“One More Thing…”

08/15/2011

An OH:

When you make your users feel like this, you’re doing it wrong.

When you’re driving your users toward something they don’t want such that they just go grab the “original” version of what they don’t want, you’re doing it wrong.

And when you’re telling your users they’re wrong for wanting what they want, you’re doing it wrong.

I think that sums it up perfectly1.

I can’t help but wonder if this new tide of product management methodology is a reaction to Apple’s focus on product design in general and Steve Jobs’ reputation for making those product decisions in specific, and the success it has brought AAPL.

Problem is: Steve Jobses are rare2 and Apple spent decades surrounding itself with customers who are interested in joining the Church of Steve3.

The saying used to go “The customer is always right.” With millions of users, obviously it would be difficult to provide the exact product or service that every customer wants.

At this point, I’d settle for merely moving away from “The customer is too stupid to even have a comprehension of what they want, so we don’t even have to listen to them anymore.”

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1 Mozilla is the example du jour, but is certainly not alone
2 Duh, but apparently this needs to be said
3 And the Cult of Mac