This is the first in a series of posts about Skype. This one owes a huge debt to Stuart.

Skype is a telephone system that, at the moment, runs through the Internet. You access Skype through your computer. What are the elements of user experience? First, let's start with six choices, six user behaviors.

1. Start a call
2. Answer the call
3. Bring in another person
4. Share something
5. End a call
6. Add a friend to your address book

Much of the product and business analysis will cluster around one or more of these moments. There must have been prior art on telephone consumer behavior, so research will follow.

Start a call

Includes:

• Recognizing the need to talk to someone
• Choose to talk now
• Looking up or remembering their phone number
• Going to the phone
• Calling

Answer the call

• Be alerted (ring ring)
• Choose to answer
• Go to the phone
• Answer

Bring in another person

• I'm on the phone and recognize the need to talk to another person without hanging up the existing call
• Choose whether to create a second call, bring the next person into the existing call, or to merge two ongoing calls
• Make a call or merge two calls

Share something

• "Oooh, you gotta (see / hear / play with / click on ) this!"
• Send it

End a call

• Recognize the need to end
• End it

Add a friend to your address book

• Think of it
• Add
• Organize

How are these behaviors different with Skype than POTS? than with mobile phone? What are the opportunities to redefine how you experience these moments? to create new value or cut time or effort?

Theme of the week.

[a klog apart]