Building in a Crowded Market with Undock's Nash Ahmed - Build with Maggie Crowley Recap

Podcast: Build with Maggie Crowley

Published: 2021-05-21

Duration: 30 min

Guests: Nash Ahmed

Summary

Nash Ahmed discusses how Undock is innovating in the crowded calendaring space by focusing on redefining how availability is managed. He emphasizes the importance of having a strong vision and not being swayed by competitors' incremental innovations.

What Happened

Nash Ahmed, CEO of Undock, shares his journey of entering the crowded calendaring space, motivated by his telecommunications background and a desire to solve the problem of availability. Despite the dominance of giants like Google, Microsoft, and Apple, Ahmed saw an opportunity for innovation, critiquing existing solutions as afterthoughts. He believes that the way availability is currently managed is fundamentally broken and insists on building something entirely different rather than making incremental improvements.

Ahmed describes the tension within his team regarding product development. While his team often looks to competitors for inspiration, Ahmed is committed to his vision and refuses to follow industry trends unless it aligns with his unique solution. He emphasizes the importance of sticking to one's opinion until proven wrong by empirical data, which can be contentious but is crucial for breakthrough innovation.

Discussing the product development process, Ahmed explains that Undock doesn't prioritize what competitors are doing. Instead, they focus on a unique method for group scheduling, resisting the temptation to adopt popular but, in his view, incorrect methods like the doodle-type poll. This approach reflects his belief that current solutions are often wrong and that patience will eventually reveal the correct path.

Maggie Crowley and Ahmed discuss the role of opinionated design in creating a strong user experience. They agree that having a clear vision and not succumbing to industry standards can result in a more coherent and impactful product. Ahmed highlights how Undock's user experience aims to maintain a consistent feeling from initial brand interaction through to product use.

Ahmed stresses the importance of quality in user experience, even in enterprise software, which is often considered clunky. He believes that a high-quality, coherent user experience is a differentiator in a crowded market and can lead to greater brand affinity.

The discussion also touches on the importance of internal team morale and excitement, particularly during product launches. Ahmed explains how Undock's launch events are not only marketing strategies but also ways to energize the team and make deadlines feel rewarding rather than burdensome.

As for lessons learned, Ahmed admits that he initially delayed shipping his product due to perfectionism. He now advocates for shipping sooner and more frequently to gather valuable user feedback. He believes that even in crowded markets, there is always room for innovation if one is willing to challenge the status quo and aim for the final form of a solution.

Finally, Ahmed shares his reading habits, mentioning books like 'Thinking in Bets' by Annie Duke and 'The Power of Habit' by Charles Duhigg. These books influence his approach to product development and growth, providing insights into decision-making and habit formation.

Key Insights