Raw Pasta is Not Enough

It’s easy for the product team to to fixate on the core technology that enables a product and lose sight of what’s needed for the “whole product.” Raw pasta--not matter how fresh, authentic, and tasty--is not enough to create a successful Italian restaurant.

See https://practical-insights.com/index.php/2019/11/20/raw-pasta-is-not-enough/ for a tale of two newly opened restaurants and elaboration on this key take-aways:

1. Raw pasta, like raw technology, is really only appreciated by a small part of the market.
2. Some assembly required” is a product failure for a mainstream market.
3. There’s a market for both components and whole products, but each has a different set of customers.
4. Solving the “hardest problem” may not represent what enough customers value.
5. There are some things that can only be tested by getting into the market, but a limited launch can balance learning against the cost.
6. Prior customer experience with your category of product establishes expectations and mental models.
7. You can be too close to the problem to see where you have gone wrong.