Early Praise
"Short, but powerful. Easy to read, yet profound.
I’ve been searching for just this book: the one perfect book that summarizes the essence of modern product design. This is it. The lessons are as powerful as they are simple: The product is NOT the goal. Successful products are systems. Focus on the experience. This requires empathy, agile product management, real understanding of the target audience. This book practices what it preaches. I will use it in my courses for MBA students. You should use it for, well, for everyone. Short, simple, persuasive, and powerful."
— Don Norman, Author of “Emotional Design” and “Design of Future Things”
"Subject to Change presents complex, challenging ideas in simple, compelling language, with illuminating examples and no shortage of memorable phrases. At once authoritative and nimble, the book itself is an example of the kind of experience the authors admire. No matter who you are, it will change the way you think about design."
— Michael Bierut, Partner, Pentagram and Author,
79 Short Essays on Design
"The principles set out in Subject to Change are essential for the design of any product, but especially relevant for the fast-moving world of web software. It used to be the case that a software product was designed once, and refreshed every couple of years. Software is no longer a product. It is a process, a dynamic service that evolves as it responds to constant interaction with its users. The essence of Web 2.0 design is to create a dynamic framework that harnesses the collective intelligence of customers in such a way that the software becomes almost alive. This terrific book teaches the mindset required for this new kind of design."
— Tim O'Reilly, founder and CEO of O'Reilly Media
"Customers don't care about how innovative you are. They just want to be happy and satisfied. Learn from Adaptive Path a passion for finding and solving the problems that will matter to customers no matter what the
future brings."
— Scott Berkun, Author, The Myths of Innovation
Insights
THE EXPERIENCE IS THE PRODUCT
"How do we deliver great products and services in an
uncertain world? The thing to keep in mind, not just in
the abstract, but truly and viscerally, are your customers
and their abilities, needs, and desires."
EXPERIENCE AS STRATEGY
"All that matters to customers is their experience."
Therefore firms need a plan for the experiences they will
offer, a plan so strong that it will guide decisions on how
the experiences are marketed, maintained, and managed.
NEW WAYS OF UNDERSTANDING PEOPLE
"We must understand people as they are rather than as
market segments or demographics." A new model for
understanding your customers more completely and
more realistically—the basis of an experience strategy.
CAPTURING COMPLEXITY, BUILDING EMPATHY
"The success of experience-focused products is
contingent on everyone sharing an understanding of
users and a vision for the experience, because so many
people play a role in delivering that experience."
STOP DESIGNING "PRODUCTS"
"The true success of experience design isn't how well it
works when everything is operating as planned, but how
well it works when things start going wrong." Products
are simply interfaces to every service a firm provides.
THE DESIGN COMPETENCY
"The act of design gives form to a powerful idea that
many can rally around." One design prototype can
embody strategy, showcase an entire system, and
immediately reveal the shortfalls of your business plan.
THE AGILE APPROACH
"In an environment where exploration leading to a
dead end is viewed as an expense to be reduced,
true innovation is difficult." New developments in the
marketplace both allow and require new approaches.
AN UNCERTAIN WORLD
"We should adapt to and embrace the uncertainty around
us." A new set of organizational competencies—customer
research, design, and agile technological implementation
—will shape the firms lead in these uncertain times.
for more information contact:
Suzanne Caballero
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O'Reilly Media, Inc.
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Sebastopol, CA 95472
Tel: 707.827.7115
Fax: 707.829.0104
Email: suzannec@oreilly.com