Be genuinely useful, not just novel

Being useful is underrated.

Amazon makes shipping faster because its target market are never going to wish they received packages slowly. There are other options for that, like shopping local, but they know what ‘useful’ looks like for them.

Adobe makes Photoshop do more things on more devices because its target market are never going to wish it did less things on less devices. There are other options for simpler interfaces, such as Pixelmator and Procreate. They know what ‘useful’ looks like for them.

Apple made the iPod the simplest music player (any song findable within seven seconds) because its target market were never going to wish it was harder to find songs. There are other options for the enjoyment of discovery, such as listening to vinyl records. They know what ‘useful’ looks like for them.

Craigslist runs a simple website that rarely ever changes because its target market would prefer things to stay exactly as they are. They are other options with more features, such as eBay. They know what ‘useful’ looks like for them.

Being genuinely useful means making a special gift for your choice of market, and not being deterred by competitors and ideas that make the gift less special for those specific people.

And who doesn’t like receiving a gift thoughtfully prepared just for them?