Looking ahead to 2025, the author suggests that the most innovative companies will be those that stop thinking about what their product should be and start imagining what it could become. The best digital products will not just cross categories, but erase and redefine them entirely. This will be driven by understanding how user expectations in one category can transform another, rather than simply chasing features.
Key takeaways:
- There is a fundamental shift in how digital products evolve, with features like AI writing assistance becoming standard and the convergence of different platforms becoming more common.
- Companies are innovating by merging categories and creating breakthrough solutions, such as Zillow incorporating climate impact data and Duolingo building an entertainment ecosystem for learning.
- The future of digital products lies in mixing unexpected elements and erasing category boundaries, as seen in Pinterest's evolution and the integration of social features in professional tools.
- Understanding user expectations and reducing friction in their experiences is key to successful innovation, and the best digital products by 2025 will be those that redefine categories entirely.