Steve Jobs didn’t believe in surveys.
According to him, customers didn’t know what they wanted. If he wanted to innovate, he needed to look elsewhere.
This approach worked well for Jobs — he built the foundations of a multitrillion-dollar empire…
But there’s a slight problem: you and I aren’t Steve Jobs.
And so, if we're trying to survive in any market, we probably need proof of concept.
With the exception of personal projects, our opinions are irrelevant. It’s the customers who count.
In a business context, cheap ways of collecting expressions of interest include:
Free expressions of interest are good. Paid ones (including "payment" of money, time, or even reputational risk) are better.
One notable exception to this principle:
If we know, from first principles, that something will achieve its desired effect, there’s no need for feedback. But if we're going to bet on that, we'd better be sure.
Next, let's discuss switching costs.