The Adjacent User Theory?

Recently, read this insightful article on 'The Adjacent User Theory'.

Here is the link to the article - https://andrewchen.com/the-adjacent-user-theory/?ref=refind

Importance of Adjacent Users:

• Solving for the Adjacent user captures the potential for the current PMF -Solving for the Adjacent User through?product growth and scaling work when done at the right time in the right sequence?helps your product realize its true product-market fit potential. (eg- working on growth when you should be doing feature work)
• Power of Compounding- This not only impacts the future cohort or just retention but flows through the growth loops to impact acquisition and monetization as well.
• The Adjacent user is a different way to focus on Product efforts- To expand your audience it becomes imperative to know your ever-evolving users. Failing to do this could stall the growth.

My experience as an Adjacent user:

With a goal towards a healthier lifestyle, was an adjacent user of a fitness platform but never adopted the platform. The barrier to adoption for me was trust, proper guidance, and preference for home workouts.

The online coaching feature in the app, motivating community, different group challenges, insightful discussions, and certified coaches on the platform built my trust and hooked me to the platform, as this is what I was seeking.

Product managers can use this approach to effectively target adjacent users by:

??Identifying adjacent users- For a fitness app, initial users could be just the gym goers but the adjacent users could be people who prefer home workouts with the same fitness goals.

??Understanding the gap - Introducing home workout plans, equipment-free exercises, and or modifying the user experience making it more appealing for people willing to work out from home.

???Going deeper on adjacent users - Working on a project, related to healthier eating habits of families. Insights of a virtual interview revealed the kid in the family hated eating veggies. But when I visited their family to observe their behavior and body language, I found out that the real reason was a kid did not like his hand getting dirty while eating. So, the kid avoided eating veggies. It was not the dislike towards the veggies, but the problem was the way he was eating that made a huge difference in his choices. Immersing in empathy helped me identify the real problem with the kid with his eating habits.

?? Sequencing Adjacent users – Let us understand this with the help of the ‘Bowling Pin Strategy’. Just like the bowler aims for a specific pin, identify the primary market segment. Our fitness app example targeted initially gym-goers, then the next pin targets enthusiasts preferring home workouts. Then time to knock down the next pin (adjacent user segment)- kids.?

This is an effective framework for product managers to develop and market products that meet the specific needs of diverse customer segments. Carefully aiming one “pin” at a time, companies can expand their customer base by making sure, their products remain relevant to the changing market dynamics.

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