How to Stand Out: Simple Design Tips for Early-Stage Founders

Creating Impact Without the Design Degree

Aug 23, 2023

🔮 Hey everyone, welcome to this week’s post from Designing Futures. Every week, I simplify and share practical design advice for Indie hackers, founders and product teams on taking ideas from zero to one. This week’s post was inspired by a recent conversation I had with a founder, I hope its useful. All the best, Josh

“User experience is critical. Especially when you compete on a market with the same features but want to sell a better product.” - Feedback from a founder

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Every day, hundreds of new products hit the internet, each hoping to make a lasting impression. Yet, only a few manage to catch our attention.

Over the years, standout products like Headspace, Airbnb, Spark, and Notion have set impressive benchmarks. They've made exceptional user experiences both a norm and an expectation.

This might seem daunting, but I think this is as a fresh opportunity. It's undeniable that perception is powerful. A stellar user experience can transform your product from just another option to the top choice.

Today, where many products boast similar features, it's those intuitive, bold, and user-obsessed thinkers that truly stand out—shifting from mundane to memorable.

This week, we'll explore why standing out means more than just being different—it's about being remarkably better. Let's dive into the steps you can take to achieve that.

Wrap your arms around the problem

In one of Figma’s latest articles ‘Is the New Deal for business leading by design?‘

Julie Zhuo

, design legend and co-founder at Sundial, highlights a quote that is also a favourite of mine from Brian Chesky, CEO of Airbnb. He talks about how you need to “Wrap your arms around the problem“, which I think is an awesome metaphor for a simple truth that means you need to understand and own the entire problem space you’re working in.

To do that, you’ll read from many UX resources that you need to start with user needs. This is sage advice, but foundational. To dive deeper, you can lean on what the Job To Be Done framework ‘JTBD’ teaches, which is to think about the task that your users are trying to complete.

People are always trying to complete tasks, and this is a tactical angle to a ‘user need’ which allows you to think about not just what that task is, but when your users are completing it, and why.

Understanding how and when these tasks are completed, either through observing your current product or by watching potential users, lets you analyse the experience into tangible steps.

Why is this important?

Grasping the entire user journey allows you to become an expert on your users and the environment of their challenges. It’s a base for creating today’s top-tier user experiences, allowing you to:

✅ Simplify your product to its essence
✅ Ignite innovative concepts for improvement
✅ Stay a step ahead by comprehending the nuances of your users' journey

How do I get started?

Let's draw inspiration from an example Brian Chesky shared regarding Airbnb. To refine their service, Airbnb's team meticulously mapped out the entire user journey. This allowed them to gain a profound understanding of the entire process.

Map out your user’s tasks ✍️

Make a list of tasks or ‘jobs’ that your users need to complete.
Prioritise those tasks by how often they need to be completed.

Map our your user’s overall journey 🗺️

Map out of every step users take to complete their tasks.
If your product is already active, start from the first interaction, such as a Google search or landing on your homepage. Still in the exploration phase? Review current available solutions or observe how users currently manage these tasks.
Order them into a step-by-step process that gives you an overview of the entire experience.

Review the entire journey 💡

How well does your product allow users to complete their tasks? Or alternatively, how do users complete them today?
Are there ways to make the journey smoother, quicker, or more user-friendly?
Where are the points of friction?
How efficiently does your product, or the existing methods, help users in completing all of required tasks?

It's alright if you're limited by the user feedback you have, or are making decisions based on your intuition. Embracing the mindset of 'wrapping your arms around the problem' sets you up for the 'simple truths' we'll explore next.

Five Simple truths to stand out

1. Be targeted

Trying to be everything to everyone can make your product a master of none.

Picture a shop juggling roles of a deli and a boutique; its identity gets lost. It’s confusing, and customers might doubt its ability to shine in either of those things. Your digital product or service isn’t any different.

Grabbing attention isn't just about sleek designs or catchy phrases. It's about resonating deeply with your audience's needs.

Design for your users, not just for screens and consider their environment and the devices they’re using. If they're predominantly mobile users who frequently use Twitter, tailor your design to be mobile-friendly and familiar in its user interface. Or if you’re working on a B2B enterprise tool, think about how this fits into their desktop workflow amongst other tools. This makes the user's transition to your product smoother and more intuitive.

2. Be bold and exciting

Being bold isn’t about only standing out; it’s also about creating something impactful for the right audience, in an memorable way.

People appreciate the bold. It’s a new and fresh way of looking at things, it’s exciting.

Take Screen Studio for example, their mission is to create “Beautiful Screen Recordings in Minutes.“ Here’s an example of what their tool can do:

Screen Studio challenges the status quo with:

✅ Bold new features such as beautiful zooming interactions
✅ Customisable backgrounds
✅ Personalised options to make my recording mine

It not only incredibly easy to use, but allows me to create beautiful recordings. It’s quick, bold, and overall feels high quality.

