The Missing Layer in the Product-Market Fit Pyramid

I have seen this figure in a lot of places:

The figure seems to be very professional and grounded on real world, right? Wrong.

I agree that the Market Fit is all about checking if people get what they expect: value.

But, the idea that the value comes from a "feature set" is weird. This oversimplifies and creates lot of unnecessary conflict with other professionals. Value is not a result of features, value is a result of various elements that deliver seamless, efficient, and high-quality services. In addition to people, processes, and flow, other key elements of a digital service system include:

Technology Infrastructure:

• Hardware: Servers, storage, and networking equipment that support the digital service.
• Software: Applications, platforms, and tools that enable the service to function.
• Cloud Computing: Infrastructure, platforms, and software provided as a service, allowing for scalability and flexibility.

Data Management:

• Data Collection: Gathering data from multiple sources, including user inputs, sensors, and external systems.
• Data Storage: Securely storing data in databases or data warehouses.
• Data Analysis: Processing and analyzing data to derive insights and inform decision-making.
• Data Privacy and Security: Ensuring data protection through access controls, encryption, and compliance with privacy regulations.

Integration and Interoperability:

• APIs: Application Programming Interfaces that enable seamless communication and data exchange between different systems.
• Middleware: Software that connects various applications, platforms, and services within the digital service system.
• Standards: Adhering to industry standards and protocols to ensure compatibility and ease of integration.

User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX) Design:

• Accessibility: Designing the service to be usable by people with varying abilities and disabilities.
• Responsiveness: Ensuring that the service works well across different devices and screen sizes.
• Usability: Designing the service to be intuitive and easy to use, minimizing user frustration.

Security and Compliance:

• Authentication and Authorization: Verifying user identities and controlling their access to resources.
• Threat Detection and Prevention: Monitoring the system for potential security threats and taking steps to mitigate them.
• Compliance: Adhering to relevant regulations, standards, and best practices, such as GDPR or HIPAA.

Monitoring and Performance Management:

• Performance Metrics: Monitoring key performance indicators (KPIs) to ensure the system is running efficiently and meeting its objectives.
• Logging and Auditing: Tracking system events and user actions for troubleshooting, analysis, and regulatory compliance.
• Incident Management: Detecting and resolving issues that impact the service, such as downtime, bugs, or performance degradation.

Continuous Improvement:

• Feedback: Collecting user feedback and using it to inform ongoing improvements and refinements.
• Agile Development: Adopting an iterative approach to development, allowing for flexibility and rapid response to changing requirements.
• DevOps: Integrating development and operations teams to streamline processes and improve collaboration.

These elements, when combined effectively, create a robust digital service system that can deliver a high level of value and satisfaction to its users.

In the picture below you can see the layers that are missing the original pyramid.

In this second image it is clear that the features are grounded on different aspects that build a system. Some features depend on people, on specific technology, on data management, on right integration among systems and the right evolution of the software based on monitoring/analytics.

When you show UX as something "simple" you create the wrong idea about what is real UX Design.

In the second picture, I didn't expand the UX Design layer, but we should remember that it is a rabbit hole*.

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*A "rabbit hole" is an idiomatic expression that refers to a complex, often confusing or intricate situation, topic, or chain of events that one becomes deeply engaged in or obsessed with. The phrase originates from Lewis Carroll's 1865 novel "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," in which the protagonist, Alice, follows a white rabbit down a rabbit hole, leading her to a surreal and fantastical world.

In everyday usage, it refer to becoming sidetracked while investigating or researching a topic, as one discovers increasingly more related or tangential information, leading further and further away from the original focus.