Product-market fit is not enough anymore, your product also has to fit behavior
We all know product-market fit is a crucial part of building a successful product, however, it is not enough to focus only on the fit between the product and the market.
It is also important to look at the fit between the product and the behaviors it depends on.
Usually we can ask these 3 questions when thinking of a product:
1. Do people want this solved? This is the market side, meaning is the problem real, relevant, and important enough that people actually want a better way?
This is where need, context, and the job they are trying to get done matter.
2. Does the product offer credible value? This is the product side, meaning is the value clear?
Does the experience make sense? Do the features help? Is it easy enough to understand and use?
3. Can people actually do what the product requires? This is the behavior side, basically can people notice it, understand what to do, get started, come back, fit it into their routine, and keep going in real life?
Now, once someone has the product, they are not just trying a new tool, they are usually being asked to do something differently...
-Learn a new thing -Build a new routine -Keep going long enough to get the value
We think it's a small ask, but it isn't...it is an actually bigger ask than most organizations realise.
The first step in achieving product-behavior fit is getting people to try the product.
In a startup I had many years ago, I was really good at this, and to be fair, most teams can drive traffic and get people to sign up these days.
After that is where things often get hard, it becomes important to make it easy, clear, and worthwhile for people to start using the product in a way that fits their real life, this goes for organizational change and new tools as well as consumer products.
That may mean adapting the product to their mental model, reducing friction, helping it fit into an existing routine, or making the payoff visible much earlier.
(And remember, you have to account for the behaviors outside your product, and the ones in the product itself... I know, lots to think about)
By understanding what drives behavior in context, not just what people say they want, but what makes action realistic, repeatable, and sustainable, you can play a much more proactive role in building a product that actually helps people achieve their goals and the company its outcomes.
So remember
Product-behavior fit is about whether people can and will do what your product requires in order to get the value from it.
If you invest time adding that focus to your work, you have a better chance of helping your customers and employees succeed, and therefore your team and product succeed too.
Behavioral science is what I use, but with a good mix of methods and combining it with other ways to solve problems and designg solutions.