The Power of Human Curation in the Creator Economy: Insights for Product-Minded Founders

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Sep 19, 2023
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The Power of Human Curation in the Creator Economy: Insights for Product-Minded Founders
In today's digital age, where information is abundant and easily accessible, the role of curators has become increasingly important. Curators are individuals who sift through vast amounts of content to find and recommend the most relevant and valuable information to others. While algorithms powered by AI have made significant advancements in content curation, the future of content still lies in human-to-human interaction.
The creator economy has witnessed a surge in popularity, with a record funding of $1.3 billion in 2021 alone. As more content creators emerge online, the cost of content creation continues to decrease. However, amidst this sea of content, curators play a crucial role in helping users navigate and discover valuable information.
Curation is one of the three Cs of information commerce: Creation, Curation, and Consumption. It requires time and attention to sort through hundreds of articles and posts to recommend the most valuable information. As the founder of Glasp, I firmly believe that the future lies in the intersection of content curation, knowledge management, and community.
On the other hand, product-minded founders must understand the importance of creating habits that keep users coming back. When developing a product, it is easy to get caught up in the functional aspects and features. However, what truly matters is how the user feels when using the product. Users seek connection, entertainment, and a sense of belonging. Therefore, founders must focus on creating emotional experiences that evoke a "Wow" moment and compel users to share their positive experiences with others.
To achieve this, founders should consider several key factors. First, they should ensure that their product indulges in playful exploration and is fun even without a specific goal. Moments of pleasant surprise can create a lasting impact on users. Additionally, founders should analyze whether users are using the product at the desired frequency and timing. Understanding users' limited attention and time can help in designing a product that captures their interest and keeps them engaged.
Storytelling also plays a crucial role in product development. The story behind the design is as important as the design itself. By underpromising in the story and overdelivering in the user experience, founders can exceed users' expectations and give them a new superpower. To achieve this, it is essential to deeply understand the customer's pain points and demonstrate how the product solves those pain points, ultimately improving their lives.
Creating habits is another essential aspect of product development. Habit formation can act as a competitive moat, locking users into a product and reducing their consideration of alternative options. By understanding human psychology and leveraging the hook model, founders can diagnose deficiencies in their product and design experiences that encourage repeated use.
The ability chain model, which combines motivation, ability, and prompts, highlights the importance of making key behaviors as easy as possible for users. The easier a behavior is to do, the more likely users are to engage in it. Additionally, founders should consider the psychology of variable rewards, as the unknown can be fascinating and encourage users to explore further.
In the age of social media and content creation, the value and stickiness of a product increase as it accumulates more data, content, and followers. Investing in a product and continuously improving its value can create a monopoly of the mind, where users don't even consider the competition's offerings.
When looking for promising products, investors and founders should search for trends that can lead to habit formation. Products that users have top of mind and want to use frequently indicate a deeper connection and potential for growth. It is essential to focus on the depth of user engagement rather than sheer numbers.
Effort and time are precious commodities, and incorporating them into the product experience can bring a sense of humanity and connection. Helping users feel successful and simplifying their interactions are key to forming habits. By understanding human nature and embracing the Law of Least Effort, founders can create products that resonate with users and become their preferred choice.
Ultimately, the success of a product lies in how it makes people feel. Emotional experiences and a sense of community can greatly impact user satisfaction and loyalty. Founders must align product performance metrics with the true user experience and consider the psychological insights that drive human behavior.
In conclusion, the curator economy and the importance of human curation cannot be overlooked in the creator economy. Curators play a vital role in filtering and recommending valuable information to users amidst the overwhelming amount of content available. Similarly, founders must prioritize creating habits and emotional experiences that keep users coming back. By understanding human psychology and designing products that resonate with users, founders can build successful and impactful products.
To summarize, here are three actionable pieces of advice for product-minded founders:
- 1. Focus on creating emotional experiences: Consider how your product makes users feel and engineer it to evoke a "Wow" moment. Obsess over user emotions rather than just their wants and needs.
- 2. Design for habit formation: Understand the psychology behind habit formation and leverage the hook model to encourage repeated use. Make key behaviors as easy as possible for users and provide variable rewards to keep them engaged.
- 3. Embrace simplicity and storytelling: Simplify the user experience and ensure your product satisfies a real user need. Use storytelling to underpromise in your product's story and overdeliver in the actual user experience. Remind users of their pain points and show them how your product can provide a solution and enhance their lives.
By incorporating these principles into your product development strategy, you can create a user-centric and habit-forming product that resonates with your target audience.
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