The easy of downloading is just one part of what I call the ‘test and toss’ mentality that inflicts many apps. There are several factors that render an app forgettable, or more often, unused.

1) Most apps are ‘free.’ While this price point removes ‘friction’ (what app makers are after) it also implies there is little to no value. 

2) Benefits are either non-existent or take too long discover. People add things to their lives to make it better – if that is not explicit in the first use why would someone return to it?

3) Loyalty doesn’t take root. If one app can’t solve my problem (or provide me with something fun to do), I will find another one (easily).

4) App marketplaces aren’t particularly helpful in curating an experience that makes it easy to compare similar apps.

I touched on a similar theme in a recent post about the disruption nobody talks about – which is about how hard it is to disrupt consumer behaviors and patterns with new products. With there always being something ‘new’ to catch a consumer’s eye … is curiosity killing your app?

If you aren’t familiar (or even if you are) you should read David Pogue’s column in today’s The New York Times. He writes mostly from the perspective of the people who go to the site and make the pledges – what motivates them (many things do). 

Let me take a different perspective: that of the entrepreneur. My interest in Kickstarter has always been its potential for early stage businesses to use it as a test market. This isn’t true for all the companies – but for those who are building real products, Kickstarter is a great place to gauge interest and even pricing – because you can give your target market “… a chance to preorder the gadget being developed…”

Think of Kickstarter as a place to judge future interest through pre-launch sales. It is a great way to learn the ropes of merchandising, marketing and pricing. Companies must promote their pledge campaign and set levels of participation; promoting the product at the right level can help to validate real market pricing. If more people want your $25 t-shirt, that says something too.

I am happily awaiting my current Kickstarter ‘pledge’ from TouchFire (which sold out on Kickstarter but is now in pre-orders).

NOTE: I have no business association with either Kickstart.com or TouchFire.

First off, everyone is talking about the Future of TV.  Mark Suster has a great article on the signs that TV is about to be disrupted (his #2 sums it up). Fast Company says TV gets sexy (I don’t know about that!). Everyone is waiting for news on the entrance of Apple’s TV (especially TV manufacturers). And you can’t have a post about the future of TV without mentioning the numbers of cord cutters (which is growing).

I think what is ahead is quite simple: TV is going to by synonymous with video. You might watch a video on a TV, but its more likely you’ll watch a TV show video on a laptop or tablet along with plenty of other types of videos from all kinds of “producers”. The semantic change is already happening. You can see it in the stats of the growth of video – video encompasses all kinds of formats (see in this chart the use of “TV/video”).

This will create competition for viewers from a wider variety of sources. Think Netflix and how it is producing its own original content (which will compete against its own customers!). Assume that traditional print brands (aka magazines) will also start producing TV/video specific content and doing distribution deals. And don’t forget every budding Spielberg out there. Branding the experience will become more important because the where you watch will seem less relevant to the actual experience (see the chart on mobile video with YouTube and CBS in same list).

On the Internet anyone can be a cable channel.

The solution is right under their noses and most viewers already consider it to be the format of the show anyway. It just needs to be formalized and the contract negotiations are a good starting point. Comcast can have their Matt and their Ryan too.

If it is true that Matt wants less time on the couch, give him the 7-7:30am slot (call it ‘Start Today’) – 30 minutes of real news: political, world, interesting – curated journalism without the Kardashians. Maybe it goes until 8am. Then turn it over to Ryan for lifestyle reporting where talk on cooking, health, pop culture and suggestive selling can dominate and propagate (they are doing something similar now at the 10am hand-off).

When there is a crisis that requires more than 30 minutes, keep Matt on and shift the show to reflect the urgency of the content. Viewers are already time-shifting their shows, why can’t the shows do a little time shifting as well?

Bottom line: let’s de-couple the idea of news and nibbles as being the same thing. We’ll all be better for it – come Today and Tomorrow.

Let me explain. Consumer disruption occurs in two different ways.

1) They need to figure out how it works (technical application).

2) They need to figure how it will fit into their day/life (practical application).

Both of these take time (a limited resource) and are big reasons why so many apps/products/services are tried and discarded (resulting in costly churn).

So what can be done? Put yourself in your users’ shoes (sounds simple but its not).

1) Think through what the process will be to adopt your product while you are thinking about what you’ll do to develop it.

2) Don’t assume your business promise or interface design is right until you test it with your actual target market.

3) Don’t fall in love with what you’ve built because your digerati pals (and media) think you are onto something. Scale comes from mainstream adoption – and that’s when disruption can trip up your business.

Let me outline some of the things that happen in the movie and see if any of them sound familiar:

1: The Artist is at the top of his game, the public loves him; he can do no wrong.

2: He gets his way on set because no one can do what he does better than him. He cajoles. He charms.

3: There are whispers about the coming wave of movies with actors talking! The Artist scoffs at the notion they will be popular.

4: The studio boss tells him they are going to start making ‘talkies’ and he’ll have to start talking in his films. Again … the scoff.

5: To prove his supremacy, The Artist takes his own money and puts it all into a silent movie that he directs. He doubles down.

6: His movie opens on the same day that the first big ‘talkie’ opens to long lines (not to mention a day after the Great Crash of 1929). He is wiped out.

7: He can’t believe how this happened to him so he retreats … and wallows.

8: Meanwhile, an actress he helped, takes on the talkie format and becomes a star.

The End.