There’s a concept in design and transportation called Desire Paths.
A Desire Path is the path users take instead of the path intended by the builder.
Reddit via itstartswithani
If you are interested, there is an active online community forum that shares examples of Desire Paths. It may give you some ideas and knowing laughs.
I am a creature of habit, and even though much of what I think, feel, or do seems to be happening based on real-time choices or decisions, much of that is just a well-worn rut of unconscious behavior.
As a subtle reminder to my son, who just got married, expect many of your existing Desire Paths to change (even if you don’t want them to).
The lesson ... It’s often easier to account for or take advantage of human nature (or nature) than to fight against it.
Here is a short video on how this relates to your business and tech adoption. I call it Functional Mapping. Check it out.
The video provides additional depth and detail beyond what’s covered in this post. I encourage you to watch it for a more complete perspective.
Understanding the natural path for both technology and people makes it easier to understand and anticipate the capabilities, constraints, and milestones that define your path forward. That means you actually have to understand the different types of users and what they expect to do. Here’s a diagram that explains how we build AI-enabled applications.
Each stage is really about the opportunity to scale desired capabilities and automation.
It isn’t really about building the technology; instead, it is about supporting the desire.
You don’t have to get it right. You just have to create momentum in the right direction. Meaning ... if you can anticipate what is coming, you don’t have to build it. Instead, you should figure out where you want to build or create something that will move things in the right direction to help make that happen or benefit from it when it happens.
You’ve probably heard me talk about how Capabilities become Prototypes. Then, Prototypes become Products. And, ultimately, Products become Platforms.
This model is fractal. That means it works on many levels of magnification or iteration.
What first looks like a product is later seen as a prototype for something bigger.
SpaceX’s goal to get to Mars feels like their North Star right now ... but once it’s achieved, it becomes the foundation for new goals.
This Framework helps you validate capabilities before sinking resources into them.
It helps you anticipate which potential outcomes you want to accelerate. Rather than simply figuring out the easiest next step … you have to figure out which path is the best next step to your desired outcome.
The world is changing fast! Hope you’re riding the wave instead of getting caught in the riptide!
Onwards.
Ready Fire Aim!
Michael Masterson wrote a book called Ready Fire Aim: Zero to $100 Million In No Time Flat. It is a practical guide for entrepreneurs and business leaders, focusing on the different stages of business growth and the key challenges and priorities at each stage.
A core message of the book is to start taking action quickly (instead of getting bogged down in over-planning) and use rapid iteration and real-world feedback to refine strategies.
The concept is presented in the context of growing a business – yet the lessons apply broadly.
Swift action should be your focus ... not over-planning or perfect timing.
Too many companies get stuck in a cycle of brainstorming, getting internal feedback, making changes, and failing to release the product.
Even for released products, too many fail because they took too long to launch or ignored market feedback.
Masterson stresses that the value of live performance is that it helps you course-correct. He also cautions that there is no such thing as perfect timing. The best timing is almost always ‘Now!’
Now, let’s extrapolate.
Let’s say you’re pondering a tricky work problem. You know you need to figure it out before the end of the week ... but your brain keeps going in circles.
You don’t believe you can take decisive action and course-correct because you feel you have to get it right.
So, what can you do? Write it out. Write out the potential paths, ramifications, and worst-case scenarios as holistically as possible.
You’ll find that simply by writing it out instead of just ‘thinking,’ you end up more creative with more insight.
Writing aids in organizing and clarifying your thoughts.
AI As Your ‘Action’ Partner
AI can make this process easier, faster, and more manageable. Tools like ChatGPT can help you explore complex topics, run scenarios for you, and provide external feedback.
It’s not the same as real-world feedback, but it can shorten the ‘Aim’ part of the process.
As you externalize your thoughts in writing them to whatever AI you choose, you also get the same benefit you did writing your thoughts out in our previous example.
The business environment is changing faster than ever. Technology is advancing faster, adoption is getting easier, and the average Joe is becoming bullish on AI. Because of that, Masterson’s book is even more relevant now than it was in 2007. Here are a few of the other key takeaways from Ready, Fire, Aim.
AI and exponential technologies are going to compress cycle types. What used to be long-term planning will just be planning. You have to act fast, not only to capitalize on these trends but also to avoid being wiped out by them.
Are you keeping up?
Posted at 09:16 PM in Books, Business, Current Affairs, Healthy Lifestyle, Ideas, Market Commentary, Personal Development, Science, Trading, Trading Tools, Web/Tech | Permalink | Comments (0)
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