#13: Tools to think, tools to create: JTBD edition
Let's take a look at how tools evolve, and how we evolve with them
Disclaimer: This edition was written by our community member, Varun Choraria.
Dear Reader,
I hope you’re well.
In one of our previous editions, we made the argument that workflows come before tools. In fact, I’d shared this anecdote that encapsulates the thinking well:
“Each person’s mind works a little differently, and each person remembers and processes information a little differently. I think we all work at our best when we work with tools that fit how our minds work.”
But off lately, we’ve been seeing tools that are being built very differently from scratch- more intelligent, more contextual, and more powerful than ever. There’s no perfect tool, but we’re closer than ever to building them. This edition explores some of the mental mental models on how tools today, are being built.
Sit back, and enjoy the deep reading (this edition has a LOT of amazing videos too!). If you’ve got constructive feedback to share, you can reach out to me on slack or twitter!
Week in Review: Highlights of our community
Looking for alternative to screenshots? In #general, Rahul Dubey posted an interesting problem statement-
We all come across a lot of content on social media everyday, and we tend to bookmark or screenshot those. Despite that, there’s not a lot of tools that allow you to organise these more intelligently or extract intelligence from these shots.
To this, an interesting tool to check out could be MyMind- which is an extension of your mind. (not sponsored).
In #general, Deepak Dhingra, asked a question-
How to identify organisations who are early movers in tech adoption? What are the signs?
Anudeep Nekkanti, mentioned an interesting way to gauge this- by looking at their website. In his words:
Specifically, what javascript files they are using. This tells information about what tools they are using.For example, if they are using "segment", that is one data point. I don't think a lot of old-companies use segment.Same way, there can be multiple other hints on what tech they are using.
He also recommended a BuiltWith, which is an interesting place to start to understand which tech stack each organization uses.
In #general, ninjaparticle, posted an interesting observation inspired by Paras’ tweet:
His thoughts:
Isn't 'Natural Selection' elimination in tandem with selection rather than elimination by default? As in, survival of the fittest is not nature choosing the fittest but essentially eliminating the relatively weaker right?
To understand the nuances, here’s an interesting article you could check out or read our previous edition, where we’d explored a few aspects of a potential answer.
Sheroes is hiring for a Data Analyst:
It’s a fully remote job, and the candidate must know:
- Google Analytics
- Excel
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- able to extract insights from dataGood to Have, but not Necessary:
- Python / Javascript / JSDo you have a referral? Or does this sound like a job you’d be great for?
Email Aggy: aggy@sheroes.in
Tools that we make, and the ones that make us.
Tools evolve based on our interactions, with each other and the environment that we operate in. Take a look at this intro video by Apple, from the September 2019 event. Philosophically speaking- take notice of how we’ve evolved as people- from first using a personal computer for hobbies, to phones, watchers, iPads, iPods, and whatnot.
But with the right tools, compounding and habit building becomes easier- purely due to the momentum it helps build. For example, Amazon once came up with Amazon Dash- which is a a Wi-Fi connected device that allows users to build a shopping list by scanning bar codes and saying product names out loud.
But it failed miserably, due to automatic reordering and product subscriptions. Additionally, Amazon claimed that voice-activated shopping on Alexa products would succeed the buttons.
If you look at personal management alone, Ness Labs did a good job covering the breadth of tools that are currently available to us:
Which brings us to the theme of this newsletter:
How do we decide which tools are best for us, and as founders- how we do know what tools to build? The Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD) framework could be your answer to that.
I always begin explaining the concept with the stellar example. I call it the ‘Hiring a milkshake story by Clayton Christensen’
It turns out more than 40% of milkshakes were hired first thing in the morning – to provide sus- tenance for a long commute. So milkshakes were actually competing with bagels, bananas, and energy bars, rather than the rest of the chain’s breakfast menu. Milkshakes had advantages over energy bars and bananas – they’re tidier and easier to consume in a car. They beat bagels – they’re too dry and leave you thirsty. And they beat coffee – they’re more filling and won't leave you desperate for a bathroom in the middle of a 40 minute drive. Once the chain realized this, they were able to make changes that made milkshakes the best tool for the job – a convenient, easy to con- sume snack to stave off hunger till lunch.
Sometimes your customers really want to use your feature or product, but they also want some- thing else that simply isn’t compatible with it. People really want to be slim and healthy, but they also really want soft drinks and fast food.
McDonalds and Weight Watchers are selling wildly different products, but they’re competing for the same customers.
You can read ‘Competing Against Luck by Clayton Christensen’ to better understand the concept of JTBD, or read my summary notes here:
Lastly, I’d like to part with one last short film, which shows how as humans we’re wired to build custom tools, that serve as an extension of our minds and workflows.
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