3. Work hard to make it simple

Simplicity represents the pinnacle of quality in any user experience, because it eliminates unnecessary complexity that can lead to confusion.

“When an app feels simple, users perceive it as natural, an extension of what they know. It arises from their experience and it flows naturally from what they expect.”
- Designer at Apple

Strive to create an experience so intuitive that users don't need a manual to navigate. It should feel like a natural extension of what they know. In the UX world, we refer to this as designing in alignment with the users' 'mental model'. This means understanding how users perceive and model your product in their mind and in relation to what they already know and are familiar with.

This meme on simplicity hits home for iOS users for a reason.

This Meme Perfectly Illustrates the Road to Mastery | by ...

For those taking notes, their primary 'Jobs To Be Done' include:

Quickly capturing information
Easily finding or reading that information
Editing the information

Apple Notes stands out in its simplicity. One tap on the icon, and you're in. Another tap on a note, and you're ready to read or edit. There aren't any complex menus or distractions to mentally sift through. It's intuitive, rapid, and responsive—feeling like a seamless extension of what users know.

Its minimalism and intuitiveness make it universally usable.

It’s not overloaded with features; it's simple and straightforward. Every founder must ask: What's the core functionality? Overstuffing a product with features only introduces more potential obstacles and learning curves for users.

Using the 'Jobs To Be Done' approach, consider the steps your users take to complete their tasks with your product. The objective is to streamline the entire experience, ruthlessly focusing on the most essential features and making them outstanding.

“Making something look simple is easy. Making something simple to use is much harder - especially when the underlying systems are complex - but that’s what we should be doing. Don’t take “It’s always been that way” for an answer. It’s usually more and harder work to make things simple, but it’s the right thing to do.” - Gov.uk

In summary, do less.

4. Iterate, Iterate, Iterate

Here in the UK, our government's digital team introduced a list of design principles specific to government needs, complemented by posters to illustrate them.

Their ‘iteration’ poster speaks a thousand words. It’s something that designers know yields the best results. While the first version of anything might be functional, it's usually the tenth version that shines the brightest.

This doesn’t mean you need to ship ten variations of what you’re working on. It means you need to have done the hard work to make it simple, and thought about, or drawn out new approaches to make something the best it can be.

The goal is to evolve your solution based on the promise made to users when they signed up. Consider iteration not as a one-time task but as an ongoing commitment, ensuring you're always delivering the highest standard possible.

If you need help breaking down your overall experience and design, to figure out where you could iterate - I highly recommend taking a read through a post from Pat, Better by Design. This will give you some great ideas on what you can refine and improve. If you have any questions or would like to discuss these principles, please tweet or email me, I’d be more than happy to talk them through.

5. Be inspired

I know what you might be thinking, how can I ‘be inspired’?

Whilst this is something that doesn’t sound actionable, I find that it is something that you can easily make time for. Feeling inspired not only supercharges your ability to do all of the simple truths above, but let’s you see things long term, from a different point of view.

Actively take the time to do what inspires you. Spending time in my quiet creative zone gives me my best ideas. It helps my brain to quiet down and bring me the information I’m looking for. Some of my favourite ways to do this are:

Sit in a coffee shop, with music, a podcast, or with nothing at all.
Go for a walk in a different direction, be open to randomness.
Watch a favourite film which has nothing to do with your venture.
Browse Mobbin to train your design and UX senses, so that you aim for quality.

These simple truths aren't just tips, but catalysts for creativity: urging you to re-think, refine, and be ambitious about the product and experience you want to bring into the world.

Rick Rubin, in his recent book "The Creative Act: A Way of Being," talks about the importance of having an open mindset in the world. I believe this openness means to embrace fresh ideas and to be constantly open to life's unexpected cues. With this mindset, understanding your user’s tasks, thinking boldly, striving for simplicity, and being iterative – I'm confident you're paving a path to something truly distinctive and exciting.

Something that stands out.

Key takeaways

UX is crucial: A great experience can elevate your product to the preferred choice.
Wrap your arms around the problem: Become an expert in your users.
Review the journey: Think of the tasks and overall journey users need to take.
Be targeted: Speak directly to your audience's needs and desires.
Be bold: Create something impactful for the right audience, in an memorable way.
~~Iterate~~, ~~Iterate~~, Iterate: To achieve the best possible solution.
Be Inspired: Take the time to embrace fresh ideas with an open mindset.

All the best,
Josh (@joshuanewton1) 🔮

✨ I hope this week’s post was useful for you. Sharing my work allows me to continue being helpful and continue writing. If you want to reach out, you can tweet or email me as I’d love to hear from you

🗓️ Next week

The Roundup: Issue #1, August 2023
Your Monthly Dose of Founder Advice, Design Magic, & Cool Finds.

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