7 THINGS MATT DAMON TAUGHT ME ABOUT DIGITAL DISRUPTION

Paweł Halicki, Experience Designer at Macoscope

YOUR BUSINESS IS ON MARS. YOU JUST HAVEN’T REALISED IT YET

There is no business or industry that is not in some way affected by the rise and exponential growth of technology.

For many companies this new, rapidly changing digital environment can be harsh, demanding, or even hostile.

(Just look at what’s been happening recently in the global taxi industry.)

BREAKAWAY IS THE ONLY OPTION

1. CHECK RESOURCES

Do you remember the scene when Matt Damon gathers and counts all the food he has?

Try to think of anything that can be useful.

It is likely that you already have:

• a working business model,

• a product or service lineup,

• an established distribution network,

• a sales force,

• a media budget, and

• communication channels.

Using them as your base will help you transform existing clients into a user base at much higher rate than you could ever hope to achieve starting from scratch.

2. LOOK AROUND

Find your potatoes just as Mark Watney finds his way out of starvation.

There are countless good ideas around the world every week.

Learn from others, see what works, what excites potential customers and what isn’t worth your time and resources.

Thorough research is consistently underappreciated as a source of ideas, insights, and benchmarks.

3. FIND A CLEAR PURPOSE

What’s your purpose? How will your business benefit from the implementation of new ideas?

• Are you going to establish a new sales channel?

• Or maybe it’s more about empowering your sales force with custom tools?

• Giving customers freedom of choice via a product creator or easy-to-use configurator?

• Using a mobile game to boost sales?

Your goal should be clear from the very beginning. Pick one objective and stick to it.

You don’t know where to start? Good news is that some software houses can help you with that.

4. ADD VALUE

There should be a problem your app solves or a process it streamlines.

The value you can add to your product or service builds your competitive advantage, generates referrals, and gives the media a great reason to talk about you.

5. PLAN, BUILD, TEST, OPTIMIZE

There is a moment when you should stop thinking over and over and start acting.

Get real with the idea as soon as possible. Choose to build prototypes over slideware.

Demand prototypes from your contractors.

Test them on your customers and get realistic data as soon as possible as it will help you implement adjustments and optimizations.

This will either show the idea’s true potential or reveal room for improvement or even missing features.

6. REPEAT

Astronauts are trained to focus on thinking about the next thing that can kill them and it’s proven to be highly effective.

You need to repeat and try harder.

Companies develop apps and then abandon them way too often.

When you have invested real-world time and money, make it the best possible experience for your customers. Support new screen sizes, utilize new OSes, add features, and grow your user base.

Don’t forget that it’s an app, so almost everything people do with it can be measured.

7. HAVE A TEAM

It’s obvious that no one can explore space single-handedly.

Even Matt Damon.

A good team can provide you with an invaluable perspective and all the skills and resources you don’t have on board.

Here at Macoscope, we’re no Matt Damons but we’re happy to assist you as it’s dangerous to go on any journey alone.

Drop us a line to find out how we can build value for your business.

All pictures by 20th Century Fox.