Recently I have been able to get a hold of another great book called “Designing Products People Love” by Scott Hurff. Now why did I decide to pick up this book? Well I have run into a few issues with an app I have been building for over a year now and figuring out how exactly to get it to flow in a positive manner. Well let me tell you this book has shed some light on the situation and I will break it down if its for you.

Synopsis:

Designing a product is no easy task, from twitter to facebook to pinterest. There have been a lot of apps that have been built and some spread like wildfire while others can’t produce a puff of smoke. Why is that? Well this book breaks down the approach that some designers and product managers have run into in building that great app. The trials and tribulations were plentiful in this book and I found it quite amazing how even big companies have to rethink how their users use an actual app.

What I Took Away:

A few of the big ticket items I took away from this book is the process and how companies break down problems and ideas. I think one of my most favorite parts is the discussion how twitter literally broke it down to how people would use the app. Literally making a working prototype and it wasn’t pretty then started to focus on the look after. This book is about that process of going from the idea to the design to the prototype to the audience and rinse and repeat till you have crafted that perfect app.

I found it quite useful how the stories are broken down by company and goes VERY in-depth into how each company approach its own issues. Such as how apple users would use one hand on their screen or discussing the Thumb friendly approach for app design for apps that only require a thumb. Or my personal favorite the UI stack.

Now what about the negative? Well to put it simply, one of my biggest complaints about O’Reilly books is they seem very long winded. I felt that some parts of this book seem to go on and on, and while I do love in depth sometimes I want the chapters to get to the point. So don’t be surprised if you skip to the parts where they get to the interviewing part. Also I did want them to go more into the process on from idea to prototyping to app development and how they used their audience data more.

Who Is This Book For:

I found this game to be for people who are looking to build any kind of product, or product managers or people who want to learn the process that goes into creating something. Or if you are working for a company and want to gain some insight to spread your wings into other areas.

In Conclusion:

I found this book to be quite informative even if it is LONG and a little excessive. I learned a few things about how I could solve some problems I have been having with my app development and my process in creating something. I would suggest checking out this book if you are wanting to build something cause sometimes breaking down an idea and starting small and then building and growing it, and never forgetting to learn the audience you are targeting cause sometimes you can’t build things the way you think people would use it. You gotta collect input and take all criticism with confidence.

See you Space Cowboy…