Products vs. Ecosystems

Some worthwhile words from FutureLab on designing products vs ecosystems here.

It’s true – you’re not designing a product, you’re designing an experience, and the more thorough job you do, the more loyal your customers will be.

Why I Didn’t Buy an iPhone

When I brought home a new smartphone the other day – an HTC Droid Incredible – my wife asked me a fairly sensible question: “Since you’re buying something that looks like an iPhone, why not buy an iPhone?”

She asked a simple question, and expected a simple answer. But for me, the answer was complex, one I had pondered for many weeks. Finding my opportunity to share the thought map in my brain, I launched into a long explanation, but she soon got bored and walked away. Oh well.

But wait, it really is interesting! So here are my reasons – it boiled down to 3 issues:

1. The product itself. That doesn’t mean the phone – the core of the product is the network. I’ve found that Verizon’s network is available where I need it.
2. Customer service. Verizon has done an amazing job with their service. Their people always walk me through the steps when I have a problem, and give me their email address and telephone numbers so I can get back to them if need be. That’s made me a brand evangelist for Verizon.
3. The Ecosystem. We don’t buy products like smartphones in isolation: we buy a participation in an ecosystem. Which ecosystem did I want to be part of, Apple’s or Google’s? Since we’ve adopted Google Apps and moved our own corporate ecosystem into the cloud, we’ve benefited from their innovations. The Google ecosystem is evolving quickly, and I want to be part of that evolution.

So cool as the the device is, the hardware isn’t the point – what matters is the quality, the service, and an innovation-driven ecosystem.

Well, I found the answer interesting.

Hey, are you still there?