
Product tips in a comic book format - danbenoni
https://growth.design/case-studies/
======
whytaka
Having just read the top article on AirBnB, the first tip I see is this:

> Oh, calling me by my first name!

> That's a good way to make Airbnb feel friendlier than other hotel booking
> apps.

Good GOD. Am I just too cynical or are people really fooled into committing
rapport to a corporation based on such low-effort implementations?

If anything I like applications less when they pretend to have a soul. Give me
a tool and I'll respect you more for getting the BS out of the way.

~~~
jsf01
I like seeing the name for a different reason. I’m often signed into someone
else’s account—could be a family member’s or my girlfriend’s. Most services do
a good job of making it clear which account you’re signed into, but seeing the
first name associated with the account right away is always nice.

~~~
paggle
Some things like Slack and Microsoft Office show your initials and full name
(space permitting) which isn’t as irritatingly faux-familiar.

------
briefcomment
This looks like it could have promise.

I like the presentation. The analysis seems shallow though. It feels like your
thought process is, "I have some free time, let's open up this app and see
what I enjoy or think is clever, or critique some places for improvement".

I think I would enjoy it if you presented a wholly new alternative UI, instead
of small changes here and there. Obviously, you would only post the new UIs
that are compelling, instead of trying to fit a new UI into existing apps by
default.

~~~
danbenoni
Thanks for the comment. Very interesting points too! Indeed, we do go through
a real-life use case, highlight the + and - and attach psy / UX / data
insights along the way. Some companies actually reach out after the case
studies to confirm the findings and hypothesis (some even confirmed winning
variants or experiments in progress). It's an interesting exercise, although
not meant to be an exact science as we don't have access to all the data those
companies have. We have to rely on parallel research and deep-dive user
interviews. Our goal is mainly to get people from different disciplines
(engineering, design, marketing, sales, etc) to focus on what matters most but
is often overlooked: the real-life experience of the customer. Cheers and
thanks again for your comment BC!

~~~
briefcomment
I would emphasize whenever an analysis has been validated or commented on by
the company itself. That elevates the veracity of your analysis from an
"amateur blog" level to a "legitimate source for UI examples/successes" level.
I think it makes sense to prioritize collecting feedback from those companies
as well. Could make or break user engagement.

~~~
danbenoni
Very good point. If you look at the Superhuman case study, their CEO went
through the slides before the release and accepted to have "their stamp" in
there. Other companies don't want that information public though, that's the
only problem :-/.

------
httpsterio
I've read a few of these "case studies" and I cannot really recommend it for
anyone really. The format used to present is annoying and slow to ingest,
basically bitmoji level comics that look silly.

The information presented might sometimes be inaccurate or the results stated
might be wildly inaccurate. If you want to learn about usability, user
experience design or product design, there's a lot of better resources
available. I recommend keeping an eye on
[http://sidebar.io](http://sidebar.io) (and remember to take thode articles
with a grain of salt)

~~~
WaylonKenning
I loved these case studies, and are presented in a great way to engage non-
interested stakeholders into usability design.

~~~
danbenoni
It surprised us at first, but this is legit how many design teams use them…!

------
chacha2
[https://growth.design/case-studies/duolingo-user-
retention/](https://growth.design/case-studies/duolingo-user-retention/)

Reading this sent a feeling of disgust down my gut. This is exactly the stuff
HackerNews hates on Facebook and the like for doing and exactly what's killing
my joy of technology / any love for the industry.

~~~
ibudiallo
Not that you can't learn a language with it, if you are persistent, but
Duolingo is a Game first before being a learning tool. It employs all the
mobile gaming tricks that get you addicted.

------
_august
Thanks @danbenoni for putting this together, I appreciate the insights!

~~~
danbenoni
Sure thing! Thanks for the kind words!

