© Josh Seiden, 2017, All rights reserved.
From
Requirements
to Hypotheses
Framing Work To Promote Learning
June 15, 2017
Hypotheses | June 2017
– –
Agenda
2
1. Lean UX, Agile, & Uncertainty
2. Assumptions
3. Hypotheses
4. Experiments
5. Q/A
Hypotheses | June 2017
– –
Internet Mouse
3
Lean UX
5
Old assumptions, new reality
4
Old assumptions, new reality
@jboogie
Software is continuous
11.6
seconds
Hypotheses | June 2017 _ _9
The CORE of
Agile?
Microsoft | March 2015
_ _10
Responding to change
over following a plan.
Hypotheses | June 2017 _ _11
Hypotheses | June 2017 _ _12
Over time, 

Agile became an 

engineering project-
management system that
settles for working code.
Hypotheses | June 2017 _ _13
Agile doesn’t have a brain.
- Bill Scott, Sr. Dir of UIE at PayPal
Hypotheses | June 2017 _ _14
How do we put 

the pursuit of value 

back into our
Agile process?
Hypotheses | June 2017 _ _15
By creating a culture
of continuous learning
with Lean UX.
Hypotheses | June 2017 _ _16
Foundation:
Iterative, not Incremental
Incremental: https://
www.youtube.com/watch?
v=rZLXcppEI5w
Incremental
Incremental: https://
www.youtube.com/watch?
v=rZLXcppEI5w
Iterative
St Jude | July 2015 – –
Increase Speed of Learning
No one
clicked.
This is
going to
be BIG!
Make a
design
decision
MONTHS
HOURS
Get feedback
from market
Concept credit: @clevergirl
St Jude | July 2015 – –
Less risk, more often
The old
way...
The new
way!
Concept credit: @clevergirl
Lean Processes
Lean Startup
Hypotheses | June 2017 _ _23
Reduce waste.



Don’t build things people
don’t want.
Lean UX
Inspired by Lean Startup and Agile development theories, it’s
the practice of bringing the true nature of a product to light
faster, in a collaborative, cross-functional way with less
emphasis on deliverables and greater focus on a shared
understanding of the actual experience being designed.
It must be true!	
It’s in a book!
Hypotheses | June 2017
_ _25
Foundation:
Shared understanding.
Hypotheses | June 2017
_ _26
Regular discussion & iteration
…creates broader buy-in
Hypotheses | June 2017 – –
Today’s Focus
27
• State the vision / idea / outcome
• Declare your assumptions
• Hypothesize: write the test first
• Design an experiment
• Make an MVP
• Get out of the building
• Team synthesis
• Repeat
Ideas
Build
Product
Measure
Data
Learn
In Summary
Hypotheses | June 2017
– –
About Lean Methods…
Summary
• Use Lean Methods to avoid waste
• Use Lean Methods when uncertainty is high
• Cross-functional collaboration
• Do it more than once!
• Do it more than once!
29
Assumptions & Hypotheses
Hypotheses | June 2017 – –31
http://youtu.be/b240PGCMwV0
Feynman on Science…
– –Auto Trader UK | February 2015 32
Hypotheses | June 2017 – –
Declare your assumptions
33
What are the fundamental
assumptions we have about our
customers, their needs and our
solution that, if proven wrong, will
cause us to fail?
Hypotheses | June 2017 – –
Lean and the Design of Business
34
• Every decision you make about your offering is a
customer experience decision
• Declare the assumptions you have about your solution
and test them
• Evaluate your results ruthlessly, and be prepared to
change course
Hypotheses | June 2017 – –
Typical product
• Who is the user? Who is the customer?
• Where does our product fit in their work or life?
• What problems does our product solve?
• When and how is our product used?
• What features are important?
• How should our product look and behave?
35
Hypotheses | June 2017 – –
Typical Business Assumptions
36
• How will we acquire customers?
• How will we make money?
• Who are our competitors?
• What’s our differentiator?
• What’s our biggest risk?
• How do we expect to solve it?
Hypotheses | June 2017
_ _37
HYPOTHESES
Exercise:
Hypotheses | June 2017 – –
Hypothesis Statement
38
We believe that __________________.
We’ll know this is true when we see
[this evidence (from the market)].
Hypotheses | June 2017 – –
Hypothesis Statement: Feature
39
We believe that
[this business outcome] will be achieved
if [these people] successfully
achieve [this user need]
with [this feature].
This might fail because ______________.
We’ll test this by_____________________.
Hypotheses | June 2017 – –
Compared: Hypothesis vs. Requirement
40
We believe that if we
make the login button bigger,
infrequent visitors
will have an easier time finding the button, and will log in
at an increased rate.
VS.
Create a very big green login button on the home page.
Experiments & MVPs
Hypotheses | June 2017 – –
Method: Minimum Viable Product
42
What is the smallest thing we can do or make to test
our hypothesis?

