How to create a great product? CONSUME 🥣
The simplest task to level up your product sense
This week we talk about consuming other people’s products. I don’t know about you, but I’m always downloading, trying, talking about, and am first on the waitlist for all the stuff you’re shipping. This curiosity is a big part of why I’m good at this job. When is the last time you’ve downloaded something just to PLAY EXPLORE VIBE with it? I went viral on TikTok last week because I occasionally dabble with content creation mostly to understand how TikTok works. If your answer to the above question is not recently, you have homework! Read on for my dissertation on why you should be doing this more. Good thing it’s fun!
-Nickey
"If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that." -Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
Stephen King recommends reading as much and as often as you can if you want to become a great writer. Walt Disney got the idea for Disneyland by taking his daughters to other amusement parks. Hans Zimmer was inspired by the movie scores of his childhood (and parenthood) when he sat down to write the music for Interstellar. The list goes on!
What if regularly experimenting with a wide array of products, truly immersing yourself in them, becomes the catalyst for your own product genius?
Sounds profound, but I think we all intuitively know that using other products is a good thing. Yet it falls into the well-intentioned category of “I know it’s important but I don’t make time for it as often as I should.” It oft goes unprioritized, no process makes sure it happens, and therefore it doesn’t happen or worse, it happens but nothing comes of it.
So here’s my advice. Consume, consume, consume, and only then, create.
A building block of product sense
I’m calling this “immersive consumption” and it’s an easy way to beef up your product sense. Product sense is your ability to intuitively understand if a product will connect with your customer and the craft to shape it in a way to make sure that it does. It’s a cornerstone skill, one that the best product builders apply every day. It’s also a spicy topic that every builder seems to have a hot take on 🌶️
When I was writing this post, I went in search of some writing to share on this topic and turns out there is a lot of it out there. So many venn diagrams. But which one is best? They’re honestly all good! Product sense is a blend of many different skills (empathy, creativity, market understanding, design sense, and more). It’s more intuition and soft skills, so it’s hard to define. A slippery fish, but rewarding when it’s in your grasp.
Why consume?
Product sense matters so much as a skill because it quite literally divides good and great products. So how does consuming actually help you build this skill?
Immersing yourself in a diverse set of products helps you build an internal compass for what is good. Being able to call out good products helps you look for this in your products. This isn’t just about appreciating the quality in others' creations; it's about embedding that gold standard into your own work. You're not just observing, you're raising the bar for your own output.
Also by trying a wide array of different products, you’re seeing different problem-solving approaches in practice. You learn how different problems can be approached and solved, enriching your own toolbox of ideas and methods. It's a practical way to enhance your creative thinking and problem-solving skills.
Finally, immersive consumption is not just about understanding products, but also about delving deep into the market itself. This approach allows you to grasp the market dynamics at play—identifying both the headwinds that challenge the industry and the tailwinds propelling it forward.
How do you meaningfully consume?
Here’s how you can build a process around this for yourself and your team:
Cast a wide net: Actively seek out and use products from various industries, not just those related to yours. Brainstorm with your team on what to try. What has been inspiring members of your team lately?
Be mindful about your experience: Pay attention to details—design, usability, customer experience—and think about what makes these products stand out.
Write down your takeaways: After using a product, take time to reflect on what worked, what didn’t, and why. Screenshots are forever. Have your team do the same. FigJam is a great tool for this!
Schedule this into your day: Make it a habit to regularly explore new products and innovations. Do this at a monthly team meeting. Make it fun!
Bring back to your team: Discuss your findings and insights with the team regularly. Have them do the same! Make this recurring on your agenda.
Use what you learn: Use insights gained to creatively experiment in your own work or projects, applying principles or ideas when relevant.
Other examples
Finally, I’ll leave you with some ChatGPT-generated examples of other product leaders doing just this:
Steve Jobs and Apple: Jobs was famously inspired by a variety of sources outside the tech industry. For instance, his interest in calligraphy during his college days influenced the development of the typography and fonts used in Macintosh computers. Additionally, Jobs' appreciation of minimalist design, partly inspired by his visits to Japanese Zen gardens, played a crucial role in the design ethos of Apple products.
Melanie Perkins and Canva: Perkins was inspired to create the platform due to her experience as a university student and tutor in graphic design. She recognized the challenges students faced in learning complex design software like Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, finding it "ridiculous" that they had to spend an entire semester just learning where the buttons were. This observation led her to seek a simpler, more accessible solution for graphic design.
Reid Hoffman and LinkedIn: Before founding LinkedIn, Hoffman worked at PayPal and was heavily influenced by the social dynamics and network effects he observed in the online payment system. His exposure to various social networking platforms and his understanding of professional networking needs led him to create LinkedIn, a platform that combines professional networking with social media elements.
Emily Weiss and Glossier: Weiss's approach to product development was heavily influenced by the trends and consumer interactions she observed on social media, underscoring the importance of immersive consumption in her creative process. Weiss also reviewed other products on her blog Into The Gloss before she made her own.
Brian Chesky and Airbnb: Chesky, a designer by trade, drew inspiration from his own experiences with lack of affordable accommodations during travels. His background in design helped him appreciate the importance of user experience and aesthetics, which are evident in Airbnb's platform. Chesky's exposure to various design and hospitality concepts influenced the unique user interface and customer experience focus of Airbnb.
Kevin Systrom and Instagram: Before Instagram, Systrom created a location-based app called Burbn, which had too many features and lacked focus. He was influenced by the simplicity and ease of use of apps like Foursquare and the growing interest in mobile photography, particularly the filters used in apps like Hipstamatic. This led him to pivot Burbn into what became Instagram, focusing on simple photo sharing with aesthetic filters.
Jan Koum and WhatsApp: Koum, influenced by his early experiences with clunky and expensive SMS services, saw the potential in using the internet for messaging. His exposure to different messaging products and his understanding of the need for a reliable, low-cost communication method led to the creation of WhatsApp, which focused on simplicity, ease of use, and privacy.
In closing
I’d love to hear from you. What products are you trying these days? How does your team do this? What’s inspiring you? Do share in the comments below!
As of late, I've been using the new Apple Journaling app, Monopoly Go, and the Nintendo Switch (thanks to my 7 year old, who got this as a Christmas gift 🙃).
Product sense has a mystical connotation to it. Appreciate this post as a way to make it more relatable & actionable for readers. I’ve found these immersive consumption exercises to be really fun in a team context. Doing a version of this with your peers can help unlock more insights & creativity, as you riff on each other.