Trends, Cycles and Style
Three factors to achieving product success (and perhaps happiness)
In Ronald Cohen’s The Second Bounce of the Ball, he wrote, “Timing, trends and cycles have as big an influence on entrepreneurial success as good ideas, financial acumen and great team-building.”
I’m not an economist or entrepreneur, but the lesson is just applicable to product, design and perhaps life.
Trend: a general direction in which something is developing or changing.
Designers love to talk about what’s in. The latest Dribbble shots give us a good glimpse of what designers are into: interfaces for Apple Watch, hand-drawn typography for logo types, text over full-screen photo landing pages.
We love to belong. When we saw flat-er design coming, we swam towards it and rode the wave. We add “mobile design experience” in our resumes and mock up Apple Watch concepts in our portfolios to show we are on top of the industry.
We also want to work for le cool. Social apps came and peaked. Now we’re living in the world of the Uber for X and hardware startups (even Amazon put its stamp on the map).
It’s important to understand the trend, because new aesthetics and technologies will continue to emerge and converge, creating new markets for us to explore and prosper.
But that’s only part of the story. Knowing where you are in the cycle is also crucial.
Cycle: a series of events that are regularly repeated in the same order.
The cycle of your career progression. Are you starting out anew, wanting to be a sponge and soak up as much knowledge as you can? Have you been fishing for a while and are ready for a deeper dive? Perhaps you’re looking for a change because where you are no longer satisfies and challenges you? The most successful people I know are true introspectors. They ask questions inward, and let the answers lead them forward.
The cycle of business. Where in the cycle is the company you are in or want to join? Early stage startups attract people who thrive in wearing multiple hats at the same time. Mature companies, on the other hand, appreciate skilled craftsman who flourish in oiling the well-run machine. Those are two ends of a spectrum of possibilities, where do you land and crave to be?
The cycle of life. Are you anchoring for a while? Are you looking to fulfill other aspects of life, such as family and friendship that are essential to your happiness? Have you heard that cabin in the woods calling? Life, my friends, comes in phrases. And admitting where we are doesn’t always come easy.
We only have so much time, so prioritize, divide and conquer, and know that something has to give.
Style: a manner of doing something
Coco Channel famously said, “Fashion changes, but style endures.” It’s not only what we do but how we do it that matters. Amongst the graph of ever-changing ups and downs of trends and cycles (see the header image), our style is the solid, consistent line.
Here are my three principles when it comes to design and product:
- Be kind to others, and meet them where they are.
- Finish projects, regardless of where I pick them up.
- Go for the most obvious solution first. If there’s still time after I get there, I will explore alternatives.
Last May, I gave a talk with Amanda at Solid on designing for your first 1,000 true fans. One of the tips stuck with me:
Tell your story your way first. Others will follow.
Staying true to what we believe is like any muscle in the body — exercise will strengthen it. We navigate through trends and cycles by sticking to truths we hold dear, and it’s alright if we don’t get it right the first time around.
“Do your homework, do not jump to conclusions, understand the trends, know where you are in the cycle,” Cohen said.
I will just add “follow through with your style” to that.
Share this story, and send any feedback. I’d love to hear from you — tweet @kuanluo or email me at kuan@etsy.com.
