There are two product philosophies: user-centric, purpose-built tools (like Asana) and system-centric, universal tools (like Notion). Purpose-built apps are easier to start with but inevitably add features and concepts, becoming bloated. Universal apps, built on a few core concepts, are harder to learn but scale infinitely without breaking their core model.
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Square's product development is guided by the principle that "a seller should never outgrow Square." This forces them to build a platform that serves businesses from their first sale at a farmer's market all the way to operating in a large stadium, continuously adding capabilities to manage growing complexity.
To serve both solo developers and large enterprises, GitHub focuses on creating horizontal "primitives" and APIs first. This foundational layer allows different user types to build their own specific workflows on top, avoiding the trap of creating a one-size-fits-none user experience.
Design is often mistaken for aesthetics, like choosing a border radius. Its real function is architectural: defining the simplest possible system with the fewest core concepts to achieve the most for users. Notion's success, for example, comes from being built on just blocks, pages, and databases, not from surface-level UI choices.
Building a true platform requires designing components to be general-purpose, not use-case specific. For instance, creating one Kanban board for sales, support, and engineering. This thoughtful approach imposes a ~20% development 'tax' upfront but creates massive speed and leverage in the future.
True productivity doesn't come from copying a guru's setup or using a third-party template. The most effective approach is to use flexible tools like Notion as a platform to build a completely personalized system that caters to your unique thought processes, goals, and daily workflow.
Instead of building a single-purpose application (first-order thinking), successful AI product strategy involves creating platforms that enable users to build their own solutions (second-order thinking). This approach targets a much larger opportunity by empowering users to create custom workflows.
To avoid the customization vs. scalability trap, SaaS companies should build a flexible, standard product that users never outgrow, like Lego or Notion. The only areas for customization should be at the edges: building any data source connector (ingestion) or data destination (egress) a client needs.
Users exporting data to build their own spreadsheets isn't a product failure, but a signal they crave control. Products should provide building blocks for users to create bespoke solutions, flipping the traditional model of dictating every feature.
Notion’s initial abstract vision of letting users build their own software failed to gain traction. The key insight was that users don't want to build tools; they want to accomplish tasks. By providing a familiar "wedge" like note-taking, Notion got into users' workflows before revealing its deeper, more powerful capabilities.
