TESTING YOUR PRODUCT
“five people. one failure means fix it. one lover means hit.”
The Lesson
User interface testing rule from Pacific Bell: If 5 people test your product and 1-2 can't figure out how to use it, you didn't do it right. 'But 4 out of 5 had no trouble!' No. If you're building for everyone, fix it until 5/5 can use it. Test the ENTIRE lifecycle, not just the happy path. A cup that works great for drinking but pools water in the dishwasher failed the lifecycle test. For ART (not products): different rule. You only need 1 of 5 people to REALLY love it. Not just like it, but 'this is the best thing I've ever seen, can I start a fan club?' That predicts a hit.
Real-World Example
A founder demos their app to 5 friends. 4 get it immediately. 1 is confused by the onboarding. Wrong response: '80% success rate!' Right response: Fix the onboarding until that confused user gets it. For a creative project (blog, podcast, art): if 1 of 5 people says 'this is incredible, I need more,' you have something. Lukewarm response from all 5? Keep iterating.
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