Self-Delusion: How Facts Backfire

An earlier post of mine includes a cautionary note about self-delusion.

Here's another morsel on the topic:

In reality, we often base our opinions on our beliefs, which can have an uneasy relationship with facts. And rather than facts driving beliefs, our beliefs can dictate the facts we chose to accept. They can cause us to twist facts so they fit better with our preconceived notions. Worst of all, they can lead us to uncritically accept bad information just because it reinforces our beliefs. This reinforcement makes us more confident we’re right, and even less likely to listen to any new information. 

(Source: How Facts Backfire, Boston Globe, July 11, 2010)

Taking Action To Get Product/Market Fit

Earlier this year, our users taught us that the FastJackson user interface needs a major revision. I had always assumed we'd need to improve the user interface, but was surprised by how quickly the issue topped the list.

We decided to take action: For the past few months, the product developer and I worked in the same room while plugging through over a hundred issues and improvements. We chose a deliberate pace, keeping our eyes on the goal and a steady hand on the tiller -- mindful that we were taking a risk by letting so much time elapse between updates.

Along the way, we got a little reward for our efforts: our first tiny whiff of product/market fit. In a conversation with one of our users, I described some of the upcoming improvements. On the spot, he asked to become our first paying customer. I was so surprised by his offer that I tried to unsell him, reminding him that FastJackson will remain free so long as it is private, invitation-only. He insisted. That's awesome. I love our users.

When the new version goes live, I'll write about it in our product blog.

Deb Rocks: Project Robot

FastJackson's early users are so much fun! Here's an example:

Deb created her FastJackson account and then invited me to join her group. Now, I can log into her group and we can share tasks with each other!! :-) In her latest delegation to me, Deb has asked me to create a robot that will finish all of her tasks and help around the house when asked. Fortunately, the task is due Someday/Maybe, so there's no rush.

Keep having fun everyone -- this is going to be a great year.

Simplifying User Sign-up and a QUESTION

Here's some dirt.

A little while ago I sent out invitations to our first users: FastJackson was ready. "Have at it. Here's the keys to the car," I said.

We spent the next week dealing with loads of support issues... relating to the SIGN UP process, of all things.

Once people were signed up and signed in, they seemed to find their way around OK -- even though we didn't provide any help sections or instructions, but getting them signed up and signed in was an adventure.

Although I am pleasantly surprised to find that people are able to navigate the system once logged in, I'm alarmed that our simple borrowed-from-other-sites sign up process is such a fail.

Here's an excerpt of what I wrote to our users yesterday. What do you think?

I'm writing to you today to make a confession: Our sign-up process is error-prone and confusing. As simple as we thought it was, and as much as we styled it after others that we admire, our experience (thanks to you all) shows us that we got the sign-up process wrong.


For example, the email validation step failed in many cases (sometimes due to spam filters, sometimes due to email clients not handling URLs in ways that we would like). To fix this, we're probably going to get rid of email validation during the sign-up process. Our rationale is this: There's a time and place for email validation -- such as right before someone enables a feature that requires us to send an email -- but until then who cares if an email address is valid or is going to work. (If you have any thoughts on this, let me know.)

READ THE FOLLOWING. I WANT YOUR INPUT PLEASE:

The other problem people had with the sign-up process was this line:

We borrowed that start page format from Google Apps [for Domains]... and all it does is confuse people.

The point of the Start Page is to have a unique URL for your organization, so that all of your users go to a special place to log in and use FastJackson. Someday, you might even be able to put your logo or company colors on the start page. That's what we mean by Start Page.


QUESTION #1: For your Start Page, what if the URL were http://yourcompany.fastjackson.com instead of http://fastjackson.com/a/yourcompany ... would that make more sense?


QUESTION #2: Suppose we get rid of the Start Page idea altogether. Instead, you would simply go to http://fastjackson.com and log in as follows:

Would you like this? Or, would prefer that we keep the idea of a Start Page?

What do YOU think?

(p.s. Originally, I had offered an Amazon Gift Card to a randomly chosen person who provided feedback on this post. That Gift Card has been awarded! Thank you to everyone for reading. Keep reading, keep letting me know what you think.)

Confessions of a Customer Developer

Welcome to my new blog. If you liked my old blog, thank you -- but it's gone. Purged. Exited stage left. Goombah -- except for one post about self-delusion, which serves as a cautionary note for this:

I'm about to share with you my experience in practicing Customer Development for a tiny company that you've never heard of, FastJackson. FastJackson provides a group-oriented task management solution. Simply, we make it easier for teams of people to manage their tasks and related information.

Unlike the FastJackson blog (a civil place for public messages about FastJackson and its services) this blog delivers the dirt, revealing some of what goes on behind the scenes as Team FastJackson finds its way from an embarrassing prototype to a web-based service that improves your life and mine.

Here, you'll see me fess up (sometimes in cringeworthy detail) to all kinds of mistakes. Whoppers. Things that I should have seen coming, had I only known.

There's more. Over time, I'll learn to see the art of getting things done from your perspective. As that happens, you'll watch (in horror? in disbelief? in admiration?) as I help guide the development of FastJackson to meet your reality. Simple as that.

While some people with gray hair, fat bank accounts, or money-printing machines recount what it was like to have been there and done that (I love you all, you're an inspiration), I offer a story about being here and doing that.

I don't know how the story ends. I also don't know how I'm going to find the time to write about it and live it at the same time. Thank you in advance for your interest and your patience.

Oh, one last thing before you go: You know something that I need to know. Maybe you don't realize it yet but in time you will, so PLEASE post comments, email me, or cold call me. My contact info is in my bio. Use it. Read that again. The line is open.

Until then...

From high above the earth on a Virgin America flight to San Francisco for my first Product Presentation, I am your most humble servant to command,
-Kerry

'you cannot ignore self-delusion'

You cannot ignore self-delusion. The problem with experts is that they do not know what they do not know. Lack of knowledge and delusion about the quality of your knowledge come together -- the same process that makes you know less also makes you satisfied with your knowledge.

(Source: The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, p. 147)