There’s a counterintuitive concept that often leads to breakthroughs - “doing things that don’t scale. While scalability is a fundamental aspect of successful products, there are crucial moments during the discovery and exploration phase where embracing the unscalable can be a strategic advantage.

In the early stages of a product’s lifecycle, particularly during discovery and exploration, the focus is on understanding customer needs, validating assumptions, and finding product-market fit. This is a time of uncertainty and rapid iteration, where adaptability and learning take precedence over efficiency.

When to Embrace Unscalable Efforts

Deep Customer Understanding: To truly grasp the nuances of user behavior and needs, investing time in intimate, one-on-one interactions can provide invaluable insights. Conducting manual outreach, user interviews, and personalized support not only builds empathy but uncovers nuances that automated systems might overlook.

Rapid Prototyping and Feedback: During the exploration phase, quick iterations are essential. Engaging in manual, resource-intensive efforts like hand-crafted demos or personally reaching out for feedback allows for rapid adjustments. This hands-on approach accelerates the feedback loop, fostering a deeper understanding of user preferences.

Building Early Community: Establishing a community around your product requires personal attention and relationship building. Participating in forums, responding directly to user queries, and cultivating a loyal user base are endeavors that, by nature, resist easy scalability. However, the authenticity and trust developed in this stage can be the foundation for future growth.

Iterative Solution Validation: Instead of relying on automated A/B testing, manually experimenting with different solutions and observing user reactions can provide nuanced insights. This approach enables a more adaptive and context-aware understanding of what resonates with users.

Benefits

Deeper Insights: Unscalable efforts allow for a more profound understanding of user motivations, pain points, and desires, providing a solid foundation for building a product that truly meets their needs.

Agile Iteration: Manual, hands-on processes enable rapid iteration and course correction, allowing the product team to respond swiftly to evolving user requirements and market dynamics.

User Trust: Personalized interactions build trust and loyalty, which are crucial in the early stages of a product. Users appreciate the attention and are more likely to become advocates for the product.

While unscalable efforts are crucial in the discovery phase, it’s essential to transition to scalable practices during the delivery and exploitation phases. Recognizing the right time to automate and scale is crucial for sustainable growth and operational efficiency.

“Doing things that don’t scale” is a powerful technique when navigating the uncertain waters of product discovery. Embrace these unscalable efforts strategically, leveraging them to gain profound insights and establish a solid foundation for the scalable growth of your product.