A founder talks about an idea in great detail. Everyone looks lost.
After a bit of back and forth, they grab a pen and draw three boxes and a few arrows on a whiteboard.
Here is the customer.
Here is what they struggle with.
Here is what we change for them.
It’s very simple.
Some details are missing.
But now that it’s clearly visible in the simplest form, the team is intrigued by the change.
Questions start to flow.
Which assumption falls apart when the customer is in a hurry
Which part requires knowledge they will not have
What if this solved a second problem without extra effort
Can we add a playful twist that makes this delightful
Where would their current habits fight this
The sketch does not answer any of those questions.
It creates them.
Before, detail created complexity and complexity created confusion. The simple drawing made it make sense and now the complex work feels worth doing.
That’s what almost everyone gets wrong about simplicity. It’s not the enemy of complexity. It’s the entrance.
And it’s why PATH starts with P, plain and simple. If you can say, in plain and simple words, where you’re headed, your team will be smart enough to figure out a path that gets you there.
Keep lighting the path,
Michael
