There are lots of books out there on product design. Many are written in a somewhat dry academic tone by teachers and observers as opposed to hands on practitioners. What makes Scott Hurff's latest work so valuable is that it reads like a bulletin from the front lines by someone deeply involved in designing great products at scale for global brands.
There is so much in this book to learn and appreciate, and I read several sections more than once. Hurff covers the many disciplines aspiring product designers will need to master. To name just a few: psychology, motion, visual design, prototyping, research, interaction design, marketing, business strategy, storytelling.
If that sounds like a lot - it is. There's tons to know, and there's never been a better time to dive in. The golden age of design is now.
Hurff is very hands on and delights in old world bespoke detail. From the minutiae of load screens to how an app responds when there is no data to show, he carefully considers how every single detail of a digital interaction contributes to the larger customer experience.
John Troutman gets at the heart of the matter in one of the interviews:
"The product that we're designing is definitely not the app, and it's not even the device. Both of these things are included - that's the physical thing that you use... and there's a smartphone app that you're going to be interacting with every day - but the product is that experience."
Bingo. The real product is the larger experience that the software and hardware enable.
So what is Hurff's favorite design tool? A big blank sheet of white space with a blinking cursor on the top. In Chapter 4, "User Interfaces Begin with Words", he talks about his process for starting work on a problem. He always starts with simple language on the page. It's fabulously inspiring.
Hurff clearly loves what he does, and his enthusiasm is infectious. If the book is any indicator, he definitely knows how to create products people will love.
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From the Publisher
From the Preface
What’s in the Book
Creating a new product is like taking a photo.
The picture you want to capture is right in front of you, but you’re not sure which zoom setting will bring your subject’s crisp lines, sharp angles, and stark detail into the frame. So you turn the lens back and forth, gradually settling on the zoom that’s right for the lens and for the photo.
Of course, the subject in front of you could be moving—smiles and facial expressions, leaves blowing in the wind, wildlife running out of frame. So you do your best to capture the best possible story in one frame, adapting to the realities on the ground.
Building a product has similar challenges. This is a process that starts out with a clear goal and stated target, but will probably be forced to adapt its angle and scope along the way. Even so, you try to find the best possible solution to meet your goals and satisfy a customer.
But we’re not the first ones to face the challenges of creating products for other human beings. That’s why we’re going to examine the past so we can design the future.
The Product Creation Model:
The process of creating a product is messy. But I’ve tried to break this complex creation process down into four basic steps. These steps provide the framework for the chapters in this book (Figure P-1):
- 1) Hunt and synthesize
- 2) Build
- 3) Test and level up
- 4) Launch, monitor, and start over
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Top reviews from other countries
Amazon Customer
I couldn't recommend a better book to learn about digital product design
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on May 19, 2016OpenDirective
Excellent read and very practical too.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on April 19, 2017
