Loops Home // Resources

Resources

Thanks for buying a copy of the book. Below you will find PDF downloads and links to books and other resources I mention in the book.

If you’re looking for more help, you should check out The Loops Course.

Downloadables


Empathy Map

Originally developed by the fine people at XPlane, the Empathy Map is the go-to tool for documenting and understanding how people think.

Download or visit xplane.com


VALUE PROPOSITION CANVAS

Created by the fine people at Strategyzer, the Value Proposition Canvas has become the best way to visualize how your product’s features and benefits relate to your customer’s pains and gains.

Download or visit strategyzer.com


BUSINESS MODEL CANVAS

Also developed by Strategyzer, the Business Model Canvas has become the best way to visualize all the important moving parts of your business model and how they relate to each other.

Download or visit strategyzer.com


EMPATHY MAP, VALUE PROPOSITION, BUSINESS MODEL RELATIONSHIP DIAGRAM

Created at Nine Labs, here’s how the Empathy Map, Value Proposition Canvas, and Business Model Canvas all fit together.

Download


CUSTOMER INTERVIEW QUESTION SWIPE FILE

Dozens of proven interview questions you can use to understand your customer and their needs.

Download


WORKSHOP AND EXERCISE SUPPLIES*


Brand Deck

Brand Ethos Deck

Our go-to deck for defining your brand ethos.

Buy from Branding.cards


MOD Timer

MOD Timer

Keeping track of time can be hard when you're thinking about other things. The MOD Timer keeps you on track.

Buy from Amazon


Whiteboards

Whiteboards or Post-it Pads

You will want a lot of whiteboard or other workspace for drawing and collaborating. You should consider getting:


Sony Recorder

Portable Audio Recorder

When doing customer interviews and other work sessions you'll want a reliable way to record the audio. This recorder is easy to use and has built-in USB to make transferring audio files to your computer nice and easy.

Buy from Amazon


Markers

Black Whiteboard Markers

Nothing beats having a stockpile of quality black markers. You'll use these for exercises on whiteboards and on paper. The thick tip keeps your drawings and sketches loose and keeps you from trying to add too much detail. Get at least 12.

Buy from Amazon


Pens

Felt Tip Pens

These are great for sketching on your sticky notes or regular paper. The wider point keeps you from trying to get too detailed. It's good to have a few colors on hand for making notes or marking up sketches.

Buy from Amazon


Yellow Sticky Notes

Yellow Sticky Notes

You can't have too many yellow sticky notes. Seriously, the more you have around the better. The standard square ones are good, but the 3x5 size is even better.

Buy from Amazon

Colored Sticky Notes

Colored Sticky Notes

We recommend yellow sticky notes for most things, but colored notes will help you keep things organized for some of the exercises. One box of assorted colors will be enough to get you started.

Buy from Amazon


Sticky Dots

Colored Sticky Dots

Using colored dots is a fast and simple way to make notes or groupings, vote on ideas, and create basic visual heat maps during some of the exercises.

Buy from Amazon


Copy Paper

Plain White Copy Paper

No need to buy fancy paper. You'll just use it for quick notes and sketches. You can buy some here or just steal some from the nearest copier. One ream is probably more than enough for now.

Buy from Amazon


Mobile UI Notebook

Mobile UI Notebook

This is a great notebook to have on hand when it's time to do paper prototyping. It gives you 6 screens per page which is enough for a simple workflow or to show several options of one screen.

Buy from Amazon


Field Notes

Field Notes - Our Favorite Pocket Notebook

Field Notes brand notebooks have been our go-to for over a decade. They're just the right size and the dot grid paper (important - get the dot grid) makes it super easy to take notes or create simple sketches.

Buy from Amazon


Masking Tape

Plain Masking Tape

Nothing too fancy, but you want the stuff that's sticky enough to stay on the wall over and over again, because you'll probably be moving things around a bit.

Buy from Amazon


Design Tools and Resources


Visual Design & Prototyping Tools

Design Process and Collaboration

Books and Other Resources*


Talking to Humans by Giff Constable



Mapping Experiences by James Kalbach

Designing for Emotion by Aarron Walter




Disclaimers
  • Some links above are affiliate links. Other than any payment though the affiliate programs, we have not been compensated in any way for including links to these products and resources. They are genuine recommendations based on our experience using or reading them.
  • We do not guarantee the effectiveness of using these tools or the quality of the outcomes you may have from using them.