profile

Sagi Rechter

The blind men and the product

Published 5 months ago • 1 min read

In the realm of innovation, the tale of 'The Blind Men and the Elephant' often springs to mind:

To be fair, a not-yet-existing product or project is a harder thing to 'see' than an elephant. However, the six blind men in the famous parable are actually blind to their own limitations, and in that sense, the analogy holds true.

Stakeholders invest months, and sometimes years, engaging in development debates, each perceiving different problems within an invisible product.

Are there indeed problems with the product? Beats me. I can tell you when I see it.

Yet, if you are sinking significant time in repetitive discussions, there undoubtedly is a problem of inefficient communication.

The solution? Make the invisible visible.

Provide a tangible point of reference for every discussion, whether it's a prototype, a simulation or even a sketch.

The less you rely on others' imagination, the more likely you are to reach a minimal agreement and make progress.

Products become what people agree on, not the other way around.

Best,
Sagi

Sagi Rechter

Creative consultant in tech

I specialize in value communication for tech, aiding businesses in attracting clients, partners, and funding. Join my mailing list for insights.

Read more from Sagi Rechter

Whether you think that something holds value or not - the implicit assumption is that value is an inherent property of the object. As in: an object can be 50 centimeters in height and $50 in value. However, value is actually just as much a property of 'you', the observer. The sense of value arises from the intricate interplay between the environments and your existing values. That makes sense from a biological standpoint; our brains have evolved to prioritize the perception of what's useful...

3 months ago • 1 min read

It's a common misconception that to brand effectively is to summarize what a company does in as few words as possible. That's not the case. While a tagline can certainly play a role, its purpose is to project the company's values - not to explain 'what the company does'. It's more like a family name than a job title. Actually explaining what a company does is highly complex. It's not a monolithic thing but a multifaceted one, best described differently BY different people TO different people....

5 months ago • 1 min read

You are likely aware that value is subjective. Consider a bottle of water: it's $1.5 in the grocery, $6 on an airplane, and invaluable in the middle of a desert. Thinking that way about technology or complex products is a lot trickier. The subjective forces at play become less apparent as individuals may find appeal in a product for diverse reasons. Moreover, products and technologies are multifaceted entities - unlike a water bottle, they appear differently in various contexts. With so much...

5 months ago • 1 min read
Share this post