John Cutler · 7 min read · Product Discovery
TBM 410: Dancing With Problems
Read the original on cutlefish.substack.com →
TBM 410 argues against vague goals like making the app easier, urging product teams to seek concrete outcomes supported by evidence. It explores why users hesitate to create initiatives, the value of capturing ideas early with rich context, and how rituals and system-level embedment shape planning, trade-offs, and long-term flywheels.
Key Takeaways
- Focus on measurable outcomes and evidence rather than generic UX improvements.
- Early capture of ideas with rich context improves planning, prioritization, and reduces later friction.
- Understand the human side: agency, perceived value, and whether processes feel meaningful rather than bureaucratic.
- Diagnose root causes and trade-offs; don't fix symptoms by simply removing fields or speeding up processes without considering data breadth and planning impact.
- Build a sustainable flywheel: as rituals embed in the system, the product becomes harder to replace; design for long-term organizational coordination.
Excerpt
Read this quote: We’ve got to make the app easier to use! If you’ve been doing product for a while, you probably cringed. It’s not specific. It has no diagnostic value whatsoever. It could apply to almost any product in the world. There’s no hint at what outcomes or impacts might be possible as a result of making the app easier to use. Another quote: Users take too long to create an initiative. Better? Not really. Is speed actually the goal? If you make initiative creation shorter, what might you have to sacrifice? OK, you have creation time, but you…