Making Something Wonderful: Lessons from Steve Jobs and the Growth of Toggl Button

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Aug 31, 2023

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Making Something Wonderful: Lessons from Steve Jobs and the Growth of Toggl Button

Introduction:

In this article, we will explore the common points between Steve Jobs' philosophy and the growth of Toggl Button, a Chrome extension. Both Steve Jobs and the Toggl team understood the importance of simplicity, innovation, and creating something that enhances people's lives. By examining their experiences, we can gain insights into how to make something wonderful and achieve success in the tech industry.

1. Embracing Simplicity:

Steve Jobs believed that technology should be streamlined and practical, enhancing both creativity and productivity. Similarly, the Toggl Button's success lies in its simplicity. By adding a timer to a handful of web tools, the extension solves a specific problem without overwhelming users with unnecessary features. This approach ensures that the solution provided is the best and avoids falling into the feature trap.

2. Building an Audience:

Toggl Button's growth can be attributed to the company's focus on its target audience. By open-sourcing the Chrome extension from the start, they were able to reach a developer audience, collaborate with developers for integration, and promote the product within their communities. Building an audience before launching a product ensures that there is a demand for the solution and provides valuable feedback for improvement.

3. Optimizing for Discoverability:

Both Apple and Toggl understood the importance of discoverability. For Toggl Button, optimizing the Chrome Web Store ranking played a significant role in its growth. The use of relevant keywords in the title and description, along with positive ratings and reviews, greatly influenced its visibility. Toggl Button also leveraged email marketing to reach current users and emphasize the benefits of the extension, resulting in a significant number of installs and increased word-of-mouth referrals.

Actionable Advice:

  • 1. Focus on simplicity and solving a specific problem. Avoid the feature trap and provide the best solution for your target audience.
  • 2. Build an audience before launching your product. Collaborate with developers or key influencers in your industry to gain exposure and valuable feedback.
  • 3. Optimize for discoverability by using relevant keywords, obtaining positive ratings and reviews, and leveraging email marketing to engage and expand your user base.

Conclusion:

By combining the insights from Steve Jobs and the growth of Toggl Button, we can learn valuable lessons on how to make something wonderful and achieve success in the tech industry. Embracing simplicity, building an audience, and optimizing for discoverability are key strategies to consider. Remember, the journey itself is the reward, and by following your instincts and intuition, you can create something remarkable and leave a lasting impact.

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