What happens when you bring user-centred, data-driven product management techniques to bear on the creation and iteration of ‘imagination products’ such as stories for children? In turn, what can product people learn from the imaginative techniques used by story tellers? Why is it that only a water princess can defeat the pasta monster? Nick will use his experience creating bestselling children’s books at Lost My Name to explore these questions and more.
2. Our picture books
How they work
Imagination products
How they work
Optimising imagination
Your mission
3.
4.
5. Full stack publishing company
Backed by investors such as Google
Ventures and Ravensburger
100 employees mainly in London
Nearly 3 million books sold in 200+
countries in under three years
Best seller in US, UK, Australia, Germany...
14. Nicholas
12 Ashby Road
10th August 1983
Computers, Steak
Annie, Pete, Davina, ...
BIrthda
y Thief
BIrthda
y Thief
15. BIrthda
y Thief
BIrthda
y Thief
N I C H O L A S
World U.K London
Ashby
Road
12
10 Aug 1983
Computers Steak
Annie Peter Davina Nick Elfie Bonnie
16. BIrthda
y Thief
BIrthda
y Thief
N I C H O L A S
World U.K London
Ashby
Road
12
10 Aug 1983
Computers Steak
Annie Peter Davina Nick Elfie Bonnie
Start End
Start End
Start End
Start End
Start End
18. World U.K London
Ashby
Road
12Start End
Inciting
incident
Progressive
complications
A mentor arrives Moment of truth
Change in hero
and the world
19. World U.K London
Ashby
Road
12Start End
Inciting
incident
Progressive
complications
A mentor arrives Moment of truth
Change in hero
and the world
Adventure FriendshipKindness Belonging
20. World U.K London
Ashby
Road
12
“There’s no limit to how far you can go if you
know you have somewhere safe to return to…”
Start End
Inciting
incident
Progressive
complications
A mentor arrives Moment of truth
Change in hero
and the world
Adventure FriendshipKindness Belonging
23. “The Journey Home and The Little
Boy Who Lost his Name are my son's
favorite stories. He is 5 and thinks
they actually happened to him
because they are about him.
That being said he is very upset that
his robot friend Hubble doesn't come
visit and play. I tried explaining it was
a story and that made it worse
because heaven forbid that Hubble
his robot friend isn't real.
The attached picture is the result of
me trying to explain why his robot
friend Hubble doesn't come visit. He
still loves the books but is super
upset when Hubble comes up
because he wishes his robot friend
would come over and play and have
lemonade.
Maybe the book should have the
option of coming with a stuffed
Hubble to cuddle and read
together?”
26. I just wanted to drop you all a line at Lost My Name to say that
we absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE our book. We have read it for
bedtime every night since we received it and it still entertains
us every time :slightly_smiling_face: Our daughter loves it and
reading it as a family has become a special time for us at
night. Thank you for something so incredibly special that I
think has become a huge part of my daughter's childhood - I
will never forget the look of awe on my daughter's face the
first night we read it and she realised it was her name at the
end!
“
”
34. Creator
imagines it
You buy it
Conventional children’s picture book
You read it
aloud
Creators
imaginative
world, and your
performance,
inspires a child
35. Creator
imagines it
You buy and
create it
Wonderbly picture book
You read it
aloud
Creators imaginative
world, enhanced with
your realistic and
personal ingredients and
your performance,
inspires a child even
more deeply
You extra
realism and
personal
value to it
36. Creator
imagines it
You buy and
create it
You read it
aloud
Creators imaginative
world, enhanced with
your realistic and
personal ingredients and
your performance,
inspires a child even
more deeply
You extra
realism and
personal
value to it
01010001100
00100110100
10011
Book
37. Creator
imagines it
You buy and
create it
You read it
aloud
Creators imaginative
world, enhanced with
your realistic and
personal ingredients and
your performance,
inspires a child even
more deeply
You extra
realism and
personal
value to it
42. Identify
imagination
need in
customers
Creator
prototypes
idea and gets
feedback
from
customers
Creator works
on idea (with
more
customer
feedback
throughout)
Creator has
idea in
response
How we do it
Launch as a
test
Optimise for
highest
customer
conversion
Qualitative, user centred design Quantitative, data driven
optimisation