Client Interview - Mike M.
BACKGROUND
Mike and I met at a company retreat for Plaid. I worked on the Workplace Experience team and Mike was an Integrations Engineer. I told him that I was interested in designing digital products that would actually get built by an engineer and he had been wanting someone to design what would become Onomato. The following summarizes the conversation we had on our first call once we formally decided to work together on this project.
INTERVIEW
Yona:
Why this app?
Mike:
I never read comics but got into it because my sister writes comics - TrippingOverYou.com. I can only read it on his computer but want to read on the bus, couch, etc. RSS feeds only show in backwards order.
USERS - THE READERS
Yona:
Describe the primary users to me.
Mike:
Anyone who reads web comics on their phone. Specifically serial followers of specific comics. Want notifications when there are new comics out.
Yona:
What is the core goal they want to achieve when opening the app?
Mike:
Like podcasts for web comics. Can recommend content for them.
Yona:
How do they currently solve this goal?
Mike:
E-books ($15/pc) are a solution. I use Kindle. Cached on phone. Scroll down and then swipe.
Website - presented in 3 horizontal pane. That’s one page of the comic. Similar in ebook.
Sister offers all content on site, but sells ebooks and give extra content to Patreon supporters.
Yona:
What is missing in this solution?
Mike:
Bad UX - more comfortable would be a continuous vertical stream. Hard to bookmark.
How often are they using the app?
Yona:
Do these people want to silently consume comics or do they want conversation with other readers?
Mike:
People definitely want communication. Sister has a channel but people don’t actually talk about the content. They talk about other things. That’s not V1 though. Mike is concerned about taking comments off of site if the artist doesn’t want it.
Sister streams on twitch. Likes the idea of linking comics to creation videos.
Yona:
How much of their identity do readers want to share when commenting? (i.e. Twitter vs Reddit vs most blogs)
Mike:
More reddit version - you can post but you’re not necessarily following chats or getting to know one another.
USERS - PUBLISHERS
Yona:
Is the app completely open to all or is there a level of vetting?
Mike:
More open. To get content on, it already has to be on website. Just need a url - users could add comics to it.
Yona:
What are their primary goals in using the app?
Mike:
That’s what their users want. They could earn money through it.
Yona:
Where else are they publishing?
Mike:
No idea yet. They do sell at conventions.
Yona:
What sort of information do they want to share about themselves?
Mike:
Sister doesn’t want to share personal life.
THE APP
Yona:
What core features are you envisioning for the app?
Mike:
Vertical stream of content.
Remember where you were last time that you were here. Smart feature that brings you back to where you last spent time on it.
Navigation of comic series that can help you nav if you get lost/misscroll.
Supporting a payment model
Readers and/or artists tag content for better browse and recommendations
Login with Patreon, V2+ though
Note to Self:
Mike is averse to ads but not a firm no. He’s more interested in a donation model. Maybe solution is to let the artist choose.
Yona:
It is okay to design with iOS GUIs first?
Mike:
Yes
Yona:
Do you already have a name in mind? How attached are you to it?
Mike:
Blank canvas - Sunday, but not married to it. Would like help with naming.
BUSINESS
Yona:
What amount of energy do you want to invest in the business side of the app after launching it?
Mike:
Okay to spend more energy if it gains traction. Just in the spare time for the foreseeable future.
Yona:
What other sort of people do you plan to bring into the development and launch of the app?
Mike:
Anyone who's interested but not actively looking right now. Might bring up to queer tech group that he's in though.
Yona:
How do you imagine success as it pertains to this app?
Mike:
Not stealing content from writers, but helping support them.
Yona:
What are your ideas for monetizing the app - if that is what you want to do?
Mike:
It's not a top priority. Potentially build it as a willful marketplace/platform like etsy or instagram.
ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS
These questions either were not asked because they were answered in other questions or because Mike didn't have an answer.
- What other major apps do they frequently use?
- Is there a secondary user that is important to consider? Tell me about them.
- Are many of the people using the app also artists? How do these users use the app differently ?
- Describe the publishers.
- What is missing from these solutions?
- Do you expect this to be their core or secondary publishing platform?
- Is the typical publisher a career artist or a hobbyist?
What are a few comic resources that you see as being relatively successful and reflective of users? My goal in asking this is to understand where I should research competitors and competitors.
After this call, can you come up with a list of readers and publishers that you feel comfortable introducing me to so that I can schedule calls to interview them about their needs and how this app could best solve them.
- How involved would you like to be in the design process? (i.e. - do you want check-ins every step of the way? Routine check-ins? Or just check-ins when major milestones are met?)