Facebook元老成硅谷移動(dòng)導(dǎo)師
????大衛(wèi)?莫林一邊分析為移動(dòng)設(shè)備設(shè)計(jì)產(chǎn)品的難處,一邊有條不紊的擺弄著自己銀手鐲上的鏈子。談話從一個(gè)大想法跳到下一個(gè)大想法,直到莫林突然想到一件深?yuàn)W的事情。他認(rèn)真地說道:“移動(dòng)已經(jīng)使得生活變成了一個(gè)平臺(tái)。” ????現(xiàn)年31歲的莫林是Path的創(chuàng)始人,Path是一家只能通過手機(jī)訪問的社交網(wǎng)站。Facebook和谷歌的社交平臺(tái)Google Plus允許用戶與數(shù)千熟人相連,然而Path用戶最多僅能設(shè)置150名好友。它的理念是,限制好友人數(shù)使得互動(dòng)更親密、更真誠。蘋果(Apple)和谷歌(Google)的手機(jī)都能運(yùn)行這個(gè)應(yīng)用。Path的界面靈巧且直觀,相比之下,競爭對手顯得十分呆板。 ????今年初,Path進(jìn)行了B輪募資,共籌集到2.5億美元。投資方包括紅點(diǎn)投資(Redpoint Ventures)、凱鵬華盈(Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers)等機(jī)構(gòu)以及理查德?布蘭森、尤里?米爾納和馬克?平克斯等獨(dú)立投資人。 ????他們對莫林的興趣也許并不亞于Path本身。莫林曾是Facebook的元老,參與開發(fā)了Facebook的兩大支柱技術(shù)——Facebook Connect和Facebook Platform。Facebook如今用戶已經(jīng)多達(dá)9億,這兩大技術(shù)可謂功不可沒。在這之前,這位蒙大拿州的滑雪愛好者在蘋果市場部工作。 ????沒有人知道Path前景如何。目前它的用戶數(shù)只有300萬,與Instagram或Pinterest相比,這個(gè)數(shù)字無疑不值一提。不過,這一點(diǎn)也許無關(guān)緊要。莫林的公司是“移動(dòng)先行”戰(zhàn)略的急先鋒。他表示,這個(gè)戰(zhàn)略的意義在于以時(shí)間為導(dǎo)向并注重細(xì)節(jié)。 ????移動(dòng)用戶數(shù)的暴漲讓許多硅谷公司面臨重新洗牌的局面。不過,問題在于極少有公司明白如何設(shè)計(jì)移動(dòng)產(chǎn)品,以及如何從移動(dòng)用戶身上賺錢。Facebook就是一個(gè)例子,該公司的iPhone應(yīng)用自推出后就一直惡評不斷,直到最近發(fā)布新的版本,才得到了大家的勉強(qiáng)接受。而Facebook豪擲10億美元收購照片分享服務(wù)Instagram的部分原因也在于,該公司需要合適的設(shè)計(jì)者和工程師來打造移動(dòng)產(chǎn)品。 ????莫林現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)成為科技界的一些大佬眼中的移動(dòng)專家。Facebook聯(lián)合創(chuàng)始人達(dá)斯汀?莫斯科維茨就是莫林的支持者。谷歌風(fēng)投合伙人凱文?羅斯談到莫林的設(shè)計(jì)步驟時(shí)說:“為什么要開發(fā)某種產(chǎn)品?它意味著什么?莫林對這些問題總是考慮得面面俱到。”Facebook的馬克?扎克伯格也是他的粉絲。扎克伯格告訴《財(cái)富》雜志(Fortune):“我期待和他更緊密地合作?!?/p> ????譯者:項(xiàng)航 |
????Dave Morin is methodically thumbing the chain links on his silver bracelet as he parses the difficulties of designing products for mobile devices. The conversation careens from one big idea to the next until Morin hits on something profound: "With mobile, life has become the platform," he says earnestly. ????Morin, 31, is the founder of Path, a social network accessible only via mobile phone. Where Facebook (FB) and Google Plus (GOOG) let users connect to thousands of acquaintances, Path users can designate a maximum of 150 friends. This restriction, so the thinking goes, leads to more intimate and genuine interactions. The app, which is available for Apple- (AAPL) and Google-powered phones, features a slick, intuitive interface that makes competitors look sclerotic. ????Earlier this year Path raised a Series B round of funding valuing it at $250 million. Backers include Redpoint Ventures and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, as well as Richard Branson,Yuri Milner, and Mark Pincus. ????They may be betting on Morin as much as on Path. An early member of the Facebook team, he co-invented two signature technologies, Facebook Connect and the Facebook Platform, that helped the company surge to 900 million users. Before that, the Montana native and avid skier worked in Apple's marketing department. ????Nobody knows exactly where Path will lead. At some 3 million users, it hasn't achieved the phenomenal adoption of Instagram or Pinterest. But it may not matter: Morin's company is a pioneer of mobile-first design, which, he says, is time-intensive and requires attention to detail. ????The deluge of mobile users threatens to upend a wide range of businesses in Silicon Valley. Trouble is, few companies really know how to design for or generate significant revenue from such users. Facebook, for instance, stumbled badly when it released a clunky iPhone app that users groaned about until a recent update. Its $1 billion purchase of photo-sharing service Instagram was motivated in part by its need for designers and engineers skilled in creating products for phones. ????Morin has become a kind of mobile guru to some of the biggest names in tech. Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz is a booster. "He's always thinking through every aspect of why he's building something and what that means," says Google Ventures partner Kevin Rose of Morin's design chops. Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg is also a fan. "I'm looking forward to working more closely together," Zuckerberg tells Fortune. |