If your potential users aren't signing up or staying
because your product is hard to use, then this ebook
may rescue your business.

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You thought you had developed a great product.  But your users are abandoning it because of its UI.  They said they won’t use it even if it gives them a better ROI than your competitors.  So your revenue started taking a hit.

You might have tried any (or all!) of these:

  • Involving other people in your company: They just made your product look like a committee designed it.
  • Building every technically feasible idea from your users: That just cluttered up your UI even more.
  • Hiring a designer: He didn’t understand your framework, didn’t address patently obvious edge cases, or fought hard for little things that are very difficult to implement.
  • Redesigning screens on your own: That just left you staring at a blank screen, trying to decide what to build.
  • Upgrading your UI libraries: Your product looked nicer, but it remained confusing.

Even if you did a redesign, how do you know you won’t end up with the same result in 6 months or a year?

 

Your next major release can start fixing these mistakes.

 

You can develop a product that attracts your target audience, retains them, and has only the features that they really need.

If you work with a designer, he can give you everything you need and address edge cases properly, without pushing hard to make you implement who knows what.

You can escape design by committee and have a product that your users like.

You can have a v1 that retains users and future versions that don’t send it off the rails.

And all of this without having to hire a designer or become a designer yourself.

 
 

Here's what's in the ebook:

 
  • How to make your product make sense to your users without taking your attention away from the code
  • How to leapfrog your competitors by learning what your users really need - even with a $0 budget
  • How to solve the iOS vs. Android question (and it’s not how you might think)
  • How to drive UI design from data instead of a committee’s opinions
  • How to decide when a redesign makes sense or not
  • How to make your UI stronger for future versions without a redesign
  • How to drive engagement in your new features
  • How to make more money by retaining users, raising prices, and selling more effectively - even without changing your product
  • How to avoid common mistakes in product redesigns
  • How to hire developers, designers, and researchers to take your product to the next level
  • And more.
 
 

Get a free sample of
UX for Development Shops

 
Get 2 free chapters in your inbox now.

My 100% Money-Back Guarantee: If you follow the book’s advice and are disappointed by the results, I’ll refund your money in full.

 
 

In my clients' words:

 

Kindred Technology Group had me create a more intuitive site map for a large county government website.  In their words:

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“Top Notch!  David’s commitment and attention on this project was unparalleled.  He helped us sort through 1000’s of pages of content to create an amazing product.”
- Kenley Obas, Co-Founder & CEO, Kindred Technology Group


 

A large global company worked with me in 2016 on user research and navigation improvements for a tool that helps them make large-scale business decisions faster.  In their words:

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“David was an outstanding freelancer to work with.  He is very well versed in the UX space, but not only in making good designs but understanding the context of who are the users, what are their needs, what are the different tension points in [serving] different users.  On top he was super quick in turning around the work without compromising quality of his recommendations.  I will be hiring him again, especially for my projects that are more challenging to solve.”
- A manager responsible for this web application


 

An iOS developer formerly with Amazon who now runs his own agency worked with me on a user research and app design project for a tourism company in Washington, DC.  In his words:

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"I’ve worked with many UX professionals over the span of my career, but I've never worked with anyone as talented or reliable as David. One thing that sets David apart is the fact that he has a software development background. As a software developer myself, that meant that I didn't have to explain basic things like what a server is or what an API does.  We could directly dive right into the product.”
- Pietro Rea, Founder, Sweetpea Mobile

 

"That's great, but we have some questions..."

 

Who is this ebook for?

UX for Development Shops (working title) helps independent developers, managers of developers, and owners of development agencies to create more effective products for their users without having to hire an expensive team of designers and researchers.

You’re in its ideal audience if any of these apply to you:

  • You or your team work on user interfaces, but you tend to design them according to what makes the most sense to you.
  • You occasionally run usability studies or accept feature requests from users, but you don’t have a system in place for understanding what your users really need.
  • Designers or user researchers work with you on small, one-off projects, but you might have to hire them over and over to achieve sustained results.

You’re not in its ideal audience if your company already has a full UX team or department, or if you just want to work on code and don’t care what users think.

In the near future, I plan to release a Team Member Edition of this ebook, which will give more tactical advice to your team as they develop UIs.

Why two separate editions?

I believe in teaching people everything I'm learning that is relevant to them. And the two editions do have a lot of content in common.

However, as a business owner myself, I understand that you face problems that you can't discuss with your employees because they would make your employees panic or just would not overlap with their expertise. By creating a separate edition of this ebook for you, I can candidly discuss the following:

  • How to really interpret bad - or even good - customer feedback
  • How to make difficult product-level decisions when you're faced with increasing complexity in your product, steadily declining KPIs, or an upcoming sale of your business
  • How to get better feedback on internal or unreleased product ideas
  • How to announce new features outside your product
  • How to raise your product's prices
  • How to sell your product - before and after a redesign
  • How to hire the right kinds of developers and UX practitioners for your needs
  • How to make your developers take greater ownership in your customer experience
  • How to work with internal and external UX professionals

Similarly, as a business owner or manager, I assume that you're the one giving direction rather than doing low-level work. So your edition gets less of the tactical advice.

Will this book just make me spend a lot of money to hire a bunch of people?

It’s specifically designed so that, in many cases, you won’t have to.

You may have to hire outside help if you really don’t have the time to implement this advice. But that being said, I have thought through a variety of team structures and budget needs. There is advice at the end on how to hire outside help or add on to your team.

We use [development process name]. Is this ebook still for us?

