Software products, although ubiquitous in our daily lives, don’t solve all of our problems. However, software, when combined with other technologies (existing and new), can become a powerful way to make new and remarkable products that change the way we work, live, and learn.
I’ve been having some reservations about software recently. Honestly, I’ve become disillusioned with the concept that software tech is the best way to solve the problems whether it’s for our smart homes or productivity-focused jobs (Kevin Kelly says if your job can be measured for productivity, then it’s probably a job that robots will do). Several weeks ago I was doing market research for a few different software ideas in the virtual reality/extended reality space. After researching the current market competition, I began to see a pattern that didn’t sit well with me. I noticed numerous software companies that only offered incremental improvements to existing solutions. I also noticed how the competition focused on solutions for existing problems. What I didn’t see was creativity in solving our current problems. I didn’t see software products designed for ways we will use the latest technology in the future. Because of a lack in creativity and only minor improvements over existing conditions, market competitors can change the business model landscape and lead to a race to the bottom (i.e., price war). If this happens and your business model doesn’t change, then your business will more than likely fail.
Another reason for my disillusionment was driven by the lack of value I see in most software that I’ve used or been exposed to. Most software companies offer little value (tangible or intrinsic) to their customers. In doing my market research, I often asked myself: what’s the value creation for this software product? Is it actually helping the customer do her job more efficiently? Or is it repackaging software solutions that she already uses? Is the software making the task easier or more cumbersome? I began to see software as a space that’s been supporting and creating an ecosystem of tools meant to support, encourage, and promote more tools. In other words, we build software tools that help people construct buildings more efficiently so people can work in these buildings and create tools to help more people buy and sell tools for their homes and offices, etc.
I’m not against software. In fact, I’m teaching myself how to be a better software creator by learning Unity and building AR experiences. What I don’t like about software is that it’s seen as the gold standard of our time that drives a company’s worth. The first thought most people have is: can we build software to do deliver a better solution? What these same people are not asking is: can we build a remarkable software solution that our customers will love? Or, can we develop a solution that incorporates software with A and B technologies to create a product that people don’t yet know that they need for a problem that they don’t yet have?
These creative and diverse approaches to building remarkable products are what will positively change the way we work, live, and learn. It will also help us move beyond creating an ecosystem of tools solely designed to support related tools. It may also help us see the value in a diverse team who sees the benefits of leveraging multiple technologies to solve the challenging problems we will encounter in the future.