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The idea maze

cdixon.org

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Re: The idea maze

#11

Post by ajhit406 »

I have always described the process of finding product-market fit as an "elucidation" of sorts, so I use the Legend of Zelda maps as my analogy instead of a maze.

For those (unfortunate few) who aren't familiar, the Zelda level maps would be separated into separate blocks or "screens" that presented a unique stage of gameplay. After visiting a screen, that particular segment would become visible on your map.

I prefer this analogy because it encourages looking at the entire map (3rd person) instead of thinking only of your current position in the "maze/level" (1st person).

Chris naturally made this abstraction when considering how to "map out the idea maze", but I think it's an important distinction.

I think the most efficient manner of elucidating squares on your map is by engaging customers. Engaging them with a prototype is a phenomenal exercise, but requires more time and resources then just engaging them with a questionnaire over coffee or via an online survey. The manner in which we most efficiently uncover these "maps" is substantial enough for its own essay. Chris touched on a few of them but I think they are varied and infinitely complex.

Re: The idea maze

#12

Post by kloncks »

There are times when reasoning by analogy isn't optimal. Elon Musk famously preferred going through "first principles" and I find this likely leads to a better more innovative end product.

Take payments (my industry) for example. There are countless startups that are working on something that enhances or optimizes whatever pre-existing solution we have today. That's thinking by analogy. It's faster and easier but you're constrained by the limits of whatever you're comparing to.

Then there's thinking from first principles. From scratch. Take what Dwolla is trying to build for example. "If we were to build the Visa or Mastercard network today, what would it look like?"

A lot of the new innovative systems in payments, like Bitcoins, started by thinking of first principles rather than analogy.

Re: The idea maze

#13

Post by newernpguy »

We have seen that the premium on ideas is going down - it is all boiling down to execution slowly. Our experience with Firespotting has shown that people are increasingly sharing good quality ideas.

Re: The idea maze

#14

Post by ghc »

noelwelsh wrote: post #10

I like to think of startups as research projects. You start with a hypothesis, which is usually "there is sufficient market for ". Then you do the experiments to prove the hypothesis, which is the actual startup. How you go about proving the hypothesis is just as important as the hypothesis you start with. In the world of science, if your experiments have flaws they won't be accepted as proof of your hypothesis. In t…

This is the foundation for the Lean Startup methodology espoused by Steve Blank, Eric Reis, Ash Maurya and others, but until recently it has been articulated in the jargon of the business community such that it is difficult to see in terms of the scientific method.

I think Ash Maurya's upcoming book, "The Customer Factory", is perhaps the first attempt to codify the Lean Startup entirely in terms of how a scientist builds and tests models. As a technical person, not a business person, I am eagerly awaiting this book in hopes that it frames the startup process in the same ways that I tend to see the world (in terms of axioms, hypotheses and experiments).

Re: The idea maze

#16

Post by djkz »

ghc wrote: post #14
noelwelsh wrote: post #10

I like to think of startups as research projects. You start with a hypothesis, which is usually "there is sufficient market for ". Then you do the experiments to prove the hypothesis, which is the actual startup. How you go about proving the hypothesis is just as important as the hypothesis you start with. In the world of science, if your experiments have flaws they won't be accepted as proof of your hypothesis. In t…

This is the foundation for the Lean Startup methodology espoused by Steve Blank, Eric Reis, Ash Maurya and others, but until recently it has been articulated in the jargon of the business community such that it is difficult to see in terms of the scientific method. I think Ash Maurya's upcoming book, "The Customer Factory", is perhaps the first attempt to codify the Lean Startup entirely in terms of how a scientist b…

If you are interested in The Customer Factory here is a video preview for the book https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iq3xDul0JY

Re: The idea maze

#17

Post by [deleted] »

noelwelsh wrote: post #10

I like to think of startups as research projects. You start with a hypothesis, which is usually "there is sufficient market for ". Then you do the experiments to prove the hypothesis, which is the actual startup. How you go about proving the hypothesis is just as important as the hypothesis you start with. In the world of science, if your experiments have flaws they won't be accepted as proof of your hypothesis. In t…

[deleted]

Re: The idea maze

#18

Post by wslh »

noelwelsh wrote: post #10

I like to think of startups as research projects. You start with a hypothesis, which is usually "there is sufficient market for ". Then you do the experiments to prove the hypothesis, which is the actual startup. How you go about proving the hypothesis is just as important as the hypothesis you start with. In the world of science, if your experiments have flaws they won't be accepted as proof of your hypothesis. In t…

I see it in a different non so-scientific way. My company is not a startup but my issues were more about how to move forward with thousands of, probably, good choices. And analyzing it in a scientific way was not feasible if you need to move fast.

Re: The idea maze

#19

Post by devgutt »

pbreit wrote: post #8
devgutt wrote: post #3

> The benefits of learning about the maze generally far outweigh the risks of having your idea stolen. Any evidence for that? Stealth mode seems to work pretty well in big companies

The author is an entrepreneur and vc...presumably drawing on a wealth of experience. The article is specifically about small, not big, companies. The whole meme of "evidence please" is annoying. A blog post is not a research paper.

This is not a meme, if can't back up EVERYTHING you claim, please, keep for yourself. Evidence is mandatory always, in any situation, no exception.

Re: The idea maze

#20

Post by mathattack »

An early mentor of mine stressed the importance of judgment, and pattern recognition. I think that's the point here. In the end, despite all the data you still have to have the right intuition. It can come from intelligence, and it can come from experience. Usually it's good intelligence applied to bad experiences.
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