Familiarity and Innovation

Totally overhauling an industry, all at once, is expensive.

Comfort and familiarity are real things that we all experience.

For example, new computer interface that’s much better than our current ones may be much better, but if we’re slow using it because of the steep learning-curve, it’s unlikely to enter a production environment anytime soon. Smaller improvements that empathize with current understanding, elevating people to achieve more right away, will be far more likely to be embraced.

Take Apple and iPadOS (the operating system that powers iPads), to further the example. macOS (what Macs use) makes the smaller improvements each year that production environments can understand and use quickly.

Apple has the money to create a very different future (iPadOS) in parallel with our current world (macOS) where most businesses would have to pick one path.

If you’ve deep pockets, by all means, build in parallel.

Otherwise, remember the importance familiarity plays in the production of innovative work. It’s not a shackle, but another opportunity to empathize with those you wish to serve.