“Good enough” is more powerful than it looks

Founders often look at the tools their target users currently use and think: this is awful.

Slow. Cluttered. Old-fashioned. Missing obvious features. Surely a better-designed product would walk in and take over.

Sometimes that’s true. Often it isn’t.

What looks weak to a founder usually feels “good enough” to the user. And “good enough” is one of the most stubborn, underestimated forces in product.

Understanding why it’s hard to beat — and what it actually takes to displace it — saves you from a lot of optimistic planning.

Why users settle for less than ideal

Users settle for “good enough” for very rational reasons.

They’ve already learned the current tool. The buttons are where they expect them. The mistakes are familiar. The shortcuts are musc...

Why “good enough” solutions are hard to beat