SHAWN BORSKY

UNTETHERED

HOW VISIONARIES THINK ABOUT THE MOBILE-FIRST FUTURE
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WHAT IS UNTETHERED ?

A framework
A philsophy
A strategic mindset
In short, Untethered is a framework. A way of thinking about mobile design strategy that you may not have before. If a common phrase around your office is "Its X 'on the go'" then you might be interested in a new way to look at "mobile"...

The untethered, mobile-first future is as different from the early, desktop-bound internet as a Tesla is from a Model T. In Untethered, I’ll reframe what mobile means, explore what it makes possible, and introduce a new way of thinking about it. More philosophy than a how-to, Untethered will propose a new way of navigating the untethered future by filtering it through eight key attributes.

Untethered won’t necessarily teach you to be forward-thinking, but it will (I hope) change how you think about new products and invest in mobile technology. It also will give you a set of criteria to test your existing products against. This list isn’t prescriptive, and a product doesn’t need to have all eight attributes to be untethered, but many of today’s most successful offerings meet at least two-thirds of the list.

Of course, not every product or service can be untethered, but thinking about your business with an untethered mindset will help you keep up with the technology and consumers’ changing expectations and demands.
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THE 8 PRINCIPLES OF  UNTETHERED DESIGN

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Non-transactional
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Empathetic
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Apps, device and platform agnostic
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Flexible
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Relevant
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Personalized & Customizable
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Integrated
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Delightful
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Non-transactional
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Empathetic
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Apps, device and platform agnostic
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Flexible
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Relevant
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Personalized & Customizable
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Personalized & Customizable
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Delightful
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Non-transactional
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Empathetic
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Apps, device and platform agnostic
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Flexible
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Relevant
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Personalized & Customizable
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Integrated
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Integrated
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Non-transactional
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Empathetic
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Apps, device and platform agnostic
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Flexible
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Relevant
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Personalized & Customizable
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Integrated
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Delightful
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Non-transactional
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Empathetic
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Apps, device and platform agnostic
background image
Flexible
background image
Relevant
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Personalized & Customizable
background image
Integrated
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Delightful
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Non-transactional
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Empathetic
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Apps, device and platform agnostic
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Flexible
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Relevant
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Personalized & Customizable
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Integrated
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Delightful

MOBILE DESIGN IS UNTETHERED,
DEFINING RELATIONSHIPS AND NOT TRANSACTIONS

Untethered gives you a set of criteria to test your existing products against. This list isn’t prescriptive, and a product doesn’t need to have all eight attributes, but many of today’s most successful products meet at least two-thirds of the list.
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Non-transactional
The untethered consumer expects to have strong human-like relationships with the companies they support. The strongest marker of such relationships (and most long-term relationships, really) is that they are non-transactional.
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Empathetic
Knowing what’s of value to people requires empathy, untethered companies must be empathetic. This is often much harder than it sounds. Companies tend to conflate their customers’ goals with their business goals and can struggle with distinguishing between what they want, what their customers want, and what they want their customers to want.
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Application, device- and platform-agnostic
Untethered companies design for mobile first. They frame their entire online strategy around a holistic understanding of their customer’s lived experience, focusing on ways they might add value to it rather than trying to shove that customer into their existing model.
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Flexible
The untethered consumer is always “online” but with different degrees of presence. To reach them, companies need to anticipate and adapt to the varying modes of interaction, degrees of attention, and amounts of time consumers have available.
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Relevant
Relevancy is based on an empathetic understanding of customers’ needs, wants, and desires. It allows you to meet them where and as they are in ways they welcome rather than resent. This requires getting users’ permission to engage with them, properly timing that engagement, and then actually being engaging.
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Personalized & customizable
Whether personalization and customization result from the one-to-one relationship people have with their untethered devices or from an individual profile on a shared device, the untethered consumer expects to customize their experience to suit their unique usage and tastes and to have it personalized for them.
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Integrated
When an untethered company becomes part of the substrate of a consumer’s mobile identity, it becomes inseparably integrated with their life.

This, in turn, increases both the company’s value to consumers and consumers’ value to the company.
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Delightful
While no product or service ever has to be delightful, going that small step beyond what’s expected to deliver more than is needed, wanted, or desired is a final grace note to the future’s untethered world.

UNTETHERED WORKSHOPS TEACH YOUR TEAM OR ORG to THINK DIFFERENTLY ABOUT MOBILE

Whether you'd like hand-crafted education about Untethered or want to run your own workshop - there are options for anyone who wants to change their approach to mobile design.

