Common barriers to product adoption

Entrepreneurs may overlook the complexity of constraints customers face.

As the inventor of a brilliant new solution, a microwave we’ll say, it’s common to think others will be ecstatic to learn of my solution and use it immediately. “They just don’t know this amazing machine would save them hours!” I might say to myself as I drive to my first sale. When my customer says it’s too hard to learn, I may be tempted to blow them off. “He lacks motivation; he doesn’t see how great this could be.” This is an example of how an entrepreneur can oversimplify their customers and the constraints that have kept them from seeking a solution or using a new product.

It’s not enough to find a solution to a problem; an entrepreneur must also overcome the reasons a customer may not use their solution. If the problem is serious and the customer knows about your solution, there must be additional reasons they aren’t using it. Cindy Alvarez lists four she’s noticed:

First, the customer may not perceive a problem. We find a solution that works for us and, if we think everyone else solves it the same way, we don’t bother finding a new solution. I didn’t know I had a problem with holding everything in my head until I read David Allen’s Getting Things Done - now I regularly use a system to write down goals, tasks, and ideas.

Second, the customer may not know what’s possible. Ten years ago you would have sounded ridiculous if you’d said, “I hate driving. Someone should create a self-driving car.”

Third, you may not have the resources. This doesn’t only mean price - I may covet your custom oak table, but it’s not going to fit in my tiny apartment.

Fourth, I may not want to be seen using your solution, for fear of embarrassment or because it would be inappropriate for my culture. Bidets are amazing, but Amie is not going to let me install one in our American bathroom.

Application

Amie and I were discussing small group practices at our church and how new leaders aren’t considering a model we’d demonstrated from the beginning. We thought we’d solved a problem at our church, that there aren’t enough people willing to lead a bible-centered small group, by running a modified Discovery Bible Study (DBS) group.

We co-led the first group of the new campus with the pastor, and she couldn’t say enough about how great the format was. The second group did almost the same format with similar results. Now we’re at the fifth or sixth iteration, and new leaders are looking for another method. What happened?

Our initial conversation replicated Alvarez' insight that we first assume a lack of access, then a lack of motivation, as the reasons behind a lack of product adoption ({alvarez-lean}, pg. 71). We said to each other, “I guess the method’s changed so much they can’t recognize how great it is. If we explained it to them, they’d be interested.” This was plausible until we recognized that half of them had been in the first group! Then we said, “They’re more motivated to stick to old ways than to try something new.” Whether this is true or not, it has no foundation in actual customer experience.

After further discussion, I recognized we were making the same mistake many entrepreneurs make; we were assuming things about our customers without validating any of it. In response, I want to ask these leaders more questions and use this opportunity to refine the model and learn about the unique challenges they face.

References