My no-bullshit approach to creating successful products, powerful UX and very happy users + customers.

My perennial bestseller book, Think First, contains proven principles, step-by-step methods and straightforward, jargon-free advice that applies to anything you’re designing or building. 

Creating an app, site or any product that succeeds — or sells — is most definitely a tall order. Designing anything for people is tough, because we're inherently complex and...well...messy. Which means that things like market share and ROI don't come easy.

But time and effort spent finding the right problems to solve allows UXers, designers, developers and product teams to take quantum leaps forward in exceeding the expectations of everyone involved.

In Think First, I show you exactly how to do this, using lessons learned from three decades as a UX consultant to Fortune 100 and 500 organizations. 

You'll find proven principles, step-by-step methods and straightforward, jargon-free advice that can be applied to any kind of digital product. Here's what you'll find inside:

• Practical & realistic scenarios. I give you real-world examples of how to create UX strategies for digital products that ensure success (along with what not to do).
• Foundational UX ideas. I explain core concepts and timeless principles of UX in a conversational and easy-to-read style.
• Patterns, approaches and tools. I share the tools and methods I’ve used with Fortune 500 and 100 companies for 30 years — methods I still use to this day.

Think First proves that while people are indeed messy and complex, designing for them doesn't have to be.

And here's why I believe Think First is unlike any other book on the subject of UX strategy and design: I didn't want to write yet another book that covers the narrow, tactical pieces of the design process, because great design and great UX are the result of multiple activities across multiple people, roles and disciplines. It's everybody's business. 

Think First walks you through everything that must be considered to create great UX — and gives you a roadmap to make it happen.

I wanted this book to serve as a roadmap to building a solid foundation for UX that's strong enough to withstand any weather as projects move into design and coding. 

Here are just some of the things you'll learn:

• Simple user research methods that anyone can perform -- even if you've never done research of any kind.
• The right questions to ask stakeholders and users at the outset of any (and every) project.
• The 3 crucial questions you must ask of every client, every time.
• How to tell the difference between what people say they need vs. what they really need.
• A better, simpler way to generate meaningful, appropriate, relevant UX requirements at the outset of the project.
• How to figure out what features and functionality will result in great UX and deliver value to both users and the business.
• How to avoid scope creep and the never-ending project scenario.