Creative Founder: Time to Step Up

Last week was a bit complicated. It was important for us to move forward with our product, but also for the team to be on the same page. We had two ideas in mind and we decided to push them and do research on both. Unfortunately, this meant that we were going to be behind with the rest of the class and that we wouldn’t have a main focus or idea.

We decided to stick to our plan. We did our research, got our insights and moved forward. We dropped one of the ideas, the board game. We didn’t have time to build the prototype, we didn’t get the interviews we needed and it was just holding us back. We put together our presentation, we practiced as usual and made sure we were well prepared. We were ready for some feedback, but instead we got nailed to the wall by Kate Rutter. She was the guest for the day and she is also one of the UX mentors I listen to on a regular basis (“What is wrong with UX” podcast).

I honestly didn’t see this coming. I was very surprised to see her reaction and everyone else’s. I knew that we were behind, I knew that we needed to catch up, I had a clear idea for next steps, but I did what I always do. I get in my own head, “resolve all the problems” and then move on. I don’t communicate my ideas clearly. I assume things and expect other people to know what I am thinking. I did it again.

After talking to the team, I realized that not everything was negative. We actually got great motivation from Kate’s feedback and decided to meet to work on our business model canvas to define our elevator pitch. My team picked me as the CEO for the company and it was time for me to step up.

We defined our agenda, we set time for each task and started getting shit done. We killed the canvas, we agreed on a main idea for a product and we picked the pains that we want to focus on. It was all going great until I asked the team to come up with an elevator pitch. What is an elevator pitch again? It’s not easy. It is hard and it takes time. This activity drained most of our energy and caused a lot of trouble. But I knew what this meant. I knew that we were close to something good, so I pushed the team and we came up with a pretty good draft. The dots finally started connecting and we were all on the same page.