VIRTUAL WORKSHOPS

Virtual video workshop via Zoom or Google Meet
Recorded, annotated video with transcripts and examples
Bulk priced copies of Untethered paperback (min. 20)
1-1 Time with your Designers and Product Managers
Included 1-1 Time or Weekly consulting calls post-workshop
Schedule A Call

IN-PERSON WORKSHOPS

Live workshop and presentation tailored for your organization
Recorded, annotated video with transcripts and examples
Bulk priced copies of Untethered paperback (min. 20)
1-1 Time with your Designers and Product Managers
Included 1-1 Time or Weekly consulting calls post-workshop
Contact Shawn

CUSTOM WORKSHOPS

Live workshop custom-designed around your business goals
Annotated resource videos with examples & templates
Bulk priced signed copies of Untethered paperback (min. 50)
1-1 Time with your Designers and Product Managers
Included 1-1 Time or Weekly consulting calls post-workshop
Book Shawn

WHAT ARE THE PEOPLE SAYING

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Role
A Mobile Design Pathway
Untethered is your box of AAs. As Shawn’s eight attributes of mobile-native design explain, there are things a website just can’t do. Unlike mobile website design which ignores them,
native mobile development puts the attributes of the untethered internet that have made it so popular with consumers to work for businesses.
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8 life laws for mobile designs
In the untethered future where everything is connected to everything, the traditional one-to-one relationship between goods or services provided to payment received is obsolete. To thrive in this new marketplace, companies need to avoid BlackBerry’s mistake of seeing the future through the frame of the present.
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An amazing insight into design
Untethered won’t necessarily teach you to be forward-thinking, but it will (I hope) change how you think about new products and invest in mobile. It also will give you a set of criteria to test your existing products against. This list isn’t prescriptive, and a product doesn’t need to have all eight attributes to be untethered.

UPDATES

Frequently asked questions about UNTETHERED

Every question at glance about the book

WHAT IS UNTETHERED ABOUT?

In short, mobile design. I was fortunate to work with many visionary leaders who “got it” right away, but I also had a lot of frustrating experiences. I’ve seen decision-makers unable to shift from thinking by linear analogy (i.e., “mobile is like digital, only cordless”) to reconceptualizing it. It’s my hope that having it dissected and explained will help make it more accessible and keep all but the leading edge from falling behind.

WHO IS SHAWN BORSKY?

Shawn is a seasoned design leader, creative director and mentor of over 22 years with a certain love for mobile. He has worked in mobile gaming before even iPhones existed and has worked for mobile-centric companies like HotelTonight and drove mobile strategy for companies like Blizzard Entertainment with dozens of start-ups and other world-class brands seeking him out for knowledge on various aspects of design.

What makes Untethered different from other mobile design books?

Many mobile design books focus on the form-factor and details of responsive design (which is an excellent skill to cultivate) but Untethered is more of a philosophical and strategic way to think about "mobile" that helps business leaders and designers think beyond simply making their products fit on a smaller screen.

Is this book suitable for beginners in the mobile design field, startups, and devs ?

Absolutely. Its never to early or late to change how you think about mobile design. That being said, much of the framework applies to overall product design strategy - therefore, Untethered will not teach beginners how to think about screen space, mobile patterns or cognitive load which would be ideal tactical concepts to learn.

Are the 8 rules of untethered design applicable across all mobile platforms (iOS, Android, etc.)?

Technically, yes. Untethered traverses multiple platforms and form-factors. It is my hope that the book and framework, help you think beyond specific mobile platforms.

Does the book include practical examples and case studies of the importance of untethered design?

Yes! The book includes many real-world examples of products and companies who are applying Untethered tenets to great success.

Can I get bulk orders for my design team/company

Yep! Send an email to bulk@untetheredbook.com with the quantity you are looking for. Keep in mind that Unethered workshops typically come with bulk pricing on books.

How long will it take to implement these rules of untethered design in my current projects?

That's up to you and your organization. You can implement the framework immediately or over-time based on your business. Typically, changing mental models is a longer term process though.

What formats is the book available in (hardcover, paperback, ebook, audiobook)?

Untethered will launch on January, 21 2025 as an eBook ($7.99 - $0.99 for the first month!) and as a paperback ($14.99) and hardcover ($24.99). An audiobook is planned for later in 2025 but it will not be available at launch.

Is there a community or forum where I can discuss the concepts with other readers?

Not yet. If this is something you are interested in, please ping me on Twitter(X) @daborsk or on BlueSky @daborsk.bsky.social

How does Untethered address accessibility in mobile design?

Accessibility is incredibly important for mobile products and is mentioned within the framework but is not a particular focus of the book.

Do you offer consulting or workshops based on the book's principles?

Yep! I offer many models of workshops and consulting to help you get the most out of the framework. Please send an email to workshops@untetheredbook.com

CALL ME, BORSKY

I am a design leader, creative director and interactive designer with over 22 years of experience. Gaming and lifestyle brands are my passion but mobile is in my blood. I've spent most of my career obsessed with an amazing future that mobile design enables.

In Untethered, I'll teach you my framework for excellent mobile design thinking and hopefully, change the way you approach mobile products in your business.
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If you are interested in going deeper or teaching your entire team about Untethered thinking, I offer a variety of workshops, speaking or resources to help you turn strategy into action.
Contact Shawn
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SHAWN BORSKY

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