How would you describe your startup product to a 5-year-old?
Hold that thought.
Adults are the same, no matter what the focus groups tell you. We love to be mentally challenged but not when it comes to spending money. Then we need to know if doing X will give us value Y.
How does one describe a product to a 5-year-old?
It involves choosing simple words, avoiding jargon, and focusing on just one feature.
Then how can your startup product stand out? How can you describe your product, so it doesn’t beat around the bush and explain its usefulness with as few words as possible?
Ask yourself the following question:
What is my product asking the user to do?
What is the magical experience taking place as a result?
Here are some examples:
Uber: Push a button, get a ride.
Amazon: Enter your shopping query, and buy the product.
Facebook: Enter the person’s name, and get their accurate information.
Tinder: Swipe right, and make connections.
There are many examples of successful product startups in the market that make an excellent use case for a ‘basic input = magical output’ product.
The idea is to be crystal clear. The easier you make the ‘input,’ the more likely you will get away with cumbersome onboarding.
You can’t push a button and get a ride when you use the Uber app for the first time. There’s the signup process where you are asked to trust an app with your credit card information.
But once the signup process is over, you witness the magic of pushing the button and getting the ride.
Keep it simple. Reduce friction.