Balancing Innovation and Buyer Resistance
Product managers face a delicate challenge: introducing new features that excite users while minimizing resistance. As Gourville discusses, loss aversion plays a major role in this resistance—people tend to overvalue what they already have, making them hesitant to embrace change. This phenomenon is evident not only in physical products like cars but also in software and social media platforms, where users are reluctant to adopt new features if they feel they might lose familiarity or ease of use.
Loss Aversion: Why Familiarity Feels Better
One example from the text I enjoyed is the struggle with the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs). On paper, it seems like a no-brainer, right? But drivers tend to stick with gas-powered cars not because EVs are worse, but because switching feels like giving something up—whether it’s the ease of finding gas stations or the comfort of familiar technology. Product managers, like those behind Toyota’s Prius, tackled this problem by introducing hybrid cars that let drivers enjoy the benefits of electric power without fully abandoning gas. This incremental shift made the transition feel less like a sacrifice, easing the resistance many consumers feel towards full EVs.
This principle applies to digital products aswell. When Instagram launched Reels, it didn’t remove photo sharing but offered users a chance to explore video content alongside their usual feed. This is a great example of minimizing behavior change—users weren’t forced to choose between old and new ways of engaging, which lowered resistance. Users maintain the core behavior of scrolling through the main feed, combining new video content with the more traditional photo content.
Feature Creep: When Too Many Features Backfire
Another trap that product managers must avoid is feature creep—the tendency to overload products with unnecessary functionality. Cars are a great example of this problem. Some newer models come with so many tech features, touchscreens, and apps that drivers find it overwhelming. Instead of improving the driving experience, this overabundance of features can confuse users and make them nostalgic for simpler designs. Similarly, social media platforms like Facebook have become cluttered with games, marketplaces, and other tools that many users ignore. These features, while innovative, often go unused because they stray too far from what users value most: sharing posts and messaging friends. When a product becomes bloated, it risks alienating users and diluting its core value.
Strategies for Managing Resistance and Innovation
To balance innovation with buyer resistance, product managers need to focus on prioritizing essential features and minimizing disruptions to user behavior. As the text emphasizes, innovation should feel like a natural extension of what people already do. Tesla, for example, succeeded by making electric vehicles sleek and minimal, avoiding unnecessary complexity and creating a seamless driving experience. Likewise, social media apps like TikTok stick to a focused set of features, resisting the temptation to overload users with options, ensuring that the platform remains easy to use and engaging.
The goal is not just to offer better products but to manage the emotional journey of change. Innovation that demands too much behavior change—without offering clear, overwhelming benefits—will struggle to gain traction. Whether in cars or software, the key is to introduce features that users can easily adopt while maintaining what they love about the original product.
In the end, successful product management is about finding the sweet spot between innovation and comfort. As Gourville explains, consumers overvalue what they already have, and product managers tend to overestimate the appeal of new features. The solution lies in small, meaningful improvements that feel familiar and intuitive, avoiding the pitfalls of feature creep and excessive behavior change. By designing thoughtful, user-centered products, companies can create innovations that stick—whether on the road or online.
