When creating a product experience, technology can play two roles. Firstly, technology can be a business enabler, where business operations or some parts of the core business, are complemented by digital solutions. Secondly, technology can be a differentiator. Here, software technology/digital solutions drive the core business.
It is important to internalize the difference between the two roles that technology plays in our business. Business enablers can bring a great deal of value to the business, but they play only a supporting role. Businesses can still exist without a digital enabler, although they may not thrive or scale, whereas, a differentiator is the core product itself. If the digital product doesn't exist, then there is no business to run. This is where the IP (intellectual property, which is the intangible value created from patents, copyright, or creativity) of a product is created.
So, business outcomes can be driven by digital solutions that are either enablers or differentiators. It is crucial to know if the feature that we are evaluating is a differentiator or an enabler. In the case of our newsletter, the content of the newsletter (our curated artworks and so on) forms our differentiators. However, the process to receive the newsletters isn't our differentiator. So, we can choose to build the simplest digital solution or leverage what already exists. At this point, let's say that to evaluate these four journeys is our best bet for creating an Impact Driven Product experience: