Thinking in maps: from the Lascaux caves to knowledge graphs - ICED Theory: Growing Infrequent Products

Thinking in maps: from the Lascaux caves to knowledge graphs - ICED Theory: Growing Infrequent Products

What do hieroglyphs, flowcharts, road signs, and knowledge graphs have in common? They’re all thinking maps. Humans have been thinking in maps since the very first symbolic communication systems. Thinking in maps is substantively different from thinking in sentences. Lascaux is home to something I find even more enthralling: one of the oldest known maps in the world. And it is a map of the skies, not the earth. The oldest surviving map of the world (circa 600 BC) is symbolic, as opposed to literal.

Common visual symbols such as pictograms, ideograms, and logograms are used in addition to written language to communicate meaning. When thinking in maps, word-maps and world-maps are often amalgamated to create visual representations of our knowledge, beliefs, or questions. Leonardo Da Vinci, one of the most famous visual thinkers in history, saw links where others saw separations. He understood that everything connects to everything else.

Isaac Newton also used diagrams to explore scientific concepts and research ideas. In information science, an ontology is a formal representation of the categories, properties, and relationships between concepts in a specific area of knowledge. The development of ontologies allows computers to analyze data on the web and make connections between content, links, and transactions.

The next logical step in the knowledge management quest is the metamodeling of thinking in maps. This involves creating a new language and schema for the semantic data that constitutes our thought processes. Mental maps, represented as trees with a trunk and branches, are the oldest form of node-link diagrams.

Now let's shift our focus to the ICED Theory - Growing Infrequent Products. Products that have natural frequencies of more than once per month are within the "Habit Zone" because it is easier to build a recurring habit with the user. On the other hand, products that are infrequent (less than quarterly) are in the "Forgettable Zone" because it is easy for the user to forget about them due to their low frequency of use.

Most modern product and growth strategies originated in companies with frequent products. However, the ICED theory presents a mental model to address the challenges faced by infrequent products and craft a growth-oriented approach. The ICED theory consists of four elements: Degree of Infrequency (I), Degree of Control Over the User Experience (C), Degree of Engagement Before, After, and During the Transaction (E), and Distinctiveness of the Product (D).

The degree of infrequency of a product affects its product recall by the customer and informs key business decisions such as monetization and the cost of traffic acquisition. Higher engagement in infrequent products ensures customer loyalty and reduces churn. Engagement is determined by the complexity of a transaction, the degree of touch, and the predictability of retention.

Reducing the perceived effort of a transaction can dissuade customers from being disloyal. Decreasing the effort invested in using the product can reduce churn and increase retention. Distinctiveness and infrequency of transactions can strain customer acquisition. For infrequent products, product-market fit depends on market penetration as the time gap between transactions is wider.

Frequent products are better equipped to withstand economic cycles, while highly infrequent products are more susceptible to macroeconomic factors. Understanding the order value of infrequent products is crucial as it affects their vulnerability to macroeconomic factors.

In conclusion, thinking in maps has been a fundamental part of human communication since ancient times. From the Lascaux caves to knowledge graphs, visual representations of knowledge have allowed us to understand complex concepts and make connections between ideas. The ICED theory provides valuable insights into growing infrequent products and offers a framework for crafting a growth-oriented approach.

Three actionable advice for applying these concepts are:

1. Incorporate visual thinking into your problem-solving process. Use diagrams, flowcharts, or mind maps to visualize complex information and make connections between ideas.

2. Prioritize engagement and reduce the perceived effort for customers using your infrequent product. Streamline the user experience and make it as seamless as possible to increase customer loyalty and reduce churn.

3. Focus on market penetration for infrequent products. Increase your product's visibility and reach to ensure a wider customer base and mitigate the challenges of longer time gaps between transactions.

By implementing these strategies, you can leverage the power of thinking in maps and the ICED theory to enhance your understanding of complex concepts and drive growth for infrequent products.