Kathy Sierra did a video session with Tim O’Reilly at the 2008 Tools of Change conference. IT Conversations has the audio. I’ll admit I was late jumping on her Creating Passionate Users blog and should likely spend a day reading it start-to-finish, but until then, here are the blips from the podcast.

  • No one is passionate about things they suck at
  • Wine people taste more things in their wine
  • Jazz people hear more
  • Nothing can be considered a game without feedback
  • State of flow could be described as being fully engaged
  • People are happier when in flow. (They are not worrying about bills, etc.)
  • The user must have an ‘I Rule!’ experience
  • Mammals learn through play
  • Cognitive Seduction
  • Even if your mind wants to learn, your brain might not be in a state to actually do it
  • Book – Save the Cat
  • Even a tech book can be modeled after a 3 act story
  • Don’t back away from a challenge / don’t dumb content down
  • Don’t start at the beginning. Start a couple chapters in
  • Spend the most time one the first two chapters. That is the make-or-break section
  • Think about the readers’ perspective, not yours (as the author)
  • If someone doesn’t really hate your product, it’s mediocre. – Don Norman
  • Don’t try to please everyone
  • Where there is passion, there is community.
  • People will do anything to connect to to others with the same passion
  • Its not about you. Or your product. It is about your customer
  • What your customer cares about is much bigger than just your idea or product
  • Focus on what the customer can do with the product, not just your product
  • When describing how to use something, instruct on how to take great pictures, not just to use the camera
  • Misattribution of arousal
  • Transformative plays are bold. Be bold.
  • There is a difference between different and radically different
  • Reducing guilt and fear are the killer apps