Prototype Problems - You Will Be Evaluated By Your Worst Deliverable

If you want to avoid being seen as inconsistent, you need to really consider the value of your deliverables and what's expected from you.

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The Free Breakfast Problem

For a brief time, I opened up a spare room to Airbnb guests.

The view was fantastic, the place was nice, and my listing had a rating of 4.79 after six months and some 35 guests.

One guest mentioned it would help if we offered a simple breakfast. So, I began offering a simple breakfast of cereal, fruit, bread, etc., which guests could prepare themselves at their convenience.

I was offering more value for the same price, and I figured that might raise my rating even higher.

Can you guess what happened?

My rating began declining immediately. The feedback was always the same “Great room, but breakfast could be better”

It turns out that if I didn’t offer any breakfast, it wasn’t included in a guest’s consideration of their rating. But if I did offer breakfast, they would include it in the ratings.

I see this exact situation play out often in consulting.