Thinking outside of the box example

The customers know the problem, not the best solution

One of my favorite business cases is about elevators, and I’ve heard it from one of the GOATs - Rory Sutherland.

Tenants in a building kept complaining that the elevators were too slow. The engineering solution is to figure out how to make them faster. Thicker ropes, better motors, etc. All of the options available are expensive, and lead to marginal improvements.

Then, someone asked: How about we put mirrors?

The problem wasn't the speed. It was the perception of the journey from one floor to the other. There was nothing to do inside. It was boring, despite the journey being relatively short.

Adding mirrors gave people something to do. By the time you check your hair and if you have a stain on your shirt, you're there! The complaints disappeared.

I love these examples where a psychological solution is the way to go. This also means, if someone complains about speed, it doesn't mean speed is what needs fixing.