Metatony

I believe that the mathematical area of game theory can offer a useful framework for understanding this phenomenon, specifically the concept of the Nash equilibrium. You may remember it from the movie "A Beautiful Mind" (though oddly enough what was depicted in the movie isn't quite the Nash equilibrium). A Nash equilibrium in a game exists when the players in that game, taking into account the strategies of the other players, can't improve their payoffs by changing strategies. In other words, they have arrived at a strategy that they believe maximizes their payoffs, given their understanding of the strategies of the other players around them.

A new product, therefore, must play within a 'game' where the 'players' are customers, competitors and influencers. The current game is at a Nash equilibrium point, where players don't have an incentive to change behaviors. Thus, a new product must positively change payoffs for some players within this universe, and enough of them, such that the system as a whole moves to a new Nash equilibrium. 

This implies three important insights that make intuitive sense to those who have experienced both successful and unsuccessful product launches. 

First, it is important to understand at the most granular level possible who the players are within the system. In the case of an enterprise product, it is tempting to classify a large corporation as a single player, but in most cases this would be suboptimal. A large corporation is composed of multiple business and administrative units, each with its own set of goals and concerns. And each person within these departments brings their own goals, ambitions and concerns. It's easier to sell a new product if you understand these concerns of these players and can align its benefits to their goals. In other words, you are changing their payoffs and giving them an incentive to push toward the new Nash equilibrium you desire. For a mobile app, the analysis is somewhat simpler. Without understanding who the players are in your game, however, it's unlikely that your product can align up to their desires, and thus unlikely to generate traction in the marketplace.

Second, the payoff change should be significant enough for the various players to want to change their strategies. This is more pithily explained by Paul Graham's phrase "Make something people want". If you understand who your target players are, then it becomes much easier to understand their wants. In many cases, especially for a somewhat revolutionary product, the target players may not realize they want it till it's available. Even after something is available, targets may be underwhelmed by what's released. However, understanding how they view the game and the payoff will allow you to set a starting point that maximizes the product's chances. And this understanding will allow you to chart out the path for refinement of the product's features, giving you a better foundation for choosing which features to change and which to drop.

Third, if you've played the game correctly, and the system is now at a new Nash equilibrium, then congratulations! - you have a payoff too in the new dispensation. Understanding the payoffs of the other players will let you understand what your likely payoffs might be. Note that your payoff may not directly be from your users - ad supported models, for example. Understanding how your payoff relates to that of the other players within the game lets you craft a payoff for yourself as well.

By reframing product creation and management within the context of game theory, I hope to enhance your understanding of your own product ecosystems, whether enterprise or consumer. Note that the framework is generalizable to pretty much any product - whether a SaaS product, a mobile app or even a burger joint! I'd be happy to hear your thoughts and comments.