The reason many tech companies fail is not a bad product/market fit, the wrong technological approach or lack of experienced CFO, but the design — not just the website UX but the design in its entirety. The way things are integrated together. The creative process.
Many founders see their product as a problem-solver and not as a visual and spiritual endeavor. The whole culture of the Bay Area is based on the idea of building things fast, prioritizing speed over taste, beauty, creativity and perfection. In the era of obsessing over technology and growth, we became very tolerant of the trivial. The tech scene is like Hollywood, but the experiences are not so cinematic.
There are, in fact, many similarities between building a startup and making a movie. Storytelling is one of them.
Storytelling
Founders have mastered this skill to perfection in their fundraising efforts. Series A and seed rounds have ballooned in recent years. However, having money in the bank is not the only step to building a great product. There is one more skill that we all need to learn — throwing something away when it’s not great.
Branding
Let’s talk Nike. The visionaries on the team managed to create their own design paradigm for the brand. Throughout its entire history, Nike hasn’t tried to manipulate the existing design patterns. They made a breakthrough by putting the design on the pedestal and taking it to the next level, even though they sell a commodity.