Once upon a time, back in 2013 I started my first serious job in a software house as a UX designer. I was really excited, and opened for new experiences. However, after couple of months in there, working and sitting, reflecting on many things, I realized how various projects were chaotic and unorganized. I just couldn’t stand that. I had been looking for a solution that could improve and revolutionize not only my UX work, but also the whole process.
Searching for undiscovered
As an experienced designer, I was looking for an easy, interactive UX tool were I could store all my data, information and research to one single place. I wanted to have an ability to share it with my team members or with clients where need. Ultimately, I couldn’t find anything valuable that would meet my expectations. But then, I felt: “It’s showtime”. I came to realization that I had to transform all my experiences and insights into specific plan and actions. I discovered a gap in the market and decided to fill it up on my own. Somehow. At that time, I wasn’t even aware how much energy and dedication it will require from me.
Originally, I started to work on talebook with Mike. We were working together in the previous company, so we already knew each other pretty well. We had similar vision of the product, which was crucial! It’s really important to find the right people, who see things in the same direction and perspective! We had one goal in our minds: we wanted to create (probably) the best interactive and collaborative UX tool for designers.
There is one fundamental thing that we learnt while working on talebook, please always keep that in your mind:
Build something that firstly solve your personal problem! Then it’s much easier to find a group of people who have the same struggles as you do.
People tend to forget about that and in fact with talebook it was our biggest resource. After all, we knew how to talk with people about their issues, needs and desires. In the end, you just have to find a bridge, common ground with your potential client. Understanding your client needs is inseparable part of product development.
So, how do we run the machine?
Firstly, we begun conducting in-depth interviews with our potential users. We made a list with target groups: freelancers, owners of small agencies, people who have problems with organization the work with the clients. As well as people who want to learn UX research.
After couple of months, we were lucky to get the money from accelerator, but… what can I say, we burnt it in 6 months. Regardless of this, it was a kick in the ass. I believe that without the money we wouldn’t be able to run the whole project. In the meantime, I got a proposal to work from San Francisco and… I accepted it — just because I felt, it’s an amazing chance for us to discover how it really is make a business in the place on earth — Silicon Valley, were everything is possible. At least, this is what I heard from people and the media. In fact, reality can be cruel, but nobody wants to talk about it. 😉
From September 2017, we were frequently working on talebook, mainly remotely. Every single week we were having a status meetings to organize and plan the work. It was a frustrating and wearisome process because of the time zone (almost 12 hours of difference). Building a product it’s like a rollercoaster. Sometimes you feel like you can reach the sky, and the next day you are so tired and unmotivated, so you only ask yourself: “What the hell am I doing with my life?”
As we walked through many obstacles along the way, we didn’t give up, even when one of the guys we hired disappeared after we had paid him. Of course, without finishing the job. We lost a lot of money, hope, nerves and we also faced with a financial crisis, but happily, (somehow) we overcome it. I believe that sometimes bad things turn out to be good. We made a lot of mistakes (it’s a story for another post), but what does not kill you makes you stronger (or pissed you off). Depends. 😉
The magic of personal talks
We never stopped to ask for feedback! We spend actively and personally a lot of time to collect insights and opinions. I do that here in San Francisco (sometime it’s tough) and Mike in Warsaw — Poland. All the data mean a lot to us, because it’s a source of inspiration to make talebook the best UX research tool ever. We dream about being on the list with the top tools for designers: next to InVision, Evernote, Marvel, Zeplin, and Sketch. Till that moment we were talking with with many talented people and experts from companies like: Google, Adobe, Dropbox, Ideo, Masterclass, Cruise and other smaller companies and startups.
Talebook as a UX game changer
A few years ago, I heard a great comparison; that working on a project is sometimes like falling in love. At the beginning, you feel a lot of emotions, endorphins and you start to imagine how everything’s gonna look like. But then… of course, the brutal reality comes. You face misunderstanding, difficult cooperation with a client; lack of time, clients improvements, and again… lack of time as usually. In the end, you share the project that neither you nor your client are happy with.
But don’t worry, especially for you, those who seek love, we created a solution that will help you stay in love… with UX design. 😉 Using our research, we mapped the path taken in the most successful and informed research UX phases. Each of the steps is critical in understanding the needs behind the design, from all perspectives: Stakeholder Interview, User Interview, Competitor Analysis, Problem definition, Personas, Solution definition, User flows.
Custom process
We know that each and every project varies in infinite ways — there is no such thing as ‘one size fits all’. That’s why we’ve made the process fully customisable, and allowed you to add your own steps.
We’ve also equipped Talebook with a series of templates, ready and easy to fill up with data and insights gathered directly from your client. Each method is explained in detail to ensure you’re getting what you need at the right moment.
Collaborate with your team and client
One of the most important features focus on people; both — you as a designer and your client. We help you not only organize your work, but also give you a chance to cooperate and understand your customer needs. Easily share your process with other people, so you can make improvements faster and better.
Today is the day! After 2 years of hard work we are proud to announce that we’ve just launched talebook!
From that place we would like to thank all people who helped us went through out this difficult journey. We hope that our product will help you take your UX research to the next level. ❤
Talebook — is an interactive and collaborative UX research tool, dedicated to designers and freelancers. We help you kick-off your next project and understand better your client!
We are live on Product Hunt. Please share some love and let us know what you think in comments!
Questions, feedback? Please write to us at contact@talebook.io or just say “Hi” on Twitter!
