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Talking to Humans
You also want to think about your early adopters. Why do they matter? Most new products fit alongside a “technology adoption curve,” as illustrated below.
New founders tend to obsess about their mainstream customer (represented in the chart as the early and late majority). However, by definition, the mainstream is waiting for proof from early adopters before they try something. If you cannot get early adopters, you cannot move on. Early adopters are usually folks who feel a pain point acutely, or love to try new products and services. In our story of Koshi and Roberta, the scientists hypothesized that their early adopter would be urban professionals in their mid to late twenties. For the three customer examples we just gave, here are examples of early adopters: • Our hospital management system might target hospital chains still stuck with an archaic vendor • Our vet service might target busy 20-somethings in a major city • Our online market for plumbers might target solo practices on the sellside and first-time home owners on the buy-side