Previously, we talked about struggling to get version 1 out the door? Today, we have a similar experience.
On a recent client call, we were reviewing a new feature. We had been noodling on it for quite a while, and it was starting to feel like progress was stalled.
We knew users wanted the feature, because they had asked for it. We also knew any improvement was better than no improvement. So why were we spinning our wheels on the details?
We were going in circles because we were caught in the weeds perfecting things. We were looking at the 10 foot view when we should have been focusing on the 10,000 foot view—especially for our first release.
I finally asked the hard question: "Are we making informed decisions here? Let’s get our best guess in our consumer's hands so they can tell us what they think and how they would use it."
Today’s advice: “Assumption-land” is a slippery slope. A mantra we can all live by is "you are not your customer." Assuming on behalf of our customers can not only lead to churn in the creative process, but also to bias and irrelevant experiences for the real customer.
The next time you find yourself fussing about guesses, refocus your team around what you do know so you can keep learning and progressing forward. As a leader, foster an environment where guessing wrong is ok. In the end, as long as you are able to learn, grow, and pivot, you will still be headed to greener pastures.