Only Fools Fall In Love (With Their Ideas)

Ambur Wilkerson
UA Journalism Product Class
3 min readNov 15, 2018
Photo: Pexels/pixabay.com

Ever heard the phrase “only fools fall in love”? Well, not only can this be applied to romance, but to the product development process as well, and here’s why: it’s foolish to stay attached to an idea that might not end up right for your problem.

As disheartening as this may sound, it’s essential to keep in mind while developing your product. While an idea may still hold great value and be applicable in the future, it might not be the answer to the problem you’re trying to solve at this moment. Trust me, I know it’s hard. I too have had a slight struggle with letting go of ideas during the process of creating something to serve that community I’m looking to acknowledge, but I know it’s what I need to do. What I want might not be what someone else wants.

Let’s take a look at my predicament for example. In product development class right now, myself and a classmate are working on a product that will bring more black news and representation to Tucson. According to data provided by Statistical Atlas, blacks make up 5 percent of Tucson. Yes, blacks do make up a smaller percentage of the city, but that doesn’t make us any less deserving of seeing news that updates and celebrates our community. Noticing this issue right away, I grasped onto it as a half-black woman who finds it immensely relatable.

In the earlier stages of thinking of an answer to this problem, I gravitated towards the production of a website. Through empathy interviews and exploring the issue more, my classmate and I discovered it would be easier to start off with a portion of the black community in Tucson: Millennials and Gen Z. While a website still seemed appealing in my mind, as we did more exercises in class, we found out what attracts the eye of Millennials and Gen Z more. My partner and I doodled a handful of possible solutions, a website and a YouTube show being two of those solutions. Based on class votes, the idea of a YouTube show won. The winner took all, and we ran with it.

Now we’re in the process of testing out the YouTube show as a possible solution. So far, so good. Moral of the story: although I wanted to serve younger blacks through a website, it’s best to explore an outlet that is more appealing to younger generations instead. While this still might not be the answer, at least we’re keeping our minds open to what our consumer wants. That’s what it’s all about. Giving the consumer what they want.

So try not to fall in love with your ideas. Keep an open mind. Allow them to evolve. You’re not developing something for yourself, or maybe you are, but keep in mind you’re also developing something for a wide range of individuals. This is your gift to them, so keep their best interests at heart.

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