David Letterman, O.G. end user

February 2022

What that Bill Gates interview by David Letterman teaches us about UX, marketing, and Product Research

(Note: I am helping a family member with health issues and have not had a lot of time to update this blog, among other things. Sorry.)

Here's that video from 1995 that's been popular on social media, apparently:

did you notice he predicted reddit at the end?! :p

It's easy to giggle at the naivete on display, and maybe I'm biased because I remember how new and weird all this stuff was back then. 

My first thought on this new YouTube thing: I thought we hated watching people's home movies? 😢 Don't get me started on NFT...

But you've seen this pattern elsewhere, haven't you? Letterman's naivete is forcing Bill Gates to explain his lofty visions of a future media on demand in practical terms. And in all fairness, Bill Gates was very good at selling it. The binge watching, "Netflix and chill" generation surely appreciates it, as much as they love to throw rocks at billionaires these days.

So what's the key lessons here?

Users: Ask the dumb questions! You don't know how much info there is in them, so ask. It makes products bulletproof.

Product makers and sellers: Have good answers for them. Don't look down at or talk down to people who don't know as much as you do. People only buy stuff from people they like if they have a choice in the matter.

Everyone: Think beyond what's initially being offered. You may see a silly gadget or a useless widget, but it's going to evolve into things that are useful, and eventually into something(s) that's essential.

Does Asia get it? Of course they do.

And so does MIT.