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The Key Experiences product team at AOL didn't use a Waterfall production process.
They began their thinking in a different place, asking different questions. This resulted in
products that more closely fit users' needs. The designers didn't give up aesthetic prin-
ciples, but they did put functionality first. They asked what their target audience wanted
or needed, came up with ideas that would serve that audience, then, at each juncture, they
considered how untrained consumers were likely to use the product once they had it in their
possession. The first thing they wanted to know about any proposed product or innovation
was: what would a user do with it? Like Waterfall, this design process had an apt name:
Agile
Experience Design.
Figure 2 - AOL Key Experiences Product Team.
As I was learning, a significant change in emphasis usually means a difference in the
way a process operates. In Waterfall, we'd done almost all our research up front. When we
got an idea for a product that served a basic function, our subsequent ideas were in service
to the product. How could it be more interesting? Could it use adornment? Streamlining?
How did it look? Feel? Did it have surprising elements that evoked delight? Finally, did it
