In the race to build groundbreaking products, tech scaleups often face a critical question: Should we prioritize innovative design or focus on simplicity and ease of use?
On Wisdom From Wizards, brought to you by Caribou Strategic, I had the pleasure of speaking with Sakshi Pratap, Founder & CEO of Hexus AI. She shared a compelling perspective that every scaleup leader should consider.
When asked whether she’d rather see her product celebrated for its innovative design or its simplicity, Sakshi didn’t hesitate: simplicity and ease of use always come first.
Her reasoning is straightforward yet profound. “Customers have to use the product every day,” she said. If a product is not intuitive, it doesn’t matter how innovative it is — users will struggle, get frustrated, and potentially abandon it.
This is especially critical for products embedded in a user’s daily workflow. Sakshi emphasized that Hexus AI customers engage with the platform 10 times a day or more. In such high-usage scenarios, usability isn’t just important — it’s everything. While innovation may help with initial buzz and marketing, sustained adoption depends on ease of use.
For tech scaleups striving for market leadership, Sakshi’s insight serves as a reality check. Flashy, cutting-edge features might get attention, but if the core experience is cumbersome, customers will disengage. Here are three takeaways to apply:
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