Ritual Part 1 - The Genesis of Ritual
The first post on my exploration into product development.
Hi everyone,
For the past few months, my free time has been largely consumed by a project I am working on with my roommate. This post will be the first in a series detailing how we explore the world of product development, taking an idea through to a prototype and maybe even to market. Enjoy!
I. Introduction
I've always held a keen fascination with businesses—their operations, their success stories, and often, their lessons learned from failure. I love reading entrepreneurial biographies and listening to podcasts of the same vein. In fact, this curiosity was the main driver for my decision to pursue becoming a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). I liked the idea of practicing audit because it provided a unique opportunity to study businesses from the inside out.
However, now a few years in, I’ve realized a critical gap in my understanding. My learning has been highly biased towards already established businesses—businesses deep in their product cycles, successful enough to employ a Big 4 accounting firm. What about the early-stage companies? How are their products or services developed? How do ideas metamorphose into tangible products? I realized that in order to unravel these mysteries, I had no other choice but to dive into the uncharted waters of entrepreneurship myself.
II. Ideation and Refinement
Driven by the same interest, my roommate Ben, a software sales professional, and I often engage in discussions about potential business ideas. However, it wasn’t until last January that an intriguing concept caught our attention. Ben, likely inspired by some book or podcast, had the idea to come up with 10 business ideas every day. I thought this was ambitious, but nonetheless, he began firing ideas off at me. Among the numerous ideas, most bad, uninteresting, or impossible given our skillsets, one stood out—an idea inspired by 'Shogun,' a book by James Clavell that discussed the use of incense sticks for tracking time in feudal Japan.
We were drawn to the idea of creating timed candlesticks, envisioning them as modern tools for implementing the infamous Pomodoro Technique. We imagined lighting a candle designed to burn for exactly an hour, marking our focused work time. We envisioned our product, boasting an old-fashioned aesthetic, being a premium choice for students and remote workers. A beautiful wooden box, a candle stand, and perhaps even a focus-enhancing aromatic candle made up our initial concept.
However, as we delved deeper into our idea, we faced several challenges. Questions about the feasibility of creating consistently burning candles, the candle's dimensions, the size of the box, and many more started cropping up. Our limited knowledge called for some serious research.
III. Research & Pivoting
We embarked on a rigorous research journey, delving into the internet and reaching out to local candle shops and manufacturers. However, we soon stumbled upon an unpleasant truth. While it was possible to craft candles that burned consistently for about an hour, the resulting size was much larger than what we had envisioned. The product would be too big and clunky to sit comfortably on a desk. Other issues like wax dripping added to the complexity.
We were back to square one, but our belief in the symbolic lighting of a candle remained unshaken. As the product began to morph in our minds, we returned to the core theme: How could we solve the day-to-day challenges we both faced in terms of focus, productivity, and satisfaction while incorporating the aesthetic experience of candle burning?
IV. Getting Specific
A common problem we identified was the feeling of unaccomplishment despite having had, by all measures, a productive day. The nagging thought of "there’s always so much more that could be done" is something we both could resonate with. I think some of you reading probably can as well.
So what if, instead of working incessantly, yet still feeling like our days are incomplete, we tried to be more intentional with our time? What if at the beginning of the day, instead of just jumping into work, we took the time to assess our workload and actually defined what a successful day would be? Now that, in our opinion, had potential.
This new problem and its compelling solution reinvigorated our research and brainstorming process. Simultaneously, I delved into books about design, product development, and market research. One standout was 'The Lean Product Play Book' by Dan Olsen. Its step-by-step approach to product development, emphasis on market research, and techniques to interpret data from questionnaires proved invaluable.
V. Design
With continued conversations and collected data, we began designing our product—a harmonious blend of wooden desk stationery, a task and priority list, and a candle. The user would use daily cards to outline their responsibilities, prioritize them with a view to defining their own successful day, and then light the candle to mark the start. This process would gradually transform into a comforting, enjoyable routine. We settled on the following 3-sentence description for our product:
"Wooden board, candle, and cards, coming together to help the user set intentional and realistic priorities. Turning that process into a comforting and enjoyable routine to start their day. Boosted by aromatherapeutic scents."
And so, "Ritual" was born.
VI. Conclusion
Thus, over a few months, we have journeyed from an abstract idea to a defined product, ready to be brought to life. In the upcoming entries, I’ll delve into the actual design of the product and its transformation into a prototype. There is still much to share about this exciting journey, so do sign up for the newsletter to stay updated. Thank you for joining me on this adventure, and until next time, have a fantastic day.