realized it sooner. Being thrown in during my senior year is jarring, and maybe if I had started exploring two years ago I’d be more confident entering the ‘design workforce’… if such a term even exists. I’m excited and super motivated to do it… but it’s still super nerve-wracking.

Would it be helpful for me to compile some of the resources, designers, and bloggers I’ve found inspirational or motivating? Maybe if I share great work on this blog, it’ll not only motivate me, but maybe motivate others? You tell me.

 (Edited 1:20pm on 2/7/12… I spoke with a mentor and I’m seeing things a bit differently than I did before.)

Startup looking for a Designer? Here are some resources you didn’t know existed.

by Wells Riley on February 2, 2012 in Design, Entrepreneurship with 4 Comments
designer_search

Everyone is looking for a designer these days, and I think that’s super exciting. It’s a great time to be doing a startup, and it’s an even better time to be a Designer. Finding quality design talent is hard, though. I think it’s safe to say that finding Designers is significantly harder than finding a developer or engineer, mostly because:

  1. Designers aren’t as in-tune with the startup world as business guys and engineers are. Relatively speaking, it’s a new thing for many of them.
  2. Many entrepreneurs don’t have the design lingo yet – others don’t exactly know who they’re looking for. They know what they need, but can’t verbalize it effectively to designers.
  3. There are limited resources for scouting designers. Design meetups are scarce (in Boston, the majority of my audience for this post) and Design communities in general are small and nuanced. There’s way less fanfare and tweeting than the average startup event.
  4. “Good Design” and “Good Designers” are entirely subjective. There’s no quiz, rubric, or mold to easily assess a Designer’s skill – especially when the assessor isn’t a Design expert.

I’m addressing this exact problem for my Degree Project, which will launch to the world on March 27th. In this post, I’m going to focus on #3 above. The other three require a bit more explanation… you’ll see. I’m gonna make a big fuss about the whole thing when my project is complete.

Fortunately, there are   resources.

Designers may be harder to find than engineers right now, but it’s not impossible. I think the overarching message here is If they won’t come to you, you’ll have to go to them. Here’s where the designers are.

1. Dribbble – ‘Find Designers’ Page

http://www.dribbble.com/designers

Aptly named – I feel like I’m cheating by including this, but it might not be the first place you’d think to look. For some, this may be the first time hearing about Dribbble in the first place. Dribbble is essentially an exclusive online community of Designers from around the world who are excellent at their craft. Signup is by invite only, and invites are very hard to come by. It took me nearly nine months to get ‘drafted’ after first discovering the site. Some of the best designers in the world are on Dribbble – it’s serious business.

If you’re not a drafted “Pro” member (like me), you’ll have to pay to play. Don’t close that tab just yet, though. There are pros and cons:

Pros:

  • Access to a concentrated pool of the best and most public designers in the world
  • Easily search by location and skill
  • Instant access to their proudest work and WIP (works in progress) posted on the site
  • Payment includes a 30-day listing on the Dribbble Job Board. Designers will come to you.

Cons:

  • It costs moneys : (

And just to clear the air, I’m in no way affiliated with Dribbble. I’m just a loyal player (are you overwhelmed with basketball puns yet? No, I’m not either) and I know the founders personally. They’re great guys, and they’re building a kickass community that everyone loves.

2. Zerply – Your Professional Presence on the Web

Think of Zerply as LinkedIn exclusively for designers, developers, and entrepreneurs. It’s an exquisitely designed platform (see my profile) and it operates primarily on a system of recommendations. If someone knows a designer (or developer, writer, whatever) and like their work, they’ll “recommend” them in the system. It builds real credibility in people and allows them to see who appreciates their work.

http://www.zerply.com

As with Dribbble, Zerply allows you to search for talent by location, skills, and talents. Their system is free to use, and it’s great for networking with other entrepreneurs. Double-win.

Pros:

  • LOTS of Designers. Oh boy.
  • Another source of high-quality and socially-active talent
  • Easy to search by location, skill, or other tags
Cons:
  • It’s a relatively new professional network, so their user share isn’t quite where LinkedIn is yet
  • Can’t directly view the Designer’s work on the site unless they have the Behance plugin installed

If you’re looking for local talent, this is a great place to start. Zerply is a relatively new platform, but it’s valuable because it appeals to startups, engineers, and (most crucially) designers. I think you’ll be surprised to find so many on here – I searched “Design” “Boston” and found nearly 100 results before I ended my proving-a-point search.

3. AngelList

This one seems well-known among Entrepreneurs and Engineers. AngelList is a great network of Startups, Developers, and Designers. It’s more well-known for the former two, but there’s definitely designers on there.

http://www.angellist.com

AngelList is a really diverse resource. It can help you find an investor, a startup, or a talented engineer (or designer!). It’s a pretty simple but highly-reputable resource for startups and talent to get together and do awesome things. They’ll send awesome designers your way, and you can post job openings so they’ll come looking for you.

Pros:

  • Easy to post jobs directly to the huge AngelList network
  • Talented people are sent directly to you
  • Well-known and reputable
Cons:
  • Much higher volume of Developer talent than Designers (for now)
  • Many Designers haven’t heard of AngelList yet

4. Design Meetups

This might be the hardest resource to break in to, and it requires the most effort on your part. It has the unique benefit, however, of allowing you to see directly into Design culture and mingle with prospective talent face-to-face. I strongly recommend you attend at least one Design meetup regardless – I think it’s really important to have that perspective going into your talent search.

And so on. “Check your local listings” – There’s stuff happening around you all the time. Keep your ear to the ground and you’ll hear the Designers coming from a mile away. Get in, learn about Design, meet great people, and maybe you’ll hire one.

And everyone lives happily ever after.

Customer Service – The Missing Link

by Wells Riley on September 21, 2011 in Entrepreneurship with 2 Comments
zappos-630x350

My brain is going to explode.

I’ve been reading Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos. Having spent a VERY small amount of time in ‘product’ companies, some of his anecdotes and wild apartment rave stories are somewhat hard for me to relate with. Thankfully, 99% of his book is general “how to make your business totally kickass” advice rather than product advice, and it has profoundly changed the way I think about my business, my employees, and the companies we choose to do business with.

For one of the largest online retailers, Tony spent very little time talking about retail. The primary message was about company culture and customer service. I thought I had a fairly decent understanding going into this book, but no. I absolutely did not. Then I remembered my most recent interaction with Zappos (a pair of Blue Onisuka Tigers) and I understood the genius behind their customer service. I ordered free 7-day shipping, but was upgraded to next-day for free. What.

Zappos has 10 Core Values. #1 is “Deliver ‘WOW‘ through service”

Wow, indeed. Upgraded shipping is a small gesture, but it has such HUGE meaning. I mentally prepared myself to wear new shoes a week after buying them. Finding them on my doorstep the next afternoon was just unfathomable. I felt really special. I felt like Tony Hsieh himself was looking out for me and my blue shoes. Not only was I sold on the footwear, I was sold on Zappos. How could I ever shop elsewhere when such a magnificent company has my back?

And why the hell am I gushing about a shoe store? I’m a man. And a quite manly one, at that. There’s clearly some sort of witchcraft going on here.

So I started thinking. If a shoe store can make me weak in the knees, why not any other company?

And I kept thinking. Well? Why the hell NOT anyone else? Seriously! What is Zappos doing that even my favorite brands aren’t doing? How are they converting people from prospective customers to loyal customers in a flash? Is customer service really that blindingly powerful? How did Zappos get it so right?

I think I’ve narrowed down three things every company should understand to get some of that customer lovin’.

1: Be simple, fast, and easy to talk to

Another great example here is Amazon. When you call their Customer Support line, there are no phone trees. The interaction goes something like this:

Amazon: Thank you for calling Amazon Customer Service. A representative will take your call momentarily.
Amazon Rep: Thank you for calling Amazon. Are you calling about the order for bright blue socks you placed two hours ago?
Wells: Why yes. Yes I am. Can you change the shipping address to the other one I have on file?
Amazon Rep: One moment. Yep, all set. Is there anything else I can help you with?
Wells: Nope, thank you!
Amazon Rep: Thanks for calling Amazon! Have a great day!

iPhone: Call ended. Total call time : 58 seconds.

Anywhere else, I’d have to traverse a complex phone tree with “recently changed options”, clumsily punch in my order number, press #, wait on hold, then tell the CSR my order number, name, address, and credit card number. Again.

Why is this so difficult? Amazon isn’t special – almost every retailer I interact with has my phone number on file. Why can’t they use Caller ID to determine who I am and automatically look up my record? The chances someone stole my phone to hack my order for blue socks is pretty slim. Amazon gives me the benefit of the doubt and I save 20 minutes. I also write a fairly long blog post evangelizing them because of it.

The takeaway: Don’t waste anyone’s time. Technology makes mundane tasks blisteringly simple if you can use it right, so use it. Customers will be unbelievably delighted that you took the time to not waste theirs.

2: The ROI on Kindness is always higher than the investment

While shopping on HP’s webstore, you might be greeted with a popup asking you to take a brief survey. Personally, I hate surveys. Why can’t HP do their own research without blatantly annoying prospective customers with market research?

One time I decided to take the damn survey.

It took me 10 minutes, and after the last question I was offered a big “Thanks!”…. bye. What? No coupon? No raffle? Nothing? I find it hard to believe an interaction like this would fly in person. If you stopped a customer in your store to fill out paperwork, would a “thank you” suffice?

This person is GOLD to your company. They care enough to hand you research with no prior incentive. You need to pamper this customer because they’re at the tipping point of mind-blowing love for your company. Chances are that, if you gave this person a 20% coupon for their time they’d not only make a purchase, but they’ll probably tell their friends how great you are. You invested maybe $50-100, but that small investment could turn into thousands of dollars worth of sales.

I treat Bionic Hippo customers to free coffee, lunch, or drinks – often. It’s really expensive. I worked up an $80 tab with a client a few weeks ago and paid straight out of my own pocket. Have we received more than $80 worth of referral work with new customers gushing about how much their friend loves Bionic Hippo? You bet. I always wince at a high bar tab, but I know the personal touch is worth it. They’re my customers, and I love working with them. As a thank-you for a great relationship and spreading the good word, it’s the absolute least I can do.

3: Great customer service is more important than the product

Blasphemy! How could that possibly even be true? Wells, you are wrong and a liar.

Hear me out… it’s really obvious. Products and services are relatively straightforward, and there’s probably a handful of companies doing the exact same thing as you. Assuming you can’t create a technologically superior product than the competitor with $20m in funding and a three-year head start, how can you differentiate yourself? How can you beat a giant at their own game?

Let’s talk about Groupon.

Groupon is the undeniable leader in daily local deals. They OWN the market. But there’s a problem. Small businesses HATE Groupon because they’re slimy bastards. Groupon is completely self-serving and has no interest in the welfare of the small businesses they market themselves as trying to protect. They’ve created an unrealistic expectation for consumers – is 80% off even possible for a fledgeling business? No, absolutely not. That’s obvious, but what do you expect consumers to do? Ignore cupcakes at 80% off? It’s a vicious cycle, and Groupon takes it straight to the bank.

Google, Facebook, LivingSocial, Yelp, LevelUp, etc, etc, etc, have tried to replicate this exact model and all have failed. LivingSocial and LevelUp have pivoted to niche markets or different business models completely. Groupon completely owns the small-business-killing daily deals space. But Groupon has an expiration date. It won’t be long before small businesses ditch Groupon entirely in lieu of something more stable, lucrative, and honest.

The winner of the daily deals space isn’t going to have the highest discounts. It’s going to be the company who can offer excellent customer service to their bread-and-butter customers – the small businesses. To make a nod back to #2 above, kindness goes a long way. Rally behind local businesses, and they’ll rally behind you. Make them gush over how great it is to work with you, and everyone on Main Street will jump ship from Groupon. The expectation of ridiculous deals will die with their horrible service, sharky tactics, and bogus marketing. Once every local business is on your new deals service, consumers will have no choice but to buy deals through you. You’ll hit critical mass before Groupon can even pull it’s head out of it’s own ass.

The product doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter if you’re selling shoes, hedge clippers, or 20% off falafel at the shwarma place down the street. Customer service seems to be a lost art in this age of digital impersonality. Just because a customer is on the other end of a phone line or webpage doesn’t mean you don’t have the opportunity to delight and surprise them – WOW them, maybe? – with excellent service. The fact that companies with ‘excellent’ customer service is so rare really speaks to what businesses have become lately – but it also presents a fantastic opportunity to rise above the scruff and delight your customers.

I know it’s working here, anyways.

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