The Secret to Product-Market Fit and Beyond
Distinguishing between what people want and what they will actually use.
Making something people want is a great starting point.
Making something people use is even better.
People want to be fit,
but most people aren’t fit.
- It’s not because there aren’t enough gyms.
- It’s not because there aren’t exercise programs.
- It’s not because exercise programs are too expensive.
- It’s not because exercise programs don’t work.
People aren’t fit because they just don’t exercise at all.
If they exercise, they don’t do it with enough intensity or consistency to matter.
Another example is toothbrushes.
Buying a toothbrush has no impact on your dental hygiene. If all you do is buy it, your teeth will eventually fall out. You have to use it. Using it once isn’t even enough. You have to use the toothbrush daily.
“Ideas are not innovative. Adoption is innovative.” — Jeff Bezos
Innovation requires usage. No “innovative idea” can survive without people showing up and using it.
Businesses' problem is not creating the product (physical, technological, educational, or otherwise). By comparison, building a product is the easy part.
The problem is figuring out how to get people to use what you build.
