The Toothbrush Test

Do people use your products every day?

This is the question asked by Larry Page, the founder of Google – before he acquires a company. According to an article in Business Insider, he asks,

“Is this something you will use once or twice a day, and does it make your life better?”

That’s an insightful question. No matter what other characteristics of your product, if people are not using it regularly, if it is not a part of their life, it has a real danger of being forgotten.

Most products we have, we use them very regularly (apart from those dealing emergencies or special occasions). We use the same social media channels (many times a day), email, productivity software like MS Office, Evernote, or our daily work tools. I find it hard to think of products I use say, just once a week, or once a month. And for me, these are quite replaceable. Most of the products I use, I use daily, or 2-3 times a week.

So, the next time thinking about a product or a feature, it would be good to ask – will the customer use it everyday?