TTL 19
If you need to teach it, it’s failed already.
👋 Good Morfternight! Paolo Belcastro here, welcoming you to the nineteenth issue of TTL: Tools & Thoughts for Leaders, your weekly dose of leadership insights.
If you have an iPhone, chances are you never bothered to read the instruction manual.
Why? Because it doesn’t have any. And also, you didn’t need to. It just made sense.
When the iPhone first launched, it came with nothing more than a single double-sided leaflet. It was designed with simplicity in mind: it was so intuitive that from the moment you picked it up, you already knew how to use it.
Great products don’t just work—they feel like they were designed for us all along.
The less effort it takes for users to start experiencing their value, the more they fall in love with the products.
The simplicity revolution
Humans are naturally drawn to tools that reduce efforts.
Think about how we’ve embraced technology over the years.
The radio and television were groundbreaking not just because they brought new forms of entertainment into our lives, but because they were effortless—just a button press away from transforming our lives.
We gravitate towards what feels easy, what doesn’t force us to learn complex steps, and what integrates seamlessly into our daily routines.
Early day, computers were tools operated by trained professionals.
From the first ENIAC computer to the arrival of the Lisa, and then the Macintosh, everyone had to use a keyboard to input instructions and data. Even using software written by other programmers required familiarity with instruction sets keeping most people at distance.
c. 1945 (U.S. Army photo from the archives of the ARL Technical Library)
Until that point, the spread of computers was limited.
Then things changed: computers became lighter, smaller, and more affordable.
But for this transformation to happen, they first had to be sold in large quantities. And to sell them in large quantities, they had to be easy to use. If smaller PCs had remained difficult to operate, they never would have reached millions of users.
Accessibility wasn’t just a feature—it was the difference between a niche tool and a cultural phenomenon.
If you have some time, though, watch the entire video, it’s fascinating.
Fast-forward to today: the revolution of 2023 wasn’t about creating the most intelligent AI—it was about making it accessible to everyone.
That’s why ChatGPT became an instant phenomenon. It wasn’t just the technology that captivated the world, but the fact that anyone could use it without a steep learning curve or a dense manual.
Earlier iterations like GPT-3 and GPT-2 were groundbreaking feats of engineering, but their complexity created a barrier that kept them unreachable for the average person. They required technical expertise and the right environment to unlock their potential.
Then came ChatGPT, and people had access to all that potential through something they had been doing for years: chatting. It was simple, it was natural, it worked, just like the Macintosh.
Looking ahead, AI will continue to evolve—but not just in power. It will become even simpler and more seamlessly integrated into our lives. We can now ask ChatGPT questions through voice commands, interacting without even thinking about typing, and soon we’ll have AI quietly assisting us with our daily tasks in the background, effortlessly adapting to our needs.
Just as AirPods normalized making phone calls in public, AI interfaces will become second nature—blending so naturally into our routines that we barely notice they’re there. AI is poised to transform from a fascinating novelty into a trusted companion in our everyday lives.
Product-market fit
When evaluating product-market fit, we must consider this question: does the product address a real need and effectively fill a gap in the market? Or is it simply a solution searching for a problem?
While this question garners significant attention, the discussion often ends here, leaving a crucial second aspect overlooked: usability.
Even the most innovative products can fail if they’re cumbersome or frustrating to use. Simplicity and intuitiveness are essential.
Don’t just ask, Does the product solve a real problem?—also ask, Will people need to learn how to use it?
Success lies not just in addressing a need, but in making the experience of solving that need a delight.
Reducing cognitive load
Humans are wired to save energy.
Remember when you first learned to drive? Every single action demanded focus: checking mirrors, balancing the pedals, keeping an eye on the road. You didn’t want people talking to you because it took all of your mental resources to remember each step in sequence. Any disruption could throw you off.
Over time, your brain created new neural pathways, and these actions became second nature. Eventually, you could drive to work without even remembering the journey.
This happens because your brain converts complex tasks from declarative knowledge (explicit steps) to procedural knowledge (automatic actions).
This concept also explains why people resist change, even small changes.
Take Wikipedia, for instance. A long time ago, when they moved their search bar from the left to the top right, new users found it logical—that’s where it is on most sites—but experienced users were frustrated—they had to re-learn a habit.
And that meant more mental effort—which means burning more calories.
Why am I telling you this?
Because you can leverage this factor.
By designing your product to follow familiar paths and behaviors, you eliminate friction.
When users don’t need to learn something new or fight their natural habits, the experience feels effortless—instead of battling against human nature, you work with it, making it easy for people to love what you create.
Reducing cognitive load means designing products that align with natural human behaviors.
The brain consumes more calories than any other organ, making energy conservation vital for survival. A product that minimizes cognitive effort—whether through simplicity or familiarity—holds a significant advantage.
The less people have to think about how to use something, the more likely they are to adopt and love it.
Back to the roots
Videos have become the most popular medium for a compelling reason—they align seamlessly with how humans naturally absorb information.
Unlike written text, which relies on literacy—a skill that only became widespread in recent history—videos engage our primal communication abilities: speaking, listening, and observing.
They tap into instincts honed over millennia, mirroring how we evolved to interact through tone, gestures, and body language.
Videos may feel like a modern innovation, but in reality, they echo something profoundly ancient: our primal modes of communication.
Just as great videos align with our natural way of absorbing information, successful software development aligns with the human desire for simplicity and effectiveness, ensuring users can effortlessly enjoy the value provided.
That’s it for today.
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Here on TTL, we dig into practical leadership tips and effective strategies, with a particular focus on tech leadership and managing distributed teams (that’s what I do every day, add me on LinkedIn).
Whether you’re steering a tech startup or leading a remote team, these insights are designed to help you navigate the complexities of modern leadership.
I also publish on paolo.blog and monochrome.blog
Cheers,
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