Generally so. This book’s advice aims to work well for most common development processes, especially agile ones. However, it keeps the advice as process-agnostic as possible because new variations of development processes constantly come on the scene.

You’re a full-time consultant. Is this book just advertising your own process and services?

There isn’t “one true” design or development process. One section of the book does expand on my peer-reviewed process for research and design, but it also describes what all good research and design processes have in common in case you work with someone else.

Similarly, there is a section on how to be a good client when you hire outside help. It heavily cites other business consultants and other UX professionals rather than presenting my own opinions.

 
 

Don't buy this if:

 
  • You think that UI problems are always with your users, never your interface.  (Fix that attitude first.)
  • You’ll go to any lengths to make money from your product even if you know your users hate it. (Same.)
  • You already have a whole team of UX professionals or a large UX agency.  Or you’re able to hire them tomorrow.  (Just ask them for more advice, and heed it.  This guide is great for independent developers, small agencies, and small teams who don’t have that kind of budget.)
  • Your users are leaving in droves, and you’re fine with that.  (You need to get a different job or break out of your complacency.)
  • You’re expecting that reading this book will magically grow your users and revenue without extra effort.  (You need to be willing to do the work.)
  • You’re looking for the end-all, be-all resource on individual UI controls.  (Try About Face.)
 
 

However, do buy this if any of these statements are true:

 
  • You have an idea for a great new website or app, and you want to make sure that you don’t repeat mistakes from the past.
  • Your users loved your products’ earlier releases.  But as you’ve added features, it has gotten cluttered and difficult to use.
  • Your potential users just can’t get past your product’s complexity.
  • You need a different perspective on your interface, but you don’t know where to start.
  • Metrics and analytics aren’t looking favorable because of a bad interface.  You tried following UI guidelines better or switching to the latest UI controls, but it hasn’t worked.
  • You’re sick of an approach to UI design that consists of committees giving their opinions.
  • You want your product to treat its users the way they’d want to be treated.
  • You want a strategy to conversion and growth that goes beyond changing button colors in an A/B test and hoping for the best.
 
 

Do you want to start making your users love your product,
as soon as your next major or minor release?

 

Then you should order this ebook.

Not sure yet?  You can get the first 2 chapters (with content from both editions) for free and lifetime updates on the ebook.

So if you want to learn how to make more money developing products that your users want to buy, then please order.

I promise that you’ll love this guide.  And if you buy it and you don’t like it, I’ll refund your money.  If this guide doesn’t help you or your team at all, then I don’t want your money.  But I’m certain this guide will help you develop better products.

 
 

Buy UX for Development Shops: Owner/Manager Edition

Strategic guidance for owners of development shops, independent developers, and managers of developers.

Owner/Manager Ebook

U.S. $49

Learn how to run a user-focused dev shop

  • Ebook (265-page PDF + ePub + .mobi)
  • Advice for UI guidelines
  • Step-by-step audience analysis
  • Design idea selection template
  • How to do your own visual design
  • Step-by-step guide to usability studies
  • Landing page analysis of 33 top products
Add To Cart

Owner/Manager Ebook & Bonus Materials

U.S. $79

More step-by-step examples and tips to increase your sales

  • Ebook (265-page PDF + ePub + .mobi)
  • Advice for UI guidelines
  • Step-by-step audience analysis
  • Design idea selection template
  • How to do your own visual design
  • Step-by-step guide to usability studies
  • Analysis of 33 top products' landing pages (U.S. $3300 value!)
Best value
Add To Cart

All orders are processed securely through Stripe, Apple Pay, or PayPal - your choice.  And you get free updates for life.

 

Buy UX for Development Shops: Team Member Edition

Tactical UI and UX advice for software, app, and web developers who work as individual contributors on teams.

Team Member Ebook Only

U.S. $49

Includes tactical advice for user-centered development

  • Ebook (231-page PDF + ePub + .mobi)
  • Bonus materials from the Owner/Manager Edition above
Add To Cart

Team Member Ebook & Bonus Materials

U.S. $79

More advice for your situation, and level up your business skills

  • Ebook (231-page PDF + ePub + .mobi)
  • Bonus materials from the Owner/Manager Edition above
Best value
Add To Cart

All orders are processed securely through Stripe, Apple Pay, or PayPal - your choice.  And you get free updates for life.

 
 

Coming soon:

  • Team Licenses will include enough copies of each edition for you and your development team.
 
 
 

About the Author

David Parmelee owns Thrill & Create, a business-minded user experience strategy and design consultancy located in the Washington, D.C., metro region.  He specializes in digital strategy for small and mid-sized software, web, and app development agencies, including "agencies of one".

David has a background in software and web development just like you.  Previously, David worked in software development and testing in the financial, aerospace, and customer care industries.  His previous companies include an IT consulting firm in the Fortune 500, a mid-sized aerospace company, and two small businesses.

Since 2012, David has advised businesses on websites, mobile apps, and web applications for clients ranging from large global companies to county governments and new startups.  He helps his clients define their products’ audiences and build the right products for the right people.

David holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science from the University of Maryland, College Park.  His writing has been published by Optimal Workshop and a well-established themed entertainment blog, and he is the author of an ebook, UX for Development Shops.

Contact Me

If you have any questions about this ebook or about design for your users, please email me at info@amusementUX.com.  I also run an email list which has an Ask Me Anything format; you can join it by downloading the first 2 chapters of the ebook or the 15-step guide to increasing user retention for your clients.