While I am listed as the author, I couldn’t have written this book without the support of many people.
First and foremost, I must thank Louis Rosenfeld for taking a chance on me. Thank you, Lou, for your support throughout the writing process and your flexibility around the design of this particular book. The user experience community is lucky to have you as an advocate.
Marta Justak—you are just an awesome human being. Whether kind, supportive feedback or come-to-Jesus tough love, you always knew just what to say to keep me moving forward. Thank you, Marta. This book wouldn’t have happened without you. I’m thankful to have had you as an editor and now as a friend.
Next, I feel a great sense of gratitude to the entire faculty of professors, instructors, staff, and students at the Institute of Design in Chicago where I received my masters in Human-Centered Design. From the legacy of Moholy-Nagy and the Bauhaus to the early beginnings of design planning and strategy cultivated by Jay Doblin—my experience at ID taught me the power design can have in the world. There was no professor who inspired me more than Larry Keeley. Larry, it was truly an honor to be one of your students. Thank you for writing the beautiful foreword to this book.
I often think my career in design wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for my very first design mentor, the late Gino Lee. Thanks for taking a chance on me all those years ago, Gino. You showed me the ropes of being a professional designer and started me on this path. Your wisdom and mentorship sticks with me to this day. The world is a little darker without you here.
In 2008, I met a man named Bob Ianuuci, and that meeting radically changed both my thinking about mobile user experience and the trajectory of my career. Thank you, Bob, for teaching me the importance of thinking big picture in this rapidly changing design space. I’d feel lucky to have even a measure of your vision and integrity. You are a priceless mentor and friend.
Thank you to Josh Clark, Jon Kolko, and Oliver Weidlich for being generous, honest, and constructive with your early feedback of this book. Your comments made a huge difference, and this book is much better because of them.It was a joy and pleasure to interview the experts for this book. Thanks to Julian Bleeker, Alex Rainert, Mike Kruzeniski, as well as Stephanie and Bryan Rieger for your expertise and generosity. Both this book and the world are better with your perspectives in it.
Dr. Jillian Kleiner, thank you for your patience, wisdom, and care . . . and for helping me find my way out of the bog.
Thanks in spades go to my two dear friends, Mirjana Spasojevic and Sharon Priest. You’ve saved me from drowning in the undertow of life more times than I can count. Thank you, for being cheerleaders and shoulders to cry on during this process and throughout our friendship.
John Shen and Quinn Jacobson at the Nokia Research Lab in Palo Alto are two men I will be indebted to for many years to come. They gave me, quite possibly, the most precious gift anyone can give a writer: the gift of time.
Thank you for providing a supportive environment from which to create this book. It continues to be a privilege to work for you both.
I have two friends and former colleagues to thank for the title of this book— Brian Cronin and Rachel Glaves. Your creation didn’t go to waste.
While I concede it may seem odd to thank a pet in the acknowledgements of a book, I don’t think I would have survived the 14 months it took me to complete this publication without the unconditional love and companionship of my dog buddy, Stanley. Thanks, little guy. I owe you some much needed hikes and beach frolicking.
I was fully warned that writing a book can feel like a never-ending slog. At times, it truly was. I also gladly assumed the risk of writing a book about a technology subject that’s changing faster than any technology subject before it—almost ensuring that much of what I wrote would be out of date before the book was published. I have my father, David Hinman, to thank for showing me the virtues of hard work, stepping up to risk, and following my instincts. I am glad I inherited your tenacity and optimism, Dad.
Finally, I dedicate this book to my mother, Patricia Tiffany-Hinman. When you went to college, most women had two career options: nursing or teaching. Yet you raised me to believe I could do anything. I believed you and without that belief, both my career in mobile and this book would not exist. Thank you, mom, for your unwavering support and love—and most importantly for raising me to believe a woman can do anything she sets her mind to.
—Rachel Hinman, April 23, 2012, San Francisco, California