The answer to this question is your MVP.
Hypotheses | June 2017 – –
MVP might not be a P
• Pre-sales/landing page
• Button to nowhere/feature fake
• Concierge/wizard of oz
• Non-technical
43
Hypotheses | June 2017 – –
Focus on Learning
44
What do we need to learn first?
What is the least amount of work we need to do to
learn that?
Hypotheses | June 2017 – –
MVP: Pre-Sales
45
Hypotheses | June 2017
_ _46
MVP: Call-to-action button
212 555 1212
212 555 1212
212 555 1212
Hypotheses | June 2017
_ _47
MVP: In-context tests
Hypotheses | June 2017
_ _48
MVP: Non-technical
Hypotheses | June 2017
_ _49
MVP: Cardboard
Hypotheses | June 2017
_ _50
MVP: Concierge / Wizard of Oz
Hypotheses | June 2017
Questions?
joshseiden@gmail.com
@jseiden

From Product Requirements to Hypotheses

  • 1.
    © Josh Seiden,2017, All rights reserved. From Requirements to Hypotheses Framing Work To Promote Learning June 15, 2017
  • 2.
    Hypotheses | June2017 – – Agenda 2 1. Lean UX, Agile, & Uncertainty 2. Assumptions 3. Hypotheses 4. Experiments 5. Q/A
  • 3.
    Hypotheses | June2017 – – Internet Mouse 3
  • 4.
  • 5.
  • 6.
  • 7.
  • 8.
  • 9.
    Hypotheses | June2017 _ _9 The CORE of Agile?
  • 10.
    Microsoft | March2015 _ _10 Responding to change over following a plan.
  • 11.
  • 12.
    Hypotheses | June2017 _ _12 Over time, 
 Agile became an 
 engineering project- management system that settles for working code.
  • 13.
    Hypotheses | June2017 _ _13 Agile doesn’t have a brain. - Bill Scott, Sr. Dir of UIE at PayPal
  • 14.
    Hypotheses | June2017 _ _14 How do we put 
 the pursuit of value 
 back into our Agile process?
  • 15.
    Hypotheses | June2017 _ _15 By creating a culture of continuous learning with Lean UX.
  • 16.
    Hypotheses | June2017 _ _16 Foundation: Iterative, not Incremental
  • 17.
  • 18.
  • 19.
    St Jude |July 2015 – – Increase Speed of Learning No one clicked. This is going to be BIG! Make a design decision MONTHS HOURS Get feedback from market Concept credit: @clevergirl
  • 20.
    St Jude |July 2015 – – Less risk, more often The old way... The new way! Concept credit: @clevergirl
  • 21.
  • 22.
  • 23.
    Hypotheses | June2017 _ _23 Reduce waste.
 
 Don’t build things people don’t want.
  • 24.
    Lean UX Inspired byLean Startup and Agile development theories, it’s the practice of bringing the true nature of a product to light faster, in a collaborative, cross-functional way with less emphasis on deliverables and greater focus on a shared understanding of the actual experience being designed. It must be true! It’s in a book!
  • 25.
    Hypotheses | June2017 _ _25 Foundation: Shared understanding.
  • 26.
    Hypotheses | June2017 _ _26 Regular discussion & iteration …creates broader buy-in
  • 27.
    Hypotheses | June2017 – – Today’s Focus 27 • State the vision / idea / outcome • Declare your assumptions • Hypothesize: write the test first • Design an experiment • Make an MVP • Get out of the building • Team synthesis • Repeat Ideas Build Product Measure Data Learn
  • 28.
  • 29.
    Hypotheses | June2017 – – About Lean Methods… Summary • Use Lean Methods to avoid waste • Use Lean Methods when uncertainty is high • Cross-functional collaboration • Do it more than once! • Do it more than once! 29
  • 30.
  • 31.
    Hypotheses | June2017 – –31 http://youtu.be/b240PGCMwV0 Feynman on Science…
  • 32.
    – –Auto TraderUK | February 2015 32
  • 33.
    Hypotheses | June2017 – – Declare your assumptions 33 What are the fundamental assumptions we have about our customers, their needs and our solution that, if proven wrong, will cause us to fail?
  • 34.
    Hypotheses | June2017 – – Lean and the Design of Business 34 • Every decision you make about your offering is a customer experience decision • Declare the assumptions you have about your solution and test them • Evaluate your results ruthlessly, and be prepared to change course
  • 35.
    Hypotheses | June2017 – – Typical product • Who is the user? Who is the customer? • Where does our product fit in their work or life? • What problems does our product solve? • When and how is our product used? • What features are important? • How should our product look and behave? 35
  • 36.
    Hypotheses | June2017 – – Typical Business Assumptions 36 • How will we acquire customers? • How will we make money? • Who are our competitors? • What’s our differentiator? • What’s our biggest risk? • How do we expect to solve it?
  • 37.
    Hypotheses | June2017 _ _37 HYPOTHESES Exercise:
  • 38.
    Hypotheses | June2017 – – Hypothesis Statement 38 We believe that __________________. We’ll know this is true when we see [this evidence (from the market)].
  • 39.
    Hypotheses | June2017 – – Hypothesis Statement: Feature 39 We believe that [this business outcome] will be achieved if [these people] successfully achieve [this user need] with [this feature]. This might fail because ______________. We’ll test this by_____________________.
  • 40.
    Hypotheses | June2017 – – Compared: Hypothesis vs. Requirement 40 We believe that if we make the login button bigger, infrequent visitors will have an easier time finding the button, and will log in at an increased rate. VS. Create a very big green login button on the home page.
  • 41.
  • 42.
    Hypotheses | June2017 – – Method: Minimum Viable Product 42 What is the smallest thing we can do or make to test our hypothesis?
 The answer to this question is your MVP.
  • 43.
    Hypotheses | June2017 – – MVP might not be a P • Pre-sales/landing page • Button to nowhere/feature fake • Concierge/wizard of oz • Non-technical 43
  • 44.
    Hypotheses | June2017 – – Focus on Learning 44 What do we need to learn first? What is the least amount of work we need to do to learn that?
  • 45.
    Hypotheses | June2017 – – MVP: Pre-Sales 45
  • 46.
    Hypotheses | June2017 _ _46 MVP: Call-to-action button 212 555 1212 212 555 1212 212 555 1212
  • 47.
    Hypotheses | June2017 _ _47 MVP: In-context tests
  • 48.
    Hypotheses | June2017 _ _48 MVP: Non-technical
  • 49.
    Hypotheses | June2017 _ _49 MVP: Cardboard
  • 50.
    Hypotheses | June2017 _ _50 MVP: Concierge / Wizard of Oz
  • 51.
    Hypotheses | June2017 Questions? joshseiden@gmail.com @jseiden