Book review: UX for Lean Startups || Laura Klein

In a recent deviation from my normal literary diet of Buddhism and yogic philosophy, I consumed UX for Lean Startups whole. My love of philosophy is strongly augmented by my love of startups, and Laura Klein brings a beautiful take on how to seriously short cut what can be a torturous and expensive process of validation for a new idea going out to market. There is nothing that replaces a deep knowledge of process and a vault full of war stories to illustrate what can go wrong when process is ignored. The book basically takes you through the linear process of designing a good user experience, with the customers enjoyment and usability at the centre.

Laura has no need of jargon filled language, or awkwardly complex technical descriptions, she writes it as she sees it, and ensures that all key take aways are clearly delineated – especially where you can and can’t take shortcuts (spoiler alert – there are no shortcuts.) UX is the beginning of validating what you have in your head as the best thing since sliced bread, as being a similarly palatable loaf for others to enjoy. And don’t be mistaken in thinking this lean approach to design is only for tech companies or startups. If this method was adopted across the board, there would be a lot less failure in small business, and a subsequent reduction is tears and heartbreak. You want your customers to have a best on ground, product market fit, easy to use product that they will love for its lifecycle and all subsequent iterations (spoiler alert – its all about the iterations.)

This book is a must read for anyone who is even considering taking an idea to market.