Lost in Translation (2) – The Hidden Observers in the Convex Mirror

At first glance, Jan van Eyck’s The Arnolfini Portrait appears to be a straightforward scene: ?a couple posed in a richly decorated room, captured in extraordinary detail. Step closer, and its secrets emerge: numerous symbolic objects hinting at wealth, marriage, divinity and devotion.

The true enigma, however, lies in its convex mirror, a portal to a hidden perspective offering a distorted glimpse of reality, reflecting not just the room but also figures beyond the scene, hidden observers. The mirror becomes a metaphor: how much of the truth do we miss when we fail to look beyond what’s immediately visible? ?

Much like the mirror in the painting reveals a distorted view while concealing hidden observers, companies can fall into the trap of focusing on the obvious while missing the subtle yet critical factors that determine product-market fit.

Consider a biotech company developing advanced brain-computer interface (BCI) systems designed to restore communication in patients with severe neurological disorders. The company focuses intently on refining the neural decoding algorithms that interpret brain signals, striving for the highest possible accuracy in translating thought into actionable outputs. Their technology, enthusiastically supported by leading neurologists, holds impressive improvements in signal clarity and real-time responsiveness, showing promise in clinical trials.

However, this company development route was impacted by several mistakes associated overemphasis on the technical brilliance, while “hidden observers” remain absent from their view.

1.????? Cognitive Load and Mental Fatigue: BCIs demand continuous focus, requiring patients to process complex feedback and make rapid decisions. Over time, this effort becomes mentally exhausting, reducing both the system’s usability and the patient’s willingness to continue using it.

2.????? Psychosocial Dynamics: While the company excelled in technical performance, it neglected the psychosocial realities of living with a BCI. Patients often felt the technology amplified feelings of dependence or stigmatization, rather than alleviating them. Devices that promised to restore autonomy inadvertently disrupted daily routines and heightened social discomfort, creating significant barriers to adoption despite their technical efficacy.??

3.????? Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Despite their technical brilliance, the company’s development process sidelined essential interdisciplinary input. Ethicists could have guided concerns about patient autonomy and consent, while sociologists might have uncovered societal dynamics influencing adoption. Without these perspectives, the product failed to account for real-world complexities, such as how BCIs impact patient relationships and perceptions of self-reliance.

In their pursuit of technical perfection, the company’s distorted perspective reflects only part of the reality, overlooking the peripheral but crucial dimensions of some hidden participants (such as human experience and interdisciplinary insight) that ultimately determine real-world success.