“If there’s a solved problem, cheat,” says Product leader Mikal Lewis. Stop reinventing the wheel. When you run into big friction points, see how other industries have already solved it.
Mikal Lewis, Executive Product Management Leader at Whole Foods, doesn’t waste time on “table stakes” problems. For those, he’s built a portfolio of inspiration to help him “cheat” smarter.
Here’s how you can use solutions from other industries, disciplines, or historical examples to avoid starting from scratch.👇
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Recognize that most problems are already solved elsewhere
You don’t need a blank slate to start. Apply creative thinking to adapt existing solutions to your current challenge.
Mikal’s team at Nordstrom borrowed from in-store merchandising strategies to improve outfit recommendations online. Just like a salesperson helps you put a look together, they launched a digital product that recommended complete outfits to users, boosting both confidence AND conversion.
“If you have the willingness to apply some abductive thinking, you can cheat off of the past, off of related industries, to solve the problems that you face today.”
Save your team’s energy for what matters
Focus innovation on the things that matter most: strategic advantages, user delight, and differentiating your product’s feel.
“How do you increase the quality and the pace of something? Well, you deliver more value faster. And a simple way to do that is through making sure you're spending your decision friction and your decision challenges in areas where it really has impact."
Steal smart: Look for high-leverage wins
At Nordstrom, Mikal noticed that the ecommerce site forced customers to reselect their shoe size on every new product page. In-store, no good salesperson would ask you for your size twice.
His team “cheated,” using the same playbook: tracking size selections and pre-selecting them across pages.
“We did see a conversion lift [...] but ultimately, it just made sense. It took out the work from the customers and it was the right thing to do.”
How can you find these? Look for table-stakes features: search, sizing, signups. Make them so easy that they just disappear.
Build a portfolio of reusable insights
Mikal actively collects models and strategies from across industries and keeps them in mind for future reuse.
💬“I want to learn from the best […] so I can cheat off of them when I face everyday challenges that they've already solved.”
What’s a solved problem you’ve borrowed from another industry or a past strategy?👇