Pushing the whole world ahead in its march to the highest civilization

Edison had an appreciation for, among other things, utility.

As much as he wanted to lock himself in a room and tinker away with his team for the rest of time, his biography talks about his one creative decision that was of great historical importance. Never to undertake inventions unless there was a definite market demand for them.

Edison made damn sure that his inventions conformed to commercial demands as to the necessities of human use and convenience. It’s not surprising that a journalist commented that his marvelous inventions were pushing the whole world ahead in its march to the highest civilization.

That’s what happens when you lead with utility. And that was over a hundred years ago.

Today, in our modern innovation landscape, some punk kid can farts a useless idea that’s not even a real product and gets seven figures of seed funding. Startups can be valued at tens of millions of dollars and not even make anything. Companies can make little to no profit and lack concrete business models, and yet, build a global brand.

But those examples are exceptions to the rule. For every startup that cashes in on their pseudo innovation, there a thousand garages with two guys tinkering in the dark whose innovations never see the light of day.

All the more reason to lead with utility. If you want to push the whole world ahead in its march to the highest civilization, or if you simply want to create a fulfilling career for yourself, cater to the necessities of human use and convenience.

Because usefulness never goes out style. Even if the work you do is only useful to a single person, that’s a great place to start.

Prolific was built to help me to do my job better. The market of one got its demands met. What’s more, the creative process of that project taught me how to innovate with utility as my north star. And that skill has served me well in my own business, but also as an employee of startups and other companies.

What’s your market of one? To whom is your work specifically useful?

Edison, if he were still around today, would have observed that we now live in a world where direct interaction with customers is increasing, which means people are more willing to surrender their data, which means more personalization to audiences of one is not only possible but expected.

Not that there is anything wrong with locking ourselves in a room to tinker away. Innovation for innovation’s sake still matters.

But if we want to create the most amount of leverage, for ourselves and others, let us master the art of making useful things.

How does your work conform to the necessities of human use and convenience?