JOHN MOFFITT
Inspiration
favorite Books
Talent is Overrated
This is a very interesting book that focuses on the premise of "Deliberate Practice" as the real differentiator for success rather than "god given talent". With "Deliberate Practice" there is a dependency for a feedback loop. This concept is key for successful outcomes for students and other work life scenarios. Principles of "Deliberate Practice" are also found in other Malcolm Gladwell books and are often cross referenced. (Outliers and Blink)
Little Bets
The theory behind Little Bets is that breakthrough ideas are more often discovered through Little Bets as opposed to Big Bets. This book uses real world examples to illustrate successful usages of Little Bets and promotes non-linear experimental innovators. The risks associated with starting with big bets where you analyze too much too soon are compared against the acknowledgement that you don't know what you don't know and that you gain insight with Little Bets. The book also makes parallel comparisons between the Agile Development process and how breaking down a problem into smaller components can result in faster feedback loops which can reduce risks associated to large projects.
Emotional Design - (Donald Norman)
This book picks up where "The Design for Everyday Things" left off. It talks about the multiple layers of product appeal which include [1] visceral, [2] behavioral, [3] reflective. It also provides interesting examples of the dangers of "design by committee" and how to avoid those dangers by ensuring leaders are empowered to follow a defined strategy or vision so that the “story” or “outcome” is not watered down.
An interesting side note to the parent book of, “The Design of Everyday Things”, is that the term UX was first coined in this book. This book also was originally titled the “Psychology of Everyday Things, which created a wayfinding problem in book stores because it was always categorized under books on Psychology. Here are some more interesting history of UX through the ages “The Fascinating History of UX Design: A Definitive Timeline”.
Contagious
This book leverages research in psychology and behavior economics to identify 5 specific aspects which makes products or things contagious for spreading. The 5 steps are given the acronym of "STEPS" for easy recall. S= Social Currency / T= Triggers /E= Emotion / P= Practical Value and Public Awareness/ S= Story (https://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/03/steps-making-ideas-contagious/)
Where Good Ideas come from – The Natural History of Innovation -
The premise of this book is that innovation does not happen out of thin air. Innovation occurs by leveraging other discoveries and fitting together existing components. This is part of the theory of the Adjacent Possible that was first described by the scientist Stuart Kauffman. He described the Adjacent Possible in biological and evolutionary terms and this book applies these biological theories to other types of innovation examples.
USER EXPERIENCE ARCHITECT
BUSINESS ANALYST
AGILE PRODUCT OWNER
Thoughts and Ideas
Interview with Abigail Hart Gray
Podcast
https://www.designbetter.co/podcast/abigail-gray
An inspiring interview by Invison’s design magazine in which there are many examples of how to successfully collaborate to create great products. Other topics covered include how to incorporate data to measure success as well as the challenge of how to make big user experience improvements verses small incremental features.
Quote - “The great thing about design is that there’s no one solution”
Data Interpretation
Example
https://www.trevorbragdon.com/blog/when-data-gives-the-wrong-solution
Historical example of how data can be interpreted differently and how important it is to consider more than just data points when making decisions. It is a good reminder that it is important to consider “how” you look at the numbers as well as the actual numbers.
Interview with Richard Saul Wurman
PDF Presentation
PDF Summary / Soundcloud Interview
Interesting interview with the father of Information Architecture, which often becomes uncomfortable when Mr. Wurman becomes antagonistic to the interviewer. One of the main themes of the conversation is about how to ask the right question. Despite some uncomfortable debates with the interviewer, the discussion uncovers some important themes in how information is shared and also references the interesting career of Richard Saul Wurman.
PIXAR PLUSSING
VIDEO
“Plussing” was coined by Walt Disney as an important part of the creative process. This Pixar training video, shows how Pixar made it part of it’s culture and how it is important for successful creative teams. This process can be found in other Pixar references including Ed Catmull’s book “Creativity Inc.” http://www.creativityincbook.com/about/
Design Success and Failure - NYC Subway Map
Video
A great example of how design cannot exist in isolation. Despite the success of the design a better feedback loop with design iteration could have resulted in a better map without loosing the elegant simplicity of the original design.
Quote -“A good map is one that people will use”
Related article about a new interactive version of the map
Technology Innovation - General Magic
VIDEO
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6849786/
A fascinating documentary about a company that most people have not heard of because of it’s failure. Despite it’s failure it represents a key milestone for what we take for granted today with smartphones. It also is an example of a great idea being too early. It is an example of market timing being just as important and as understanding whether your ideas might be too early for the required components to be available or mature enough in their development. (see Book Reference for “Where Good Ideas Come From” for how the “adjacent possible” is critical to breakthrough innovation )
Favorite Quotes on Simplicity
One of the key principles of User Experience Design is to keep things simple and the user will be more successful. I find this relevant to Agile development in how it is designed to bring value to the customer quicker by starting with the core features and not overwhelm a release with too many extra features. An iterative environment forces you to prioritize features and reduces risk by supporting a healthy feedback loop. I think keeping it simple does not mean innovation is reduced or creativity is limited. I think simplicity provides better tools for refinement and less wasted effort.
“Simplicity is complexity resolved”
“Innovation is not about saying yes to everything, it’s about saying NO to all but the most crucial features.”
“Entities should not be multiplied without necessity”
“Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler”