11 business lessons from iPod father Tony Fadell
On a tour promoting his latest book ‘build,’ Former Apple executive and iPod designer Tony Fadell discusses technology CNBC.. The conversation contains a lot of information for Apple history fans, but Fadell shared great advice for everyone in enterprise technology.
Below is a small fragment of what was said.
When creating a product, think about why
“You must be able to talk about’why’,” Fadell said.
When designing a new product, it’s important to meet customer needs, solve existing problems, and enhance what they can do.Not only that, but excellent product development what,however, whyBuild a story that describes the product and associates it with people’s lives.
Think about how effective “1,000 songs in your pocket” was as an iPod slogan.
The product story must be justified
Your customer Discerning.. If you say a product can accomplish something amazing, it’s best to make sure it meets your claims.
Like the rest of the story, the audience isn’t tolerant and you can’t be confident that you’ll be back easily if you promise something you don’t offer. “You have to deliver. This is not fiction. Too much marketing is fiction.”
Summarize from the beginning
Some time ago, Steve Jobs wrote the agenda Distributed online.. In a few lines, I’ve summarized the concepts we’re familiar with today, but that wasn’t the case at the time. Before the development was completed, the job was summarized.
“So many people wait to the end [of a project]”To summarize what the product does and why it matters,” Fadell said.
He argues that it’s important to know where you’re going first. “People don’t go after shooting a movie.” They come up with a story early on. “
However, see “Ready to change” below.
Technology is not for geeks
The difference between an iPod player and an MP3 player at the time was that the latter used off-the-shelf components and was aimed at a slightly geeky audience. Apple understood that while most people love music, the vast majority of music lovers aren’t particularly geeks. They wanted a smoother user experience.
The lesson in product design was to understand who the audience was, what they needed, and combine the materials to create an experience that wouldn’t prevent technology from meeting those needs.that is User experience design lesson This is important for both consumer devices and enterprise technology.
As Fadell claims he managed to achieve with the Nest thermostat, the best products can be born as designers seek ways to solve their pain.
Also, the leader of digital transformation Talk to frontline people Try to reduce friction rather than add a solution.Shadow IT is usually Call for help..
But be prepared for change
Steve Jobs initially resisted the idea of providing Windows support for the iPod.He wanted devices and Apple retailers to convince people Switch to Mac.. This didn’t happen with clips fast enough at that time. According to Apple data, Windows users loved the iPod, but didn’t have the money to switch to a Mac and use the iPod.
“It was a harsh reality,” Fadell said.
A chat between the data and Walt Mossberg, a technical correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, eventually convinced Jobs to forgive him.
Take out? Don’t be afraid to divert if your plan doesn’t work, or if what you want it to achieve isn’t happening. A good evidence-based decision is still a good decision. “You have to accept it … you have to go ahead and adapt to what you see.” The storyline must always be flexible and adapt to change.
Make a mistake
Leadership is needed to make and correct mistakes. In some cases, we may only learn from shipping and customer feedback. Fadell says that you may need three versions of something to get it right. The first iteration of a product most often reflects the opinion of the person who created it, but is then modified to reflect the actual data.
“Many companies are facing a crisis of self-confidence because they are trying to get data that doesn’t exist,” says Fadell. Those companies stick to their opinions, but they don’t understand them correctly. The change is good.
Another problem is that the Commission is unable to make appropriate decisions based on the initial opinion. “Opinion-based decision-making can’t be a lot of people because it reaches the lowest common denominator.” It can dilute the story.
Competitors will always mock you at first, and maybe you will win. But not always – even Jobs had an iPod HiFi and a G4 Cube. “Your hero is also human.”
Don’t forget to ship
Fadell shared some of his experience with other companies as the team began to focus on product development and the shipping dates were constantly delayed. “It’s been a never-ending quest to get customer feedback, without shipping,” he said. “surely [have] The constraint of shipping within a certain time frame so that the team can be moved, united, and motivated. “
As the product hits the world, teams can modify the course.
Remember to grow
Reading between the lines, it seemed that at least one step had been taken when Fadell sought more meaning and purpose.
“You are in the position of others, you really start to empathize, you start to understand that no one is built like you … really how to communicate in their language, not your language. Try to understand.
Understand how people who are not you communicate better decisions.
“You have to get out of your space and enter your space without losing yourself, and you can regain your space and use those insights to help you do a better job. “He said.
You have to reach out to humans.
3 more things
There’s a lot more in the interview, but three stood out to me:
- “Our job is to convey technology and provide it in a way that brings people to superpowers, even if they aren’t geeks.”
- Perhaps Fadel’s most important point, and in other words, all business leaders need to spend their time thinking about this: It is necessary to overcome this existential crisis. “
- “If you haven’t failed, you’re not trying hard enough … You’re not going to innovate, and you’re not going to keep your company fresh.”
You can do it View the entire interview here.. Fadell’s new book is now available.
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