Observe
How do you know whether an idea is actually landing?
The instinct is to ask people what they think. Over time, I have found it more useful to watch what they do.
There is a strong pull to explain or defend an idea. I try to resist that and step in only when it is truly necessary. What I am trying to understand is how the product feels when it has to stand on its own.
I watch for small moments.
Where people look.
Where they pause.
What they move past without noticing.
After a few sessions, patterns begin to repeat. Some moments create energy. Others introduce friction. Those repetitions are not noise. What people do is the signal.
People often offer solutions. I listen, but not literally. What they are usually pointing to is the problem underneath. Building exactly what is asked for rarely leads to something cohesive.
Patterns
After watching a few people, I try to step back. When different users stall in the same place, it is worth paying attention.
That repetition is not coincidence. It is the same truth showing up again.
At this point, nothing needs fixing yet. The work is still to understand what is actually happening.
Identify the problem
Before touching pixels, I try to write the user problem in plain language.
When I encourage myself to name the problem clearly, decisions get sharper.
Examples:
As a user, I need the product to tell me what matters right now, because I will not figure it out on my own.
As a buyer, I need to quickly find something relevant to browse or buy, because scrolling without context feels like wasted time.
Make a bet
I think a good bet starts with something you observed, then names a cause and an effect.
If we autoplay the next episode, more viewers will keep watching, because removing a decision reduces drop off.
If we delay account creation until after the first meaningful action, more users will finish onboarding, because commitment follows value.
In practice
People were not asking for a phone without a keyboard. In fact, many trusted them.
What Apple observed was friction. People were forced to tap a down arrow to move through playlists. Thumbs hovered. Navigation stalled. Physical keyboards locked interaction into a rigid, button-driven flow that broke momentum.
Based on that observation, Apple made a bet. They removed the keyboard and let the screen become the interface.
It was a risk. But the bet was grounded in something real. Remove friction and let people interact naturally.