More technology does not automatically produce more learning.
That is what makes Texas Instruments’ new TI-84 Evo interesting so interesting. The company unveiled the $160 calculator this week and calls it the most powerful calculator it has ever built. Yet it has no Wi-Fi, cannot run outside apps, and includes no AI.
It’s built to do one thing well: math.
I once had a consulting project with a large consumer electronics company. We realized that the impending “age wave” of baby boomer senior citizens was leading to an increasing problem – people were having a hard time navigating their phones given all the different options and apps.
So, we designed a revolutionary new phone interface: one that just had big numbers on it with photos of people’s friends and family members. We focused on the one feature that really mattered: speaking with people.
Text Instruments is riding a similar wave by limiting its calculator features. 45 states have now passed laws restricting cell phone use in the classroom. Technology in the classroom will be less about general connectivity but rather getting a specific learning task done.
The common thread is focus. Sometimes removing features, choices, and distractions helps people build stronger skills.
Avoid Feature Fatigue
Most innovation teams are rewarded for adding bells and buzzers to products. Product roadmaps fill up with new features, new technologies, and new ways to keep up with competitors. Each addition can sound useful on its own. Together, they can make the product harder to understand and use.
A Journal of Marketing Research study found that consumers want features before they use a product, but then care much more about usability after they live with it for a while. The researchers called the result “feature fatigue.”
Texas Instruments took a disciplined approach. The TI-84 Evo is faster and has more graphing space, a redesigned keypad, and an easier menu. Those improvements support the job the calculator is supposed to do. Wi-Fi, outside apps, and AI would distract from that.
This is innovation through constraints. The product team drew a clear boundary around the experience it wanted to create. That boundary helped the team decide where more technology would create value and where it would get in the way.
Start With the Job
Whatever your product, it’s usually helpful to start with a single question: What is the person actually trying to accomplish?
Once the outcome is clear, every feature can be judged against it. Does this help the customer do the job? Is it required to make the experience work? Does it create distraction, confusion, or unnecessary effort?
Useful constraints come from the customer’s core need. An overly stripped-down product can fail just as easily as one packed with features. The real work is deciding what deserves to be part of the experience.
Try these three strategies to get your own innovation focus:
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- Name the essential job. Write one sentence describing what the customer most needs to accomplish. Avoid describing your product or its technology.
- Question every feature. Review your current offering and roadmap. For each feature, ask whether it directly supports the essential job or adds complexity around it.
- Run a subtraction test. Remove or disable one questionable feature for a small group of customers. Watch what happens to usage, satisfaction, errors, and the quality of the result.
Texas Instruments could have turned its new product into another Wifi connected device, powered by AI, built with Bluetooth, and even more. Instead, it made a better calculator.
The most innovative ideas on your roadmap may be the features you decide not to